The Shed Brewery
Client Brewer
in Middlebury,
Vermont,
United States 🇺🇸
Owned by
Harpoon Brewery
Associated Venue: Shed Restaurant and Brewery
- Out of business
Established in 1995
After a short stint as a variety store and youth hostel, the old cider mill became The Shed Restaurant in 1965. Spirited conversation returned in the form of tall tales of downhill glory as skiers filled the Shed and set the roots for the après ski culture in Stowe. Steeped in history and rooted in Vermont skiing lore, the Shed became THE spot for locals and tourists alike.
On a frigid evening in 1994, a fire destroyed the restaurant. Rising from the ashes, the restaurant reopened the following year with the addition of a seven-barrel brewery that focused on English-style, handcrafted ales. The Shed Mountain Ale soon became as steeped in Stowe folklore as the ski area up the road.
One of the first brewpubs in Vermont, the Shed's tradition of brewing fine ales remained part of Stowe's culture until 2011 when production shifted to Middlebury. Now, for the first time in our storied history, people outside of Vermont are able to enjoy Shed at their neighborhood bars and restaurants or pick up a six-pack from their local store. The legacy of the original Shed lives on in every batch of Mountain Ale, IPA and the spirited conversation that erupts over a shared pint.
Travlr (30173) reviewed India Pale Ale from The Shed Brewery 13 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Draft at the Pourhouse. Cloudy golden color, white head, decent lacing. Aroma of grass and scallions. Taste is bitter and peppery grass
ben4321 (11522) reviewed India Pale Ale from The Shed Brewery 13 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Location: 12 oz bottle from Buy Rite, 12/26/12
Aroma: The nose has mostly floral and citrus hops with caramel, and some buttery notes
Appearance: Pours an orange color, cloudy, with some sediment, a small head and some sticky lace
Flavor: The taste of this one is lightly sweet, with a medium-plus hop bitterness to it that actually works decently well despite the fact that it has a little too much of a buttery/diacetyl component
Palate: It is light-medium bodied, a hint thin for the style, soft carbonation, and a short, dryish finish
Overall Impression: I thought this was a pretty decent attempt at an IPA. It has some little flaws to it for sure, but those certainly don't make the beer undrinkable or anything. Still though, due to the flaws and the lack of anything stand-out about it, it's probably on the bottom side of the style.
CLW (16859) reviewed India Pale Ale from The Shed Brewery 13 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
12 oz. bottle. I got to say first off this was much better than I would have ever guessed. But this should really be marketed as An American Pale Ale or maybe EPA… saying this is an IPA is a stretch. My snifter showed a totally hazy gold that turns an orange color when held to the light. Nose has a very light floral hop note with lots of bread malts. Flavors of caramel malt, sweet citrus, tropical fruits with grapefruit bitterness in the finish. Ok, over this isn’t much better than average. However, I could easily drink several bottles of this. Easy and simple.
CosmicCharlie (9644) reviewed India Pale Ale from The Shed Brewery 13 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Pours hazy gold into a shaker. Full soapy head top hats and recedes leaving craters. Sweet tropical fruit and resin aromas. Medium bodied with sweet bready caramel upfront turning to resin and grapefruit in the lasting toasty finish.
CosmicCharlie (9644) reviewed Mountain Ale from The Shed Brewery 13 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Pours bright mahogany into a Sam glass. Bright micro white head with little retention recedes to skim rim. Sour caramel aromas. Thin with sweet molasses and toffee upfront turning to bitter dried fruit in the lasting finish.
johnnnniee (7495) reviewed Mountain Ale from The Shed Brewery 13 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4.5
Pours a deep brown with reddish highlights when held to light and a huge fluffy off white head that persists forever. Smells of caramel and light chocolate with a hint of earthy hops. Not much of a nose on this one. The flavor follows the aroma quite well. Caramel, brown sugar, and a hint of chocolate with a touch of earth and mineral water. Medium to thin body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet slick and bubbly mouthfeel. Old ale is a real stretch for this brew, but at 7.4% I never noticed the abv. This drinks more like a brown ale but even at that its really bland. Nice to try, but I doubt I’d pick it up again.
johnnnniee (7495) reviewed India Pale Ale from The Shed Brewery 13 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
I saw this in bottles recently at my local, scratched my head for a second wondering how a now closed brewpub was releasing a bottled version of their IPA. A kind shop owner informed me that it was now being brewed at Otter Creek and it was more of an English style IPA. Pours a slightly hazy medium golden color with a decent sized white head that quickly drops to a cap. Smells of citrus and earthy hops with some bread and caramel maltiness to provide balance. A hint of mineral water and a touch of orange and lemon round out the nose nicely. The flavor is a bit more focused on the malt than the aroma lead me to believe. Sweet bread, cracker, and caramel malts countered with earthy and citrus hops. Long lingering hop bite at the end of every sip. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a bitter slick mouthfeel. I’m pretty impressed with this bottled version, its been years since I enjoyed any of the beer I’ve had at the brewpub. This is actually a pretty good gateway IPA.
ben4321 (11522) reviewed Mountain Ale from The Shed Brewery 13 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
Location: 12 oz bottle from State Line, 11/13/12
Aroma: The nose is fairly light, with some malty notes, caramel, and a bit of earth
Appearance: It pours an amber-brown color with a small, fizzy beige head
Flavor: The taste is lightly sweet, heavy malty, and a little bit bitter as well
Palate: The body of this beer is medium, it has a mediocre at best feel, and a lightly dry finish
Overall Impression: This one is not a great beer. It feels flawed, doesn't drink that nicely, and just isn't all that good...
Drake (22934) reviewed Mountain Ale from The Shed Brewery 13 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
12 ounce bottle from Nikki’s, Providence. Pours a hazy reddish brown color with a thin tan head. Below average head retention. Aroma of caramel, toffee and nutty notes. The taste is caramel malts, nutty notes, brown sugar, floral hops. Medium bodied. Very tasty. My first beer from these guys, and it’s a good one!
Mansquito (19100) reviewed India Pale Ale from The Shed Brewery 14 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Otter Creek Brewery: Pours a golden color with a nice creamy white head. Aroma is of citrusy hops. Taste is much the same although I can say that I didn’t find the flavour profile to be particularly appealing. It didn’t seem to be exactly well-balanced. I would drink more than the sample I had, but not enough, yeah.