Drop-In Brewery - Middlebury, VT

Drop-In Brewery feels something like an arcade. A grown up arcade. With beer. There are tables with vintage boxers and hungry hungry hippos set up and ready to play.

It’s a pretty relaxed place. Shelves of glass wear, bottles, and knick knacks from around the world line one wall, and band posters and signs fill the rest of any available wall space.

$3 will get you a taste (1oz) of each of the six beers on tap, which, on the day we were there ranged from Belgian golden ale to milk stout. I liked the Comet pale ale. Drop-In is connected to Grapevine Grille. The day before our visit the two paired for an epic beer chilli cook off. We had our fingers crossed that there’d be leftovers but alas the kitchen was closed on Sunday.

Drop-In is also home to the American Brewers Guild Brewing School. They offer online and in-person classes and even help connect future brewers with apprentice positions. We met a past student during our visit who, six months after completing the course, is working at a soon to open brewery in Summerside, Massachusetts.

Beer is available to go in three different growler sizes, a squealer, a growler, and a grumbler, which start at $7.50 including fill.