The Vermont Pub & Brewery

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

2.86/5  rDev -25.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | $$

Stopped by here fairly late on a Thursday night to a fairly crowded bar. It was quite dark and seemed pretty standard, nothing special.

We had two beers, a Flanders red and a raspberry fruit beer. The FR was extremely funky and not very sour or really anything else. It tasted like bleu cheese and that is about it. The fruit beer was aged in oak - all I could taste was fruit, though. Neither were great, but neither were terrible. Those were the only 2 interesting looking beers.

The service was standard for a bar, not very good for a brewpub. This just seemed like a standard bar that brews their own beer.

12-26-2010 20:51:36 | More by coreyfmcdonald

laurastradford

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -21.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | $

Stopped during a VT brewery tour. Had a sampler with Forbidden Fruit, Beetlejuice, Grandslam, American Imperial Wheat LAger, Vienna Rye, and Tulch Leis. The samples were only $1 each which was awesome. Our bartender took forever to take our order which was torutre since there was no air conditioning where we were and it was late July. My favorite from the sampler was the beetlejuice but I didn't stay long to enjoy because I was too busy sweating and dreaming of a cooler place to enjoy a good brew.

12-16-2012 20:59:25 | More by laurastradford

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $

We got to Burlington in the hottest day of the year. What gives? Wondering around, I spotted the classic Vermont Pub & Brewery and decided to stop by for a beer or two. The cool thing about Burlington is that pretty much everything is within a block or two: the Vermont Pub, American Flatbread, Bluebird Tavern for fine dining and craft beer and The Farmhouse Bar around the corner.

The Vermont Pub and Brewery is a fairly standard joint, with an outdoor space up the stairs from the street and a bar inside. Sort of generic but alright. We sat outside because the bar was way too hot... 10 lines plus 2 casks, how's that for beer offerings?

Some cool stuff, let's talk about Forbidden Fruit (oak-aged raspberry sour), Beetlejuice (Weissbier), Vienna Rye, Bombay IPA, Tulach Leis (Flemish Sour Red) and Lake Chocolate Stout. This is NOT your standard brewpub lineup, OK!

I had the IPA, the Bocks of Chocolates bock and the Lake Champlain Chocolate Stout (great beer).

Prices are friendly at $4 a pint, $3 the 12-oz serving and one dollar for a 3-oz taste, and so is service. Atmosphere is OK and we didn't try food because we were dining at the fancy Bluebird Tavern.

Sure, the Vermont Pub & Brewery is not mind-blowing, but it sure is a good time and it has got enough beers to satisfy almost every palate. Honor Greg Noonan! I will be back.

08-15-2012 03:26:58 | More by DoubleSimcoe

nh2032

New York

2.83/5  rDev -26.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

Visited after dinner on a Wednesday night. It's a pub-like setup, but had a surprising amount of families, especially considering the time. There is a dedicated bar area that seemed to be mostly the college crowd.

There were a decent number of beers available, but unfortunately all I tried were mediocre at best. My picks were the Grandslam Baseball Beer, Bombay Grab IPA, the Dogbite Bitter, and the Forbidden Fruit. Out of the 4 there was nothing that I would want to have again. And considering I picked styles I typically prefer I'm afraid what the rest of the options would have been like.

We ordered a couple apps which were both fine, but nothing spectacular. Service was fine too. Prices were reasonable, 4 oz samples were $1. Those are about the only positives I can come up with unfortunately.

04-14-2012 20:54:33 | More by nh2032

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.6/5  rDev -6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

We stopped in here for the first time this past Friday after a frustrating 4 hour ride in a blinding snowstorm. Man was I thirsty. It was a quarter to 10 on a Friday night when we strolled in for dinner and drinks and the place was quite full, but we promptly were seated near the back. They had 8 or so beers on tap with enough variety to keep me interested. Our cheese and food were serviceable for your standard pub grub. Our waitress was ok but seemed overworked for really prompt service. I found the prices to be fairly reasonable for the area. I would go back if in the area and looking for pub grub and a good laugh at some drunk falling down the stairs to the bathroom.

02-26-2012 23:21:17 | More by johnnnniee

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

The VPB was bustling and busy on the Sunday afternoon I visited. Got a table and beer quickly but our food order was lost and delayed because of it. Service was friendly and apologetic and we both got a free round because of the delay, which we certainly appreciated.

This place has a bit of a family/touristy feel to it compared to some of the other drinking spots in town. The beer was offered in everything from flights to 6oz and 12oz pours and growlers. Prices were low on everything and you can make your own flights from what ever you choose, an option I really liked.

All the beer was good at best and mediocre at worst. Nothing was really outstanding. There were a lot of choices and after a while I felt like maybe they should brew a few less different beers and make some of the others a little better. All the beers looked very nice but generally were very low in carbonation, sometimes way too low. Food was good enough, kind of standard pub fare, with sandwiches, burgers, wraps, and the like.

Worth checking out for sure but don't expect anything too stellar.

11-03-2011 14:19:04 | More by tobelerone

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.64/5  rDev -5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Unassuming exterior with outdoor patio and greenhouse like room visible to outside. Interior shows a dark wood, dimly lit and well worn interior. Warm and humid even on a 55 degree day.

A nice mix of American, British and Belgian styles available on tap, but many lack in depth and body. Service was hit or miss, slightly inattentive when distracted by a chatty co-worker. Didn't try the food as it looked like standard pub grub with a touch of local fare.

Overall, the mixed bag of recommendations were quite appropriate.

10-10-2011 01:54:47 | More by rfgetz

DirtyPenny

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $

Menu is very reasonably priced for what you get.

I have to confess that I ordered my bangers and mash without the onion gravy. Onions are vile things and I don't know why people feel the need to ruin food by dumping them into whatever happens to be on the stove. That being said, maybe it was a major component to the B&M, which seemed a little plain. Sweet potato fries were crisp and tasty and came with honey mustard.

You can order beer samplers, which is great to get a feel for the place. The Burly ale was fantastic, though I'm not about to give it an actual rating since I only had a sample size of it. Had the milk stout, dogbite bitter and pils. All decent, but nothing amazing. Plenty else to try and not enough time (or stomach space) to try it.

Service was prompt and friendly, though it got a little less prompt when the place started to fill up. Nobody there when we got there at 11:30, but the place was getting packed by the time we left an hour later.

In short: cheap food; good beer; get in early or expect a wait.

07-10-2011 17:25:52 | More by DirtyPenny

MattyV

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$

Grabbed a bite and a few quick pints here while in Burlington for a conference. It was a bit dark inside, and was pretty busy but not completely packed. We were seated within a minute or two of arriving, but had to wait a solid 15 minutes before the server came by to get our drink orders.

I had a glass of the Tulach Leis (meh, but a decent effort) and the Bombay IPA, which was quite enjoyable. Our food arrived quickly after ordering and was tasty and inexpensive. Very reasonable prices for beer as well ($4/pint if I recall correctly). Will definitely return if I'm back in town.

06-12-2011 22:04:41 | More by MattyV

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

A quality place with a nice, friendly atmosphere. Lots of tasty microbrewed beers, and a very diverse and extensive menu with lots of good food on it, with a tendency towards British-style cuisine. Not quite as quality a place as American Flatbread--beerwise--but still a nice establishment. Again, this place makes all their own brews, so you will only find their beers on tap, and as such, it may not be a beer connoisseur's paradise.

So considering American Flatbread and VT Pub are about 1 minute walking distance from each other:

Beer selection ... VTP < AFB
Food selection ... VTP > AFB

But those things considered, you should not miss out on sampling VTP's beers, and you should definitely not miss out on AFB's flatbreads. In other words, go to both places.

05-03-2011 04:30:28 | More by Rifugium