This is my first guest post here at Kellie’s Belly. I’m the oft-mentioned husband/partner who tags along with Kellie on her gastronomic adventures. Though I’m a big fan of eating food, I’m not terribly adept at preparing it. For this reason, I’m generally content remaining in the background as this site’s webmaster and occasional supporting character. That said, there are a few sparks of light within the dark abyss of my cooking ignorance. Most involve yeast: namely pizza, bread and beer.
If you enjoy making (or even just consuming) beer and happen to be near Burlington, Vermont, you would be doing yourself a great disservice by not stopping in to visit the Magic Hat Brewery.
I tried my first Magic Hat back in college. I had recently discovered dark beers and when I came across the Heart of Darkness (sadly no longer available) I figured it was high time I went in search of Kurtz. Their bottle labels are striking and when you visit the brewery it’s obvious that this unique style permeates the entire operation. The dim lighting and lots of funky, colorful decor made it feel like the Disney World, or Mardi Gras, of brewing.
As part of the tour we were brought into a small theater to watch a short film starring one of the company’s founders. After learning a bit about the reemergence of microbreweries we were brought down this hallway towards the production line. As you can see in the background, a number of their brews have been put out to pasture over time. If you’re bored and have 30 minutes to burn, please feel free to write Magic Hat a letter (or several hundred) requesting them to bring back the Heart of Darkness.
All of the stages of production had fun names such as the “bottlemabob” and the “sticker licker”. We unfortunately arrived too late to see the entire system in action.
The tour ended in a gift shop/tasting room which had a decorating scheme that followed suit with the decor used in the beginning of the tour.
The samples reminded us why we wanted to experience this tour in the first place: quality brew with unique flavoring. We really enjoyed the Vinyl and ended up buying some to bring to a family gathering after returning home from our travels. We also tried our first Black IPA (and it’s really good!).
So if you happen to be visiting Burlington, make sure to stop by Magic Hat Brewery for a tour. Cheers!