Any Good Unique Fast Food Places to Stop at From Boston to Burlington, Vermont? (Great Barrington: camping, authority)

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by GeePee

What is it with that brew? i think it's gross. I don't get it.

Really? Heady is good. Other doubles have passed it. Crusher by them is better, I think.


But it was a forerunner, perhaps the forerunner, in the New England IPA style...

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Really? Heady is good. Other doubles have passed it. Crusher by them is better, I think.


But it was a forerunner, perhaps the forerunner, in the New England IPA style...

I guess it's just not my style. I'm more of a pilsner guy.

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by GeePee

What is it with that brew? i think it's gross. I don't get it.

Heady is pretty good, albeit overhyped to say the least. As mentioned previously it's not even the best offering out of that brewery. If you think it's gross, then you probably just don't prefer craft IPAs. Nothing wrong with that, I like a good easy drinking pilsner or lager myself. I didn't touch a craft IPA all summer until about a week ago, but I'm warming up to the season.

I wouldn't go out of my way for Heady Topper; and those who post pics of their beer fridge fulled with Heady are truly cringeworthy. I do have certain relatives who worship the ground I walk on when I bring them some home from VT.

IMO many superior brews are available much closer to home at Tree House. A trip to Tree House with a stop off at BTs can be a perfect afternoon.

[porterhouse]

More on topic for this thread, Simon Pearce Quechee is worth a stop. The restaurant is not fast food, but the food is pretty good for the area. The setting in the mill is truly spectacular with many tables overlooking the dam. The real draw however is the glassblowing operation in the lower level, very cool to see the artisans working close up.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Really? Heady is good. Other doubles have passed it. Crusher by them is better, I think.


But it was a forerunner, perhaps the forerunner, in the New England IPA style...

Hill's Farmstead would argue the claim, though regardless of what they say, Heady popularized the entire style. To this day, international crowds trade and make trips for the perceived gold standard in NEIPAs.

I prefer Focal Banger to both Crusher and Heady, though I've gone through phases with each. I admittedly like Hills Farmstead more than The Alchemist or Lawson's as it's the only one of them that stacks up to the new age NEIPA brewers. A lot of it is more mouthfeel than taste to me.. A good, fresh New England style is now thicker than it was when the originators were brewing. That's why I always visit Foam before The Alchemist while I'm up there. That's most certainly why Tree House is currently the king.

[timberline742]

I do not get that love for Focal, but I dislike Pale Ales in general. I rarely drink even single IPAs anymore.


And yes, Tree House is king.


River Roost and Foam both make some great ones. I'll take double or triple sunshine anyday... Sip isn't Lawsons.


HF, well, I actually love their stouts, but their IPAs, not so much.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by GeePee

What is it with that brew? i think it's gross. I don't get it.

I have friends who road tripped an hour+ most weeks to buy it back when it was unobtanium brewed in really small batches. Personally, I don’t care for massively over-hopped American IPA. I like big flavor beer but I don’t want the dominant flavor to be bitter. For Vermont beers, I’m more of a Switchback guy. That’s closer to a pint of bitter in a British pub. In the UK, it seems like half the locals drink Budweiser. Not enough flavor for me.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

More on topic for this thread, Simon Pearce Quechee is worth a stop. The restaurant is not fast food, but the food is pretty good for the area. The setting in the mill is truly spectacular with many tables overlooking the dam. The real draw however is the glassblowing operation in the lower level, very cool to see the artisans working close up.

The thread started as looking for high quality pit stop dining driving from Boston to Burlington. I presume that means 15 to 30 minutes. You burn almost 30 minutes just getting to Quechee and back from I-89. I’ve driven NH I-89 easily 1000+ times over the years. The Route 4 Country Store on the way to Quechee doesn’t have any indoor seating but has really good food. Their pulled pork and BBQ are reliable. It’s close to the exit.

Any farther up I-89 and you’d might as well eat in Burlington. There isn’t much on the 60 miles of NH I-89. A BBQ chicken at the Market Basket in Warner 20 miles up I-89 or the Co-op grocery store deli across from Dartmouth-Hitchcock at mile 56 is, sadly, probably the best food. The truck stop at the Whaleback exit used to be really good but it’s a Subway now.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

I have friends who road tripped an hour+ most weeks to buy it back when it was unobtanium brewed in really small batches. Personally, I don’t care for massively over-hopped American IPA. I like big flavor beer but I don’t want the dominant flavor to be bitter. For Vermont beers, I’m more of a Switchback guy. That’s closer to a pint of bitter in a British pub. In the UK, it seems like half the locals drink Budweiser. Not enough flavor for me.

Well, NEIPAs aren't really bitter, that's kind of one of the defining points of the style. Very different from English IPAs or West Coast IPAs. But yeah, I guess this isn't a beer thread. Too bad. Not a lot of places that are decent right off the highway is reality. The places in Waterbury are as close as you'll get, I guess.

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

You burn almost 30 minutes just getting to Quechee and back from I-89. I’ve driven NH I-89 easily 1000+ times over the years. The Route 4 Country Store on the way to Quechee doesn’t have any indoor seating but has really good food. Their pulled pork and BBQ are reliable. It’s close to the exit.

In real life, Simon Pearce is about 5 min past the Country Store.