Checking In at: Harpoon Brewery, Windsor VT

We’d been to Harpoon Brewery in Vermont before, and have certainly enjoyed their bottled beer many times over the years. On the way to our Vermont rental we thought we’d stop by the brewery for a couple of growlers for the house. The day was gorgeous, people were cavorting about as if it was the grassy commons on the first spring day at college, and Harpoon offers plenty of outdoor seating at picnic tables and Adirondack chairs set around a fire pit. 

So we stopped by the outside window for an IPA and a cider before getting our growlers filled. The IPA is familiar, floral, fragrant, and bitter, with a mouth-filling flavor. Classic American style. The cider was new to us. It’s positioned about halfway between the serious stuff and the goofy apple soda stuff like Angry Orchard and Crispin that’s become popular. Harpoon cider is thin-bodied, slightly sweet, and one-dimensional, but quite pleasant as an outdoors quaffer.