Irene Washes Out Vermont Breweries

Long Trail Brewery in VT is shown under flood water

The effects of Tropical Storm Irene is being felt by residents and businesses all over the state of Vermont, who along with Eastern New York were hit the hardest by last weekend's storm. Pictured above is the Long Trail Brewery, located in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont, which was build basically over the Ottauquechee River, was flooded. According to beernews.org and Beer Advocate, the brewery wasn't tottally washed out, although they have water in the brewery and their deck is under water. Production is halted, although they have beer fermenting under normal conditions.

Unfortunately, the same can not be said for The Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waturbury, VT. Also according to beernews.org, the brewery itself was totalled, but they have their sets on rebuilding. Fortunately for the Alchemist, their cannery is located up the street and out of the flood zone, and is still up and running.

Pictures and video show the massive devastation felt all over the Green Mountain State. Bridges and roads have been washed away, cutting off only exits to several towns - including Killington, VT. The road running through the Quechee Covered Bridge, which spans the river and leads to Simon Pearce was destroyed, and washed down stream.


This is what the bridge typically looks like, from the deck of Simon Pearce

Here's a video from CNN.com showing the bridge over the weekend:




This is also an excerpt from Simon Pierce's President Rob Adams posted on their website:

"As you’re likely aware, Mother Nature dealt Vermont a tough hand as Irene dumped 7+ inches of rain on a saturated landscape. The Mill in Quechee bravely took the brunt of this storm as the Ottaquechee River, running adjacent to the Mill, rose rapidly on Sunday afternoon. Despite a valiant sandbagging and pumping effort, the river was just too much and flooded the glassblowing, hydro turbine, and some of the kitchen operations located on the lower levels of the building. Thankfully, the river peaked before any significant damage was done to the main floor that includes the restaurant and retail store."

Sarah and I were both sad to hear about the devastation of one of our favorite fall vacation spots. There will no doubt be many months of recovery for the entire state of Vermont and surrounding towns, and we will try to keep you posted on the repairs.