It's hard sometimes to judge a brewpub on one visit. It's a bit harder to do so on a long run when you need a break and get it even if Andy Crouch has given you fair warning to expect less than you might want. Having said that, we liked the place. First, during an early afternoon shift, it was kid friendly. By that I mean little more than a kids menu that does not try to convince you that chicken lumps and fries is a $6.99 buy. Plus nice staff and actual chicken in the lump. The food was slightly hippie Vermont-ish with a whack of the real stuff in the grilled cheese, a good burger and tasty guacamole. Hard to survive in a place like Vermont with poor food.

Second, the space was fine - bright, with some sofas on the far side of the bar, an upstairs, decent exposed brewing equipment as well as plenty of folk art. The kind of stuff that would work as well on a busy night with the college kids as on our quiet afternoon. Finally, Andy's main complaint was that the beer he had had was simple sour. The beer I was served had no hint of that - even though I was only able to have a half pint of their flagship beer Old 76, which they called a Yorkshire strong ale. It struck me as a slightly lighter Charles Wells Bombardier, a raisiny chewy sort of beer with nice fruit notes including cherry. I certainly would have had another if I were staying put for the afternoon. Only six BAers have rated Old 76 but they all like it. Maybe the brewers got a copy of The Good Beer Guide to New England and contemplated a couple of futures, one of them without brewing included.

So while I have been to more interesting places, I certainly have been to worse especially on the road and if the beer now is always as good as the one I had, I'd be happy to recommend the place. Heck, I would have taken a growler if they weren't asking for something like ten bucks for the growler down payment. Yikes. It's a jar for God's sale. Even with that, it makes for a great stop halfway between the North Country or western New York and the beaches of Maine on highway 9 between Albany, NY and Keene, NH right downtown on the main drag.