Hill Farmstead Brewery, located in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont in the rural town of Greensboro Bend, is a mecca for beer connoisseurs. In fact, Ratebeer named it the best brewery in the world in 2015, making it one of the most popular beer destinations in the world, not just New England. Brewer Shaun Hill has perfected juicy IPAs, roasty stouts and barrel-aged sours that are guaranteed to be some of the very best craft beers you’ll ever try. Shaun’s passion and talent for brewing, combined with his Vermont well water, makes Hill Farmstead’s beers extraordinary.

My First Pilgrimage to Hill Farmstead

I visited Hill Farmstead for the first time in the summer of 2015 (why I waited so long, I’ll never know…), so I was able to experience the brewery before the new visitor center / taproom / pub was up and running. A true Hill Farmstead fanatic showed me the ropes; bottles and growlers were purchased in the space where now only bottles are for sale. You had to fill out a card ahead a time with the kind and quantities of bottles, growlers and swag you wanted, and then wait for your number to be called.

Since then, the creation of an expansive taproom for growler fills and on-site consumption has made Hill Farmstead into even more of a craft beer destination in Vermont with stunning views of the Green Mountains to the east. The new visitor center has also dramatically reduced the amount of time you have to wait in line, or at least the fact that you can now sip beer on site helps pass the time (or dulls the pain). Either way, it’s a win-win for visiting Hill Farmstead.

Waiting in line for beer might seem unnecessary to some, but it’s a Vermont experience in and of itself. Visitors line up with coolers filled with empty growlers. Some folks bring lawn chairs. Other bring their dogs to make it a family affair. In the line, there’s shared camaraderie and even better eavesdropping. I love hearing newbies come up with their plan for maximizing the amount of beer they bring home while minimizing the time involved to get their hands on it.

As a Vermonter, I also love hearing visitors’ game plans for trying to stock up on as much Green Mountain gold as they can during their time in the state. It’s hard for me to bite my tongue and not offer some local advice. No matter the season, the day of the week, time of day or the temperature outside, you’ll see folks standing in line at Hill Farmstead. The promise of the best beer in the world inside is worth the wait.

Shaun Hill, Hill Farmstead’s Brewery: The Myth, the Man, the Legend

The thing that made the biggest impression on me during one of my first visits to Hill Farmstead was Shaun Hill himself. He happened to be pouring beer in the visitor center while manipulating the brew house from his iPhone. Seeing this was a first for me was a revelation of just how sophisticated Hill Farmstead’s brewing setup really is.

Shaun is almost always present at the brewery—looking a bit disheveled and not entirely approachable—but he typically greets thirsty visitors waiting in line in the morning with a wave, smile and brief hello. Oftentimes he will have guest brewers on site (Jackie O’s, Alpine Beer Co., Kissmeyer Beer & Brewing, Cigar City, Mikkeller, Brouwerij De Molen, Dieu du Ciel, Tired Hands, etc.) for collaborations. Shaun has partnered with some of the best brewers in the world for a number of stellar collabs, usually branded under the Grassroots Brewing name.

What makes Hill Farmstead even more special in mind—besides the beer—is the history represented in the property and in the names given to each Hill Farmstead’s brews. The Hill family has lived on the land where the brewery now sits for 220-some years. The Ancestral Series of beers features names from Shaun’s family, and what great Vermont names they are: Abner (his great grand-father), Arthur (his grandfather’s youngest brother), Ephraim (his great-great grandfather), Earl (his grandfather’s brother), Norma (his maternal grandmother), Clara (his grandfather’s sister), Edith (his grandfather’s sister), Edward (his grandfather), Peleg (his great, great, great, great grandfather and one of Greensboro’s original inhabitants)… What a tribute to his family’s legacy in Vermont.

Visiting Hill Farmstead

Since my initial trek to Greensboro, I’ve visited Hill Farmstead a number of times for limited releases, including Gin Clara, Leaves of Grass, Works of Love, Twilight of the Idols and, most recently, Juicy. I spent my 30th birthday making a trip to get my hands on bottles of Civil Disobedience 13 and 15 and tastes of a number of Cigar City brews. It was a 70-degree day in early November in Vermont that I’ll never forget. Now whenever I feel like a road trip, a visit to Hill Farmstead always seems like a good idea. The brewery and Shaun’s dedication to keeping a relatively small, Vermont-based operation are a tribute to the Green Mountain state and the Vermont way of life.

A Vermonter’s Guide to Visiting Hill Farmstead Brewery:

Visiting Hill Farmstead is unlike other breweries in Vermont.  It’s a haul, no matter where you’re coming from, so you want to make the most of your trip. Here I offer you tips on experiencing Hill Farmstead like a local. What would you add? Share your Hill Farmstead experiences and tips below in the comments.

• Before making the long drive to Hill Farmstead—particularly if you have your heart set on scoring a certain brew—check the website before you lose cell service. And check it frequently. Hill Farmstead is quite good about keeping the site up-to-date with what beers are available in bottles and growlers. You should have a back-up plan should they run out early—but really, you can’t go wrong with any brews you obtain from Hill Farmstead (except for maybe Mary and Edith, IMO).

• When visiting Hill Farmstead, you’ll need to travel on hilly and windy dirt roads. In the winter months and during mud season, if you don’t have all-wheel drive or snow tires, make sure to take your time as there isn’t much cell signal in the area.

• Hill Farmstead advertises that the doors open at noon. BUT, they almost always let folks in at 11am and give samples of something special to the first 50 or so people in line. This is always a surprise-and-delight moment for visitors when you step through the door to the bottle shop. If you’re headed up on a Wednesday or Saturday during the week of a special release, get there around 10am. On a Thursday and Friday, lines will typically be a bit shorter, especially if it’s not a holiday weekend. Late afternoon is also a good time to visit.

• For special releases, there are limits on the number of bottles one person can acquire for the entire release, not every day during the release. Don’t be greedy: get your limit and enjoy it rather than trying to cheat the system. There’s enough beer to go around if everyone abides by Hill Farmstead’s rules.

• Looking for IPAs? You’ll need to fill growlers in the visitor center or purchase cans. Hill Farmstead doesn’t bottle any hoppy beers for longevity’s sake.

• Hill Farmstead recently did away with limits on growlers. They offer 750mL and 2L fills only in clean, Hill Farmstead growlers or 64-ounce brown growlers with a screw top. They’re particular about the growlers they fill to ensure and preserve the beer’s quality. Read their full growler policy here. Growlers aren’t refundable, so be sure to remember them every time you visit, or you’ll be paying $3 for new 750mL growlers or $10 each for the 2L growlers.

More Tips for Visiting Hill Farmstead

• When you enter the visitor center for growlers, you’ll take a ticket from the deli-counter ticket dispenser. Do everyone a favor and make your decisions of what you want to buy (and what size) before your number is called. Some folks load up on growlers, so if you have to wait 15-20 numbers, it could take an hour or longer. When I’m standing around, sipping a beer and waiting for my number to be called, I make a list on my phone of how many of each beers I want to expedite the process for myself and everyone else.

• If you are curious about a specific brew before getting a growler, you can get a sample from anyone at the bar. Again, don’t cheat the system. If you want to try a wide variety of them, get a flight. The line for full pours and flights is to the far right of the visitor center.

• Don’t come to Hill Farmstead hungry! You’ll be at the brewery for at least a couple of hours, and the food options are pretty limited right now to cheese plates and sometimes fresh-shucked oysters depending on the day of the week. Hit up Parker Pie in West Glover before or after your visit for phenomenal pizza, salads and hard-to-find Hill Farmstead beers on draught. If you’re headed west, make a stop at Lost Nation Brewing in Morrisville or keep plugging around to Stowe for Idletyme Brewing, or even farther yet, Waterbury for Pro Pig or Blackback Pub.

• If you see an overweight, uber-friendly golden retriever running around sans collar, that’s Charlie! Say hello and give him some pets. The Hill Farmstead mascot seriously lives the life and loves playing with dogs who are visiting the Hill Farmstead homestead.

• Every year, Hill Farmstead is host to a few select special events, namely the Festival of Farmhouse Ales (FOFA) and Cantillon’s Zwanze Day. Both events feature a lottery for tickets. If you’re lucky enough to score one, make a trip of it. FOFA requires a designated driver accompany all participants, but with the quantity of quality beer going around, you’ll want to stay local for the night. Airbnbs are your best bet with a few within only a mile or two of Hill Farmstead.

What to Know When You Visit Hill Farmstead Brewery

• Shaun Hill and Hill Farmstead has a zero-tolerance policy for mules and people looking to make a profit off of his beer. (Fun fact: Did you know Shaun Hill was one of the leaders in the movement to shut down beer sales on eBay?) Do everyone a favor and respect their policies. Enjoy their beer. Share their beer. Gift their beer. You don’t want to find yourself facing a lifetime ban.

• If Hill Farmstead is selling their barrel-aged maple syrup when you visit, splurge! The syrup is from Peck Family Farm in East Montpelier, and Hill Farmstead barrel-ages it. At $40 for 750mL, it’s worth every penny. Fair warning: Your consumption of pancakes, French toast, waffles and anything else you can eat syrup on will increase exponentially. It’s the best syrup I’ve ever had.

• When you do visit, make sure to document your trip on Instagram. Hill Farmstead and its followers is huge on IG with many craft beer geeks sharing opinions and celebrating special-release success on social media. Join in the fun. The brewery and beer make for great photographs. #hillfarmstead

• When you’re leaving Greensboro, be sure to check out Willey’s Store for the quintessential Vermont country store experience. (Psst – they also have Hill Farmstead beers on the shelf with no line and no limits. You can thank me thank for sharing!)

Share your Hill Farmstead experiences and tips for visiting below in the comments.

Hill Farmstead Brewery
403 Hill Road
Greensboro, Bend, Vermont
hillfarmstead.com