Try a Flight at Upper Pass Beer’s New Burlington Taproom

Recognizing a brewery’s cans in a store is one thing. Getting to sit down with a flight and try the beers you haven’t encountered before is a much better reason to visit in person. Upper Pass Beer’s newer Burlington taproom gives you a place to do just that, bringing a brewery with rural Vermont roots into the city’s New North End.

Upper Pass Local favorite: Upper Pass Beer opened its Burlington brewpub in 2026 at 1127 North Avenue, in the former Simple Roots Brewing space at the Ethan Allen Shopping Center. It’s a different setting from the Tunbridge farm where the business began, but the brewery’s interest in making both familiar styles and experimental beers has carried into this next chapter.

If your usual Upper Pass order starts and ends with First Drop or Cloud Drop, this is a reason to look a little further down the list. And if you’re visiting with someone who doesn’t share your enthusiasm for an IPA, the brewery’s range is part of the appeal.

Upper Pass Started on a Tunbridge Farm

Upper Pass began in 2015 with friends brewing small batches in the hills of Tunbridge. The original operation used a one-barrel system in a converted sheep barn on cofounder Chris Perry’s family property. That’s a fairly Vermont beginning for a business whose beer would eventually travel well beyond its hometown.

According to the brewery, its first beer was released at the Tunbridge World’s Fair in September 2015. From those early local batches, Upper Pass grew into a brand distributed throughout Vermont and six other states in the Northeast.

I like knowing that history before walking into the newer space. A shopping-center address doesn’t tell you much about where a brewery came from, and Upper Pass’s story starts a long way from a Burlington storefront. The Tunbridge connection is worth remembering even as the brewery establishes itself in another Vermont community.

It also helps explain why you might encounter older information pointing you toward central Vermont. For this visit, you want the Burlington brewpub on North Avenue.

A New North End Home for Upper Pass Beer

The Burlington location puts Upper Pass in a neighborhood beyond the downtown waterfront brewery stops. It occupies the former Simple Roots space, carrying on a brewing presence in the Ethan Allen Shopping Center after that business closed in December 2025.

Upper Pass describes the brewpub as a neighborhood gathering place, with food, local music and art accompanying the beer. That gives it a purpose beyond being somewhere to sample a product and leave: it’s intended as a place people can work into their regular routines.

There’s More Here Than Hop-Forward Beer

Upper Pass has built a following around its hop-forward beers, but the brewery also makes lagers and dark ales, along with fruity sours. It says it has released more than 100 different beers over its history, which gives some context for the experimental side of the business. That number represents past releases, not the number you’ll find on tap at once.

Among the familiar names, First Drop was Upper Pass’s first canned, statewide release in 2016. The brewery describes citrus hop character balanced with bready malt and some sweetness. Cloud Drop, its double IPA introduced in 2017, takes things toward more pronounced citrus and pine, while Cashmere Hoodie offers a lower-alcohol option with berry and citrus notes.

Those beers give you a starting point, but I wouldn’t let recognition make the whole decision. Ask about the smaller batches and whatever is rotating through the taproom. A brewery visit is a good opportunity to try a style you’d hesitate to buy by the four-pack.

That variety also makes choosing a place easier when everyone in your group has a different definition of a good beer. One person can gravitate toward hops while another looks for something crisper or more malt-driven.

Start With a Beer Flight

A flight is how I’d begin here, particularly on a first visit. Rather than ordering several similar beers, I’d use the smaller pours to explore the range: start with something lighter, compare it with a hop-forward option and leave room for a style you wouldn’t ordinarily choose.

Ask the staff to help with the order and selection. Tasting a delicate beer immediately after something much stronger or more intensely flavored won’t necessarily give it a fair introduction. Tell them what you normally drink and what you’re curious about.

You don’t need to know brewing terminology to have that conversation. “I like crisp beers” or “I want something with less bitterness” is useful information. So is admitting that you’ve tried one beer from the brewery and want to branch out.

Check the current flight format and pricing when you arrive, including any beers excluded from tasting pours. I couldn’t verify a current published Burlington flight menu, so I wouldn’t plan around a particular number of samples or price.

What to Know Before You Go

Upper Pass Beer’s Burlington brewpub is at 1127 North Avenue, Suite 8. Its current website lists hours of 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. Confirm hours before a special trip.

Look for the Ethan Allen Shopping Center and follow posted parking restrictions. If step-free access, seating arrangements or bringing children or a dog will affect your plans, contact the brewery directly at 802-540-2000.

Check the current food offering and event announcements, too, rather than assuming a particular menu or live performance will be available. I’d allow about an hour for a relaxed tasting stop, with more time if you’re eating.

And before defaulting to the beer you already know, ask what the staff would put in your flight. You may still finish with your usual order, but you’ll have given something else a chance.