Good News Updates
The temperatures may be dropping, but we’re still enjoying getting outside with Little Sip IPA! From mountain biking to fat biking, backcountry hiking to backcountry skiing, Little Sip IPA is the perfect beer to bring along for your outdoor adventures no matter what season we’re in.
We are thrilled to share that Hopzilla was honored with a place on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 25 Beers of 2020 list! Ranked #21 with an overall rating of 94 points, reviewer John Holl noted “This is an old school IPA that is doing just fine in a modern hoppy world”. If you’re local, you can find Hopzilla at our drive-thru retail store through December and order it online for contactless curbside pick-up.
Drive-Thru Retail Store Updates
Our Drive-Thru Retail Store is open from 11am-7pm Sunday – Thursday and 11am-8pm on Friday & Saturday.
Have you tried our amazing new to-go food offerings yet? We’re now serving up some taproom favorites, including The Full Monty, Chips & Dip and the beloved Green Mountain Twisters Pretzel (available with our famous beer cheese!) in takeout form for your dining pleasure at home or on the go.
We’ve even added several new items to the menu since launching last month, including Mac and Cheese, Housemade Biscuits and Jam, and the wildly popular La Cubana sandwich! With online ordering and contactless curbside pick-up, bringing the Lawson’s Finest experience home has never been easier.
As always, you can purchase the freshest Lawson’s Finest beers from our drive-thru retail store as well. If you do plan to stop by, please be sure to review our Visitor Information page to ensure you have the most recent updates on travel guidelines from the state of Vermont.
Beer Releases
Our long-awaited annual release, Maple Tripple, is now available for purchase at our drive-thru retail store. Bottled in October 2020, this ‘once a year beer’ is a slowly fermented single-batch brew made at our Warren Brewery during the 2019 spring sugaring season. It quietly rested for a year in oak barrels from Saxtons River Distillery that previously held Sapling maple liquor. Our recipe uses only barley, hops, yeast and concentrated maple sap from our sugaring friends in Waitsfield, VT. This ale will age elegantly for may years if kept cool and dark. Serve at 45-50F into a snifter glass.
During the first week of December, we’ll be releasing the last in the 2020 barrel-aged series, Fayston Maple Imperial Stout aged in Mad River Distillers’ PX Rum Sherry Casks.
Soon after, we’ll welcome back Steve’s Backyard Red! This ale was our first collaboration at the original Lawson’s Finest brewery in Warren, VT with local homebrewer Steve Robbins. With his talented use of specialty malts, a fine blend of hops and a generous dose of Green Mountain attitude, it’s truly a special beer. It will be available for the first time in cans with updated artwork from the original artist Margot Levey.
In mid-December we’ll mark our return to the slopes with special beers for our local ski resort partners, Mad River Glen and Sugarbush Resort. Both of these beers are part of our Good Brews for a Cause initiative, and a portion of proceeds will benefit two non-profit organizations.
Still Single IPA was created in collaboration with Mad River Glen and Stark Mountain Foundation to preserve and protect the mountain. Brewed with Centennial, Cascade and Mosaic hops, this IPA features refreshing notes of lemon, lime, and pine.
Castlerock IPA was created in collaboration with Sugarbush Resort to support Protect Our Winters in their efforts against climate change. Brewed with Amarillo, Citra, and Centennial hops, yielding a juicy character and crisp finish – perfect for après ski!
Later in December, we’ll celebrate the release of Big Hoppy Black IPA, also available in cans for the first time. This dark and devious brew reflects a resinous and sticky fusion of intense bitterness, big roasted barley flavors, and powerful dank aromas. Made with huge additions of five hop varieties and seven malts to create a bold flavor profile.
Make sure you add Monday, December 21st to the calendar, as we’ll be doing another one of our Facebook Live virtual tastings with Sean Lawson to explore the background of this dark beer!
Retail Store
We’ve got tons of new goodies in our retail store if you’re looking for the perfect gift for the Lawson’s Finest lover in your life! From our new Sunshine Sweatshirt to our Tricolor Canvas Baseball Hat, there’s something for everyone on your list. And if you can’t settle for just one item, grab them a Lawson’s Finest Merch Grab Bag. Each box contains a variation of six items ranging from sweatshirts, fleeces, t-shirts, glassware, hats, pins, stickers and more!
We’ve also added a Lawson’s Finest Winter Hat with Suede Patch, a Yellow Sunshine Beanie and Lawson’s Finest Socks! In addition, we now have Sunshine face masks for the whole family, and if you buy 4 you’ll get one free!
We recommend holiday orders be placed by Sunday, December 13th. While we strive to get orders out within one to two days of receipt, we have no control over delivery times once the orders have shipped – especially during the busy holiday season. We’ll continue to process orders placed after 12/13 as quickly as possible to get them on their way to you!
Social Impact Program (SIP)
Lawson’s Finest is proud to support The Mad River Valley Ambulance Service as our December Sunshine Fund recipient. They plan to use the donation to upgrade their 20-year-old radio system. At the Mad River Valley Ambulance Service, it is imperative that Dispatchers receive and communicate all incoming information as accurately as possible. Therefore, reliable equipment is imperative. Since they are now due to upgrade their 20-year-old radio system, the monies generously donated through Lawson‘s Finest Sunshine Fund will be a huge help in accomplishing this purchase. We invite our guests to donate to the Sunshine Fund via their online order, or in person at the drive-thru retail store.
This year, Lawson’s Finest is proud to celebrate Giving Tuesday with more than $100,000 in individual donations to over thirty Vermont non-profit organizations, including Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity, Green Mountain Club, Friends of the Mad River and Central Vermont Humane Society. We are happy to support the amazing work that these and other recipients do to support thriving communities where people take good care of each other, protect and enjoy the natural world, and bring more fun to life.
Beer Deliveries
There’s still time to grab some of our latest releases in our 9-state distribution territory of VT, NH, ME, MA, CT, RI, NJ, NY and PA before the end of the year when we’ll transition to some new deliveries. Chinooker’d, our traditional American IPA recipe, was released into distribution in mid-November. Chock-full of Chinook hops bursting with pine and citrus aromas, a firm bitterness and a balanced malt profile gives way to waves of flavor in this IPA that’s made for outdoor enjoyment.
Everyone’s wintertime favorite, Fayston Maple Imperial Stout is available now for all your fireside chats and cozy nights in. Brewed with loads of roasted and black malts and a hefty dose of Vermont maple syrup, this rich and complex beer is perfect for sipping or pairing with chocolate or dessert. And if you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch our most recent virtual tasting centered on Fayston Maple here.
And as always, you can find the freshest deliveries of Sip of Sunshine and Super Session Series (currently Super Session #2) year-round. You can now easily find out where Lawson’s Finest beers are stocked near you with our handy Beer Finder – give it a try!
Events
Join us at 5PM on Monday, December 21st, the darkest day of the year, for another Facebook Live virtual tasting with Sean Lawson! We’ll be sampling our latest dark beer release, Big Hoppy Black IPA, and a few other special beers hitting the shelves in December. In case you missed the last virtual tasting with Sean, you can check it out here.
Join Our Team!
We’re hiring! Are you or someone you know passionate about the craft beer industry? We currently have five job openings!
Logistics and Procurement Manager
Regional Brand Representative CT/NY
Marketing Communications Specialist
