SOUTH BURLINGTON, VERMONT

Close to Burlington International Airport and four miles west of Lake Champlain, WEIRD WINDOW BREWING began operations March 2020. Inside an evergreen aluminum sided warehouse, its angled ‘witch windows’ gave this overhead-doored brewpub its name.

Weird Window’s pristine white-walled cafe splendor extends to the 12-seat Edison-lit black top bar servicing four pendant-lit tables and one barreled post plus four outdoor community tables.

A diversified round of seven beers crossed my palate during a warm afternoon visit to this IPA-centric pub, November ’22.

Spritzy lemony grapefruit tanginess engaged dry light-bodied blonde ale, Wheat Kings and Pretty Weird Things, bringing lightly embittered herbal-citric hops to its gentle white bread spine.

Soft-tongued jalapeno cream ale, Cersei’s Wildfire, retained a mild peppery burn for its light spiced citrus spritz.

A lively Cascade-hopped NEIPA, Wet Hop Vermont Summer let its streamlined floral-bound citrus tanginess pick up grassy hop astringency, lacquered wood tones and mild herbal whims.

Another smoothly well-rounded NEIPA, Queen Of Chittenden County, brought its crackling honeyed citrus spritz to sugared pale malts, letting white peach, pineapple and melon illusions seep inside its glimmery orange-peeled grapefruit bittering.    

Sunny Citra hops freshened up We Named The Dog Citra, yet another worthy NEIPA. Bitter grapefruit zesting, tangy pineapple spicing and sedate mandarin orange sweetness crawl above polite caramel malting.

A danker NEIPA, Pour Decisions, let spiced orange-peeled grapefruit and pineapple tanginess plus sour guava-gooseberry tartness grapple juniper bittering as well as grassy hop pining.

Sweet Vienna malting paced lightly kilned Droppelbock, leaving caramelized brown breading upon subtle raisin-fig sweetness and mild spicy perfuming.