Beer and Wine March Newsletter: Local Spotlight

By Sarah Thrall, Beer & Wine Department

Drop-In Brewery located in Middlebury, VT is a brewery that produces original beers with creative names.  Their beers are only available through their tasting room where you can get samples and fill growlers. The brewery is also home to the American Brewers Guild Brewing School (ABG) which is run by Head Brewer Steve Parkes.

Parkes, who was raised in Brittan, learned to brew at Heriot-Watt University, home of the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling in Edinburgh, Scotland - the only brewing school in the United Kingdom. He then moved to the states in the early 90’s and was working at Humboldt Brewery in Arcadia, CA when he bought the ABG which was located in nearby Davis, CA.

In 1999, Parkes moved his family to Vermont to become Quality Control Brewer at the former Wolvers Certified Organic Ales. He also brought the ABG with him giving Vermont one of the primary brewing schools in the country.  In 2012, Parkes finally opened a brewery of his own, the Drop-In Brewery which he runs along with the ABG.

The ABG attracts students of all ages and from all over the world.  It is run as a 27 week distance learning program that includes a five week internship program at any Guild-approved brewery.  Every session (two per year) not only fills up with the max of 20 students, there is also a long waiting list to get in. Some students have gone through great lengths when it comes to being able to attend/afford the program and the five week internship.

A 52 year old student from Tucson, AZ and his wife sold their house.  A student from Denver, CO lived out of his truck during his five week internship. Another student, Ron Cotti, left his job as a software developer in MA, packed up and moved to VT. He was tired of corporate world and was looking for a career in brewing. It paid off for him, as he landed a job as head brewer at the Bobcat Café shortly after completing the ABG program in 2004. Since then Cotti has worked as a brewer at Otter Creek and today works for Parkes as a brewer at Drop-In and teaches in the ABG program. Former City Market Beer and Wine employee, Brian Wendt completed the program this past summer and almost immediately was offered a job with Von Trapp Brewery in Stowe.

If you ever find yourself in the Middlebury area, it’s definitely worth it to “Drop In” for one of their brews. Steve and his crew are always brewing different seasonal beers, but the year round beers that are always on tap are the following:

Sunshine and Hoppiness: A Belgian style Golden Ale 5.1% ABV

Heart of Lothian: Scottish 90 5.6% ABV

Red Dwarf: American Amber Ale 5.2% ABV