Queen City Brewery

Spent a lovely afternoon at Queen City Brewery Queen City Brewery (@queencitybrewery) • Instagram photos and videos with Jason on the bar. We entered from the front and through Pizza 44, not realizing there was a side door in the back that led right into the taproom.

Once in the back and at the brewery, we grabbed a seat at the bar. It took a minute to peruse the list as they offer 21 taps! Queen City Brewers are fans of English and German-style beers which is immediately evident when you view their pour list.

I went with a flight and a taster of the Barleywine. My flight consisted of Monk of Underhill a Belgian Triple at 9.3% ABV, Gregarious a Scotch Ale at 7.5% ABV, their Schwarzbier at 5.7 %ABV, and their Rauchbier which came in at 5.5% ABV. 

I started with Gregarious and was happy I did; it was delightful. It was malty and sweet on the nose and had a lovely smooth but rich caramel flavor throughout. One of the best Scotch Ales I’ve had in some time.

Next up was The Monk of Underhill pouring a medium golden color with a bready slightly fruity nose. Light bodied, the flavor came through as mild maltiness with an apple sweetness and clove spiciness on the follow-up. A decent Belgium especially at 9.3% ABV, but nothing spectacular.

The Schwarzbier was my next taster. A bready slightly malty nose and a deep brown on the pour. A smooth drinker with notes of chocolate and coffee. A nice little beer for an autumn day.

The Rauchbier was my final taster of the flight. So much smoke on the nose, I was both excited and scared. A deep golden color, the taste was smokey and sweet like a honey ham, medium-bodied and delicious.

My extra taster came in the form of Old Monty Barleywine which pours a gorgeous deep golden brown. This particular Barleywine was aged in Chardonnay barrels which gives it a sweet fruitiness on the nose. A smooth but boozy drinker with notes of toffee and dark fruit. I would certainly be feeling sparkly after a full pour!

A Suprise Historical Beer

Before walking into Queen City Brewing Company I had never heard of a Steinbier. Luckily Jason was gracious enough to let me have a small sample of this historical brew.

Steinbier roughly translates from German as stone beer and is considered a smoked beer style. It gets its name from the hot stones put into the wort (liquid extracted from the mash during brewing). The stones come in contact with the wort, leaving behind a caramel smoke flavor.

Jason explained that they have Steinbier Day once a year in the fall, and the staff come in and take turns placing the red hot rocks from the grill into the wort. He assures me it’s quite the event. I said I have no doubt!

The Steinbier pour was a golden caramel color with a sweet smokey nose. As it’s a beer I’ve never encountered before I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I found it quite refreshing. It was light and malty with a caramel sweetness, a light smokiness, and very drinkable. In fact, I grabbed a 6 pack for home, a few for me, and a few to share.

One of my favorite things about visiting breweries is that you never know what you’ll stumble across, today was a good day.

Queen City Brewery has ample bar seating but overall a small taproom. The taproom is decorated in a rather eclectic manner which I loved, from the life-size cut-out of Bob Ross and Peapod in an old truck, to the old-school beer trays hung on the wall.

They have a nice outdoor patio area for warmer weather days, you know, when there’s no snow.

Did Someone Say Party?

Queen City also has an event space available to rent out for private parties that can accommodate up to 80 people. Jason said the dates fill up fast, especially in May, June, and October. Turns out they host quite a few weddings! The space offers a sound system, a vintage bowling machine, and bumper pool.

The “secret” main entrance to Queen City Brewery is on the side of the building through the outside patio area.

Queen City Brewery is very dog friendly as I witnessed firsthand when a small Jack Russell-type dog grabbed a seat right at the bar! Seems he’s a regular there. Maybe he comes to Tuesday Trivia Nights. Next time you’re in Burlington make sure to stop by and enjoy a beer.

A Little Bit Extra

Have you ever wondered why Burlington is called Queen City? Before this visit, I had zero idea. Well, it all dates back to a speech Albert L. Catlin, Burlington’s first mayor gave in 1866. At the time Burlington was one of the northernmost outposts but was growing in population and becoming a major lumber port. He hoped that one day the young city of Burlington would come to be known as the Queen City of New England.