[pete b]

I'm pretty psyched, it had been a 45 minute ride to the nearest brewery or brew pub and now there is one in my town, Barre, Ma. It's called Stone Cow Brewery and one cool thing about it is that it is on a 5th generation farm and I have gotten to know the owners a bit as a regular customer of their farm stand which sells their own grass fed beef, raw milk and excellent ice cream. Right now for food they only have a big BBQ they do on their big stone grill every Friday and Saturday in July and August, but they will soon be a full service pub. There is a huge barn with picnic tables to sit and eat and they have live bands (Americana, bluegrass etc) at the BBQ but I imagine that will continue. You can pour your beer into plastic and walk around and pet the goats, cows and other animals. It's very kid friendly and dog friendly. We brought our dog last night and it was great to not have to leave him alone at home.
They had 5 beers on tap:IPA, palea ale, summer ale, farmer's ale, and stout. We had a flight and they were all very solid examples of the styles. The IPA had a lot of character but was very drinkable. It seemed from my first time there that they are trying for are quality, drinkable beers rather than something way out there, trying to be the next big thing. IMO this is the way to go. There will be room for big beers and rip your face off IPAs but having a solid base of good to style beers will be a great way to go for them. They use a lot of local ingredients,including Valley Malt, and have put in 450 hops plants. They have a farmer Brewer license and right now pour pints on premises and sell bottles and growlers. They can self-distribute as farmer brewers which they might do down the road.
The whole place has a stone motif, something a New England farm has plenty of. That's the boil kettle covered in stone. The picture is from where they are about to build a patio. It doesn't show up in the picture but Mt Wachusett is in the background. They also have a giant trebuchet they use to fling pumpkins a 1/4 mile or something like that at their harvest fest.
For reference we are 45 minutes northwest  of Worcester, 1.5 hours west of Boston, 45 minutes Northeast of Amherst and about an hour or so from Southern New Hampshire. PM me if your stopping by, we are in a beautiful area with scenic roads through forest and farmland so it's a great drive.

[oginme]

Awesome!  Looks like a road trip in the near future!

[majorvices]

Cool! Congratulations, sounds like a sweet place.

[theDarkSide]

Awesome...I'll add it to my New England Google map.  May you are way out there though!

[pete b]

Awesome...I'll add it to my New England Google map.  May you are way out there though!

by Northeast standards we are indeed in the boonies. its a pretty ride though.

[erockrph]

My wife brought me here for a surprise 40th birthday party on Saturday, and I can corroborate every last word of what Pete said in his initial post. The owners treated us like family and made sure everyone had an amazing time. I tried 8 different beers, and every single one was fantastic (despite being brewed on Watch City's old Pugsley system - I don't think they're using Ringwood, though). They obviously put a lot of hard work and pride in everything they do, and it shows.

I'll share a bit of the story of the surprise, since it was pretty good. My wife led me to believe that she was taking me "somewhere I've never been before" for a picnic. Supposedly, our sitter was getting out of work late and was going to meet us there with food, then bring my son home. Once we got past Worcester (about an hour into the ride), she has me put on a blindfold and ear plugs. We drive for maybe 20-30 minutes more before we get there. Then she leaves me in the car (blindfolded still) and says to hold tight for a bit since our sitter wasn't there with the food yet.

About half an hour later, the driver's door opens. I hear heavy breathing in my ear, and a voice I didn't recognize says "You ever seen the movie Deliverance?". Then he tells me to say hi to Shadow, who was the source of the heavy breathing in my ear. I reached over and touched Shadow (who turned out to be the owner's pet Lab). The voice tells me to "squal like a pig", laughs maniacally, then hands me a pint glass and tells me to drink. At that point, my wife opens my door and leads me into the surprise party. Apparently the owner asked my wife how bad he could f*** with me, and she gave him carte blanche. He got me good

I'm very much looking forward to heading back up there soon, this time without a blindfold on 

PS - Pete, I wanted to PM you when I realized where I was, but my phone died on the ride up. I'll definitely be back, though.

[pete b]

Great story Eric. They do a good job of making you feel at home. That was Phil Stevens, he is the 3rd generation of the family farm and his daughter Molly, who manages the brewery and store is the fourth. They are doing a great job, brewing very solid beers and not getting ahead of themselves. Even my dog likes their dog so I bring him with me all the time, even inside the brewery. I'm looking forward to them having a regular menu.
Let me know the next time your up!

[pete b]

Just a heads up that there is a big Farmer's Market with crafts and such here this coming Sunday 12/11.
Its an excuse to go to the brewery or a way to persuade a reluctant better half as there will be good Christmas shopping.
As far as I know I will swing by for a while. I'm a tall guy with a boxer and curly grey and black hair, or an unusual hand knit white and blue hat.