Upper Pass & River Roost Tastings: July 21, 2025

THE BREWERY

The call came as I was cruising home on I-91, passing through White River Junction, about an hour from the Massachusetts state line:

"You're in Vermont, right? Can you get me some Heady Topper?"

A few years ago, this would have been easy: a chuckle, an eye-roll, and a "no, Bill, I cannot." This time, I just did a face-palm. I had just spent three days in Burlington, Waterbury, and Stowe, proudly sending photographic evidence of my beer experiences in the Green Mountains, and my buddy was just waking up to the fact that he needed an unusual beer for a tasting later this month. Never mind that I had been to The Alchemist itself that very morning! Or that the real ace of the tasting would have been a beer from Freak Folk, the brewery I had visited the day before.

What you do for friends...

A Google search revealed two craft beer emporiums nearby (that I heartily recommend if you are ever in a similar bind): Fireside Beverage, off exit 8 and on Route 5, in Ascutney, and Allen Brothers Farm, off exit 5, in Westminster.

Fireside was all out of Heady, but my luck was changing: two clearly-knowledgeable customers were happy to talk beer. When one of them suggested two beers in the cooler, but with the caveat that Fireside was out of his favorite brewery - Freak Folk, as it turned out! - he had my undivided attention. So I wasn't the only one under the Freak Folk spell! (More on Freak Folk in a later post.)

THE BEERS

Note: I did not visit Upper Pass Beer Company or River Roost Brewery; I purchased these beers in Vermont, and tasted them at home, in Connecticut.

I purchased Upper Pass's First Drop IPA and River Roost's Wheatfield Soul Keller Lager.

Upper Pass Brewing First Drop IPA (6.0% abv) 

As most of you know, I am not a big fan of IPAs as a general rule. I often find them too dense, too citric, and the beer equivalent of an overly=muscled body-builder. I was pleasantly surprised by First Drop, though, mostly because it was light, had a terrific head, and because the hoppy flavors showed a lot of nuance and variety. This beer does not hit you over the head, and you can actually taste the malt in it instead of feeling like you are smoking Kush.

River Roost Brewery Wheatfield Soul Keller Lager (4.8% abv)

Kellerbier is akin to Beaujolais wine: fresh, young, and full of malt and hop flavor un-attenuated by age. It is unfiltered and unpasteurized - therefore cloudy - and it is served directly from cask in its original home, Germany. The real fun of Kellerbier lies in its freshness and low, natural carbonation. It is traditionally a summer beer: light, fresh, and with just enough carbonation to cleanse the palate.

River Roost's kellerbier has ideal cloudiness and carbonation. It is quite refreshing, too, and I would enjoy this beer all summer long. The one caveat I have is that the malt flavor was not as intense as I would have expected. But it is delicious summer beer. Don't hesitate!