The “estate” brewery concept stems from European origin, in which beer was brewed at individual farmhouses with ingredients grown onsite and fermented with naturally occurring, airborne yeast. Many modern-day breweries are making an effort to return to these roots—they’re growing their own hops, using fruit from the orchards on their properties, and fermenting their beers with wild yeast. Here are eight American farmhouse breweries to add to the itinerary on your next beercation.
Hill Farmstead Brewery (Greensboro Bend, Vermont)
This inspired brewery in Greensboro Bend, Vermont, represents 220 years of family history. Its logo is a nod to a sign at Aaron Hill’s tavern in the early 1800s. Hill’s great great great grandson Shaun is the current brewmaster at the Farmstead, where guests can taste beers named after his relatives who once lived and worked on the farm. One of these beers, Florence, is named after his grandfather’s sister and brewed with Vermont wheat and the brewery’s house yeast strain. Hill Farmstead recently released Flora, a wine barrel–aged version of Florence that was aged with plums from Elmore Roots Nursery in Elmore, Vermont.
Jester King Brewery (Austin, Texas)
The house yeast strain at this farmhouse brewery outside of Austin was cultivated from wild, airborne yeast that creates distinct rustic and barnyard flavors, says Co-owner and Brewer Ron Extract. “That’s a flavor very specific to this place.” Jester King distributes a large portion of their beer directly from the tasting room, much like a small winery.