It’s always exciting for us here at Baker Distributing when we can connect with creative, passionate people, who are dedicated to making quality products that they can share with their friends, families and customers. And that is exactly what Marty Bonneau from Good Water Brewing is looking to accomplish. Marty Bonneau has been brewing beer for quite some time now, so his plan to open a craft brewery and tap room in Vermont was a no-brainer.

Good Water Brewery located at 740 Marshall Avenue in Williston, signed a lease back in August, and since then, has been doing major construction to install brewing equipment and all that comes with opening up a new business. Good Water Brewery will have a 20-barrel brewhouse in a 5,000-square-foot facility, as well as a tasting room, where visitors and craft beer enthusiasts can sample beers, purchase pints or take home growlers. Marty is partnering with his nephew Chris Capetz, who will be heading the business side of the brewery, while Marty will be the mastermind behind the beer making.

Bonneau received a scholarship to the American Brewers Guild and got a professional brewers degree in 2013. “We want to put out a beer that has full flavor to it, beer that’s enjoyable and tastes good, that you can sit down and enjoy a few of them with your friends,” he said. “I love some of the bigger beers, that have 8, 9, 10 percent alcohol, but you can’t sit down and have a few. We’re looking to predominantly do English and American style beers,” Bonneau said, including some session beers, which are lower in alcohol,” the Williston Observer reported.

The Good Water Brewery has been hard at work, getting the final renovations in order, and getting all their ingredients together to start brewing their first batch of beer, which will be a Pale Ale, stated Bonneau.

We are very excited to welcome Good Water Brewing to our portfolio, and have signed them for state wide distribution. We’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date on their Grand Opening and other fun events planned at the brewery. Until then, you can follow them on Facebook to see the progress of the construction and brewing process.

Also, be sure to save the date for: Monday, March 14th at 7pm for their March 2016 Club Meeting, which was started by longtime Green Mountain Masher Marty Bonneau. Bonneau is French for Good Water. Marty will give a tour of the new brewery and answer any questions you have. They ask that you please bring a glass for sampling, labeled home brews to share and snacks to share.

We want to wish Good Water Brewing the best of luck and look forward to working with them to bring delicious, craft beer to the Green Mountain state!

It’s always exciting for us here at Baker when we acquire new brands and add them to our expanding portfolio. We are always striving to offer our customers the finest selections of beer, hard cider, wine and non alcoholic beverages. While many brands have come and gone over the years, the Bakers have believed that “brand building” was and will continue to be a key to our success. Along with that premise and the dedicated service from our employees, we will continue to help grow both new items and existing brands in Vermont.

We are happy to now be offering the following breweries to our Beer List:

• Allagash Brewing Company is located in Portland, Maine. Founded in 1994, Allagash produces bottle-conditioned beers. They have six-year round beers in its portfolio, seven yearly releases & numerous other keg only releases.
• Baxter Brewing Company is located in Lewiston, Maine. Baxter produces nine different beer varietals, including lagers, ales and seasonal options.
• Dogfish Head is a brewing company based in Milton, Delaware and produces 175,000 barrels of beer annually. The produce year round, occasional rarities, seasonal and collaboration brews.
• Genesee Brewing Company is located in Rochester, New York. They have been brewing beer since 1878.
• Founders Brewing Co. was founded in 1996 and is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founders produces eight year-round beers and several seasonal & limited production beers.
• Lord Hobo Brewing Company is located in Woburn, Mass. They are a sprawling brewery with 40 barrels, plus a taproom where customers can sample their hoppy ales.
• Sea Dog Brewing Company was founded in 1993 and is located in Bangor, Maine. Sea Dog’s beers are formulated and brewed in a traditional style using imported malted barley and German hops and grains.
• Sebago Brewing Company was established in 1998 and are located in Gorham, Maine. They produce year-round, seasonal beers as well as single batch and speciality beers.
• Shipyard Brewing Company is located in Portland, Maine and was founded in 1994. Shipyard is Maine’s largest brewer. They offer year-round, seasonal and specialty beers.
• Uinta Brewing Company is a craft brewery founded in 1993 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They produce a diverse range of beers, including pale ales, brown ales, stouts, hefeweizen’s & ipa’s.

Have you had the chance to try any of these brands? If so, which ones are your favorite? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook!

The Urban Farm Fermentory located in Portland, Maine, is our newest addition to our expanding portfolio. The UFF is a community-driven, food hub, skills-sharing facility, experimental micro Urban Farm, locally-sourced Fermentation Factory. They primarily ferment Hard Cider, Mead and Kombucha using experimental local ingredients.

The Urban Farm Fermentory is the “first fermentory”. “Fermentory, search out the definition and you’ll find only us. In our case, inventing the word that anchors our company name was necessary. Not a brewery, winery, or distillery, our wares are lesser-known fermentations: kombucha, wild fermented cider, mead, and those to come. The people behind the product, the makers perpetuating the mark, the U.F.F. team consists mostly of homegrown individuals. Maine is a place where roots matter, and it hasn’t taken long for those team members from outside the state to plant themselves in Portland, a foodie city on the rapid rise. Our products, like our name, are distinct. Our products, like our people, are true to Maine.”

Interested in trying some delicious UFF products? We will be selling the following Urban Farm Fermentory Kombuchas & Ciders:

• Ginger and Blueberry Kombucha in Bottles and on Draught
• Dry Cidah Bottles and Draught
• Hopped Cider Bottles and Draught
• Amalgam Sour Cider Draught
• Baby Jimmy Bottles and Draught

UFF ciders and kombuchas are now available for shipping to stores and bars across Vermont! Unfortunatley, we will not be offering UFF’s Mead’s for purchase. Keep up-to-date with news and information on the Urban Farm Fermentory by checking out their Facebook page.

We hope you enjoy these new products! Have you tried them before? If so, what is your favorite kombucha or cider? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook!

Have you heard of the Two Roads Brewing Company? They are a fantastic startup craft brewery located in Stratford, Connecticut and have been brewing beer since December of 2012. Two Roads is now the largest brewery in Connecticut and has doubled its brewing capacity in less than one year. The brewery is expected to create 70 jobs in Stratford over the next 10 years. We are excited to share with you that Baker Distributing will now be carrying Two Roads and will begin shipping the brand statewide this week!

More than three years after its grand opening, Two Roads draws on average, 300 people to its tasting room on the weekends. On tap, you can find a wide range of classic brews including seasonal offerings like Roadsmary’s Baby,
which is a Pumpkin Ale aged in Rum Barrels, or Road Jam, a Raspberry Wheat Ale with Lemongrass. You can also find year-round beers such as the Ol’ Factory Pils, Lil’ Heaven Session IPA or the Workers Comp Saison.

The Two Roads tasting room offers pints and tasters of their best beers to enjoy at the brewery. They also offer six-packs & growlers as beer to-go options. Looking to tour the brewery? They offer those too! They typically last about an hour and the cost is just $5. The tours have become quite popular, so be sure to plan ahead and arrive early if you are planning on taking a tour. If you are looking to experience a private tour, Two Roads asks that you book it at least two weeks in advance.

If you are interested in seeing what beers Two Roads brews, check out their year-round, seasonal, and specialty offerings here. Catch up on what Two Roads has been up to by checking out their blog.

We’re thrilled that Two Roads Brewing Company is now available in Vermont for your drinking pleasure! Have you tried any of Two Roads beers before? If so, which style is your favorite? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook!

If you read the news frequently, you may have noticed this week that Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest beer company, and SABMiller, it’s top competitor, will most likely, join together to merge into one gigantic beer company. Three offers were recently put on the table from AB InBev, however, SABMiller rejected those offers, citing the offers were too low. The brands did agree “in principle”, that AB InBev’s fifth offer to SABMiller would be accepted.

“The Board of SABMiller has indicated to AB InBev that it would be prepared unanimously to recommend the all-cash offer,” the companies stated in a release. The release also noted that “AB InBev would agree to a “best efforts” commitment to obtain any regulatory clearances prior to the deal. Should AB InBev fail to receive regulatory approval it will pay SABMiller a $3 billion fee.”

This is not quite a formal offer, and AB InBev has been admitted an extension from British regulators and now have until October 28th to make the offer. The companies said there “can be no certainty a formal offer will be made, it seems likely to deal will come to fruition,” they stated. The question now remains: How will this merger affect marketers? Both of the huge beer companies have recently acquired new agencies, including MillerCoors, earlier this month, and Budweiser signed up with Wieden + Kennedy this past July.

“Combined, AB InBev and SABMiller would house some of the world’s most recognizable beer brands under the same roof including AB InBev’s Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois, and SABMiller’s Miller Lite, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Grolsch,” stated AdWeek.

Do you think this merger will draw scrutiny from regulators worried about how it might hurt competition & lead to higher prices for shoppers? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook.