Lawson’s Finest Liquids — Restaurant in Waitsfield

I want to perquisite this with saying, we love Lawson's beers, they really manufacture a great product. Unfortunately, in a recent trip to the new Waitsfield location I was very disappointed. We had family to our place in Fairfax VT to visit, one of the locations they (and ourselves) were looking forward to visiting was Lawson's. We arrived at Lawsons at 6:10 and saw a sign at the door stating they closed at "6:30 for staff meeting". We were a little disappointed but that we had a few minutes to scoot in let the family see the taproom and do either a quick pour or share a flight. Got to the bar at 6:12 and were greeted by a young lady who asked how she could help us. We asked to be do a flight to which she glanced around and said "Actually we are closed for staff meeting." We explained how the family was from out of state and we had just driven nearly an hour and a half to due a tasting here before dinner. She said one moment and stated to a gentlemen behind her that we were hoping to do a round. He followed suit with the her and said they were closed. I briefly glanced around the room and saw roughly still 6-10 people finishing beers. As well as, over a dozen people outside finishing their beers.

I normally don't complain, but given the following:

1. Wasn't even 6:30 (Posted closing)
2. Other folks were still in their drinking
3. We explained the circumstances we were there under -out of state family -1.5 hr commute

This all felt very disappointing. Especially to the family members who are also business owners visiting from Rochester. Cast Lawsons in a less then favorable light, specifically as it relates to customer service.

Regardless, we walked to the merch area and purchased a few triple sunshine so they could at least try them back at our home...

Whoever designed this brewery did a fantastic job! My husband can give a better review for their beers as he loves beer more than I do. But, if you have already had Lawson's Finest Liquids you already know it's good. Plus other reviewers can tell you as well. Here's my opinion on the rest of this brewery... Plenty of parking and several electric vehicle charging stations. Lots of tables that can be put together easily for larger parties and outdoor seating as well. Comfortable seats! Both at the bar and at the tables. I haven't sat outside yet so I can't comment on that. The food is very good with a better variety, and possibly healthier options, than most breweries. They had other beverages besides beer, both alcoholic and non alcoholic. Order drinks and/or food at the bar and you leave the dirty glasses, or dishes, on the table when you're done and a server cleans them up. They give you a buzzer (beeper) if you order food and go to the pickup window when it's ready. There's also a small beer/clothing/souvenir shop that's inside, but separate from the main area and has its own door, or you can go through the main brewery door. And finally what I kept telling my husband for years: every brewery that has the space and means to do this should have 3 separate restrooms. Men's, women's, and gender neutral with a changing station. Even the ladies room is well designed, and clean! If you're a female that uses the bathroom a lot, you'll appreciate this too.😊 That's my review and I wish other breweries, with the space and means to do this, would take a look at the Lawson's Finest Liquids location in Waitsfield, Vermont and see why I believe they did a...

Lawson's Finest Liquids definitely had a reputation for itself as one of Vermont's best (dare I say, finest) breweries, so I made the one-hour trip from Killington after skiing to see if it lived up to the hype.

The Taproom is airy and spacious with a kind of rustic ski chalet kind of vibe. I was bummed when I found out that Sip of Sunshine was not available on tap, as it was their most-recommended and highly regarded beers. I still ended up sharing two flights to have a little bit of everything.

Chinooker'd and the Scrag Mountain Pils were definitely the highlights, with Chinooker'd being one of the better American IPA's I've had. Scrag Mountain Pils is a beer that I can see myself ordering on a regular basis at a bar when having a burger or wings. The NEIPA's - the beers that Lawson's is known for - was disappointing to say the least. Double Sunshine was a forgettable DIPA with not much on the palate, and Little Sip was mid at best.

Does Lawson's live up the hype? For me, not really. I would rather go the extra 20 minutes north for Prohibition Pig or...