Two of Waterbury’s beverage businesses are now under one roof with a new name to reflect what’s on the shelves. Last year, the Wine Vault’s Anastasia Kohl bought Vermont Beer Collective and merged the two businesses in the historic brick building at 3 Elm Street. In late September, she relaunched the retail shop and bar as Cask & Cork.
“I loved what I did next door, but I needed more room,” Kohl said of 1 Elm Street, where she’d run the Wine Vault since 2019. Cask & Cork now features 900 bottles of wine, ranging from naturally fermented pét-nats to Napa Valley reds from Cakebread Cellars and Opus One Winery.
The beer side still carries the wide-ranging inventory from New England and beyond that craft lovers have relied on since the shop opened in 2013. Originally part of the now-defunct Craft Beer Cellar franchise, Vermont Beer Collective got its first new name and on-site bar under previous owners Nate and Liz Dunbar in 2024.
The bar’s frequently rotating tap list might feature Maine Beer’s Lunch, Hill Farmstead Brewery’s Earl and Foam Brewers’ Lovers Rock coffee porter alongside pours of rosé and Willamette Valley pinot noir, Kohl said. Customers may also choose any wine bottle from the shelf to enjoy at the bar — or in Adirondack chairs out front — for a small service fee.
Kohl said “simple, easy” local bar snacks include Karen’s Artisan Popcorn, meats from Vermont Salumi, von Trapp Farmstead cheeses and empanadas from Waterbury’s Paprika Catering.
Cask & Cork stocks a variety of chocolate, too, which Kohl sometimes pairs with wine during popular free Friday tastings. Since she combined the two businesses, those tastings have often also featured beer and cider, she said.
This article appears in Nov 5-11 2025.
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