The Skinny Pancake group, which owns nine locations in Vermont, Massachusetts and New York, is now partnering with Vermont breweries at two of its home-state restaurants. Since June 27, the Skinny Pancake at 7161 Woodstock Road in Quechee has hosted a taproom for Belmont’s Mount Holly Beer. This Friday, August 21, the Skinny Pancake at 60 Lake Street in Burlington will start a summer-and-fall tap takeover of its bar by Waitsfield’s Lawson’s Finest Liquids.
In both cases, said Benjy Adler, Skinny Pancake’s 45-year-old cofounder and owner, “It’s gonna up our bar game.”
The Quechee partnership gives Dan Tilly, owner of the relatively new Mount Holly Beer, a chance to foster regular, direct connections with customers. Tilly, 37, founded his small brewery in late 2020 and has gradually built a reputation for deploying heirloom Nordic barley, wheat and rye in “simple recipes to let those ingredients give a purity of flavor,” he said. Mount Holly Beer also makes traditional-method cider.
About a year ago, Tilly set up a bottle shop in the Belmont General Store, which his sister and her husband own, but other than seasonal festivals, he has not had a place to offer his beer on tap.
“It’s been in our heart to get a taproom,” Tilly said. “This was a way to do it without doing our own.”
In Burlington, the Lawson’s partnership takes the form of a monthslong tap takeover of the waterfront Skinny Pancake, lasting through the October foliage season. The existing bar will be branded with Lawson’s, and all the beers on tap will be from the Waitsfield brewery, including its flagship Sip line. Sip’N, the brewery’s brand-new nonalcoholic India Pale Ale, will be available in cans.
Lawson’s CEO Adeline Druart, 46, likened the collaboration to “two great friends becoming roommates for the summer.” Druart said the brewery appreciates the chance to build its profile in Vermont’s biggest city and hopes to entice more customers to visit its Mad River Valley headquarters and taproom.
Lawson’s has trained Skinny Pancake employees on its beer line, including Sip’N, which Druart said has been in development for almost five years. In addition to featuring citra hops, the new beer uses a special type of yeast that does not produce alcohol, making its extraction unnecessary.
At both locations, look for the teams’ suggested food and beer pairings, such as Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine with the Johnny Crêpe, featuring maple barbecue pulled pork in a cornmeal crêpe; and Mount Holly Beer’s Mike’s Magic Mixture hazy IPA with the 4th of July smash burger.
This article appears in August 19 • 2026.
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