This Friday and Saturday will be Kraemer & Kin‘s fifth annual holiday Maker’s Market and the last weekend for its taproom restaurant at the Alburg Golf Links. Heather Kraemer, who owns the 3.5-barrel brewery with her brother Levi and his wife, Christie, said the family is vetting a couple of Champlain Islands spots for a spring reopening.
Heather, 42, said the Kraemers had hoped to make the hilltop golf clubhouse at 230 Route 129 in Alburgh their permanent home, but after three years of leasing the space, they were not able to close a deal. She said logistical considerations might require the brewery and taproom to operate in different locations for a while.
The Grand Isle County microbrewery started in a garage in early 2020. Kraemer & Kin beers, such as the honey ale, lilac sour and garlic mustard saison, often feature local ingredients.
The business’ first tasting room was in North Hero. When the Kraemers moved brewing and retail operations to Alburgh in early 2022, they inherited a 100-seat dining room and did not have much restaurant experience, Heather said.
She called the learning curve “arduous but incredibly enriching” and said the future taproom will also offer housemade food, though probably “dialed back” a little. The family found the menu an important complement to their beer, a way to deepen customer interactions and an opportunity for “a larger collaboration with our farmer friends,” Heather said.
During the business’ winter hiatus, Kraemer & Kin beer will be available at retail stores around Vermont, holiday shows and farmers markets.
This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2024.
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