Paradise Provisions, a specialty grocery store at 2367 Sugarbush Access Road in Warren, added a taproom to its store last month with exclusive offerings developed in partnership with Vermont-based Mount Holly Beer and KIS Kombucha. Customers can drink inside the taproom, separated from the grocery aisles by wooden half walls, or sit at picnic tables outside.
In developing brews for the taproom, store comanager Peter Fusting said he tried to stay away from beers with “too many bells and whistles,” instead opting for simple, all-natural ingredients. Mount Holly Beer’s Wanderfuel Belgian IPA, for instance, is made with locally grown hops and infused with maple spruce tips. The brewery’s Paradise pale ale offers hints of lemon verbena counterbalanced by honey made from the nectar of Japanese knotweed — an invasive plant with a tart rhubarb flavor.
“The idea of selling beer at retail price while at the same time having options behind a bar, that was a new concept to me,” Fusting said. “You have to think outside the box if you want to make it.”
For a nonalcoholic option, try Wanderfuel kombucha on tap, made with citra, Cascade and Centennial hops by KIS Kombucha. Customers can also choose from a variety of ciders, California wines and canned beers. Can’t decide? Try samplers of any four draft beers at the taproom for $13.
“We want to offer options that people likely haven’t heard of,” Fusting said. “You don’t have to commit to an unknown four-pack and then be stuck with three beers you don’t want.”
Food accompaniments so far have included peanut packs, finger sandwiches and fries. To expand customers’ choice of food, Fusting said the store will extend its deli’s hours to match the taproom’s.
This article appears in Sep 6-12, 2023.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
