Beer, Food and Views at von Trapp Bierhall

With the full-on arrival of Spring, I decided to make a return visit to the von Trapp Bierhall in Stowe, Vermont. It was a late afternoon, and my partner and I managed to get  some seats at the bar before the expected rush of drinkers and diners. Our seats still gave us expansive views of the rolling hills, as well as Mt. Mansfield, still partially snow-covered. Although I was tempted by the smells of the bratwurst and other wursts on the open grill, we decided to stick with some fresh salads (I did manage to sneak some grilled chicken on).

We then turned our attention to the beer menu, and I was pleasantly surprised by a few new additions … new at least for me. von Trapp specializes in Bavarian-styled beers, i.e., lagers and pilsners, but they seem to be branching out to appeal to a broader range of beer drinkers. With special interest in the Double IPL, I decided to sample four of their beers. Here is what I found:

Dunkel (5.7% ABV). One of von Trapp’s classics, this is a brown lager with lots of coffee and toffee aromas.
Appearance: 4.5 | Aroma: 4.2 | Feel: 4.4 | Taste: 4.5 | Overall: 4.4

Double IPL/India Pale Lager (8.0% ABV). I don’t know why von Trapp just doesn’t give in and call this a double IPA … good color and even better fragrances/tastes from the Simcoe and Amarillo hops. Excellent!
Appearance: 4.0 | Aroma: 4.7 | Feel: 4.3 | Taste: 4.5 | Overall: 4.5

Weissbier (5.2% ABV). A classic Bavarian “white beer”, this one was not appealing to my palate.
Appearance: 4.0 | Aroma: 4.2 | Feel: 4.0 | Taste: 4.1 | Overall: 4.1

Boch Bier (6.5% ABV). A nice, dark and strong lager. Looked like the Dunkel, but doesn’t have the same coffee flavors.
Appearance: 4.5 | Aroma: 4.0 | Feel: 4.0 | Taste: 4.1 | Overall: 4.1

The Cicerone says: It doesn’t get much better than to hang out on a warm afternoon, sipping the fresh beer and enjoying the beautiful mountain views from the Bierhall! Love the Double IPA, err, Double IPL.