Long Trail Brewing Company

Long Trail Brewing Company is a Vermont craft beer brand whose first batch of Long Trail Ale rolled off the line in 1989. The company traces its beginnings to a modest brewery in the basement of the Old Woolen Mill in Bridgewater Corners. Its early goal was to make an affordable American beer alternative to the German and English imports then filling store shelves. The brand says Long Trail Ale helped blaze a trail for Vermont’s craft brewing industry, at a time when the state was better known for maple syrup than beer. The name draws inspiration from the Long Trail, a 273-mile hiking route through Vermont’s Green Mountains. The company presents itself as a caretaker of Vermont craft, with its beers shaped by local culture and surroundings. Long Trail says its range includes year-round beers, seasonal selections, and limited releases; its pub serves more than a dozen beers on tap. The available evidence does not identify a complete current product list. The business also operates a brew pub on the banks of the Ottauquechee River. Its seasonally rotating menu features locally sourced ingredients, and the venue offers indoor and outdoor seating, private events, and brewery events. The brand describes support for trail preservation, conservation, accessibility, charitable organizations, and community initiatives as part of its work in Vermont and beyond. Long Trail describes changes to its packaging over time, from reused bottles to a shift toward more environmentally friendly vessels such as cans. In 2022, the company says it decided to merge the brand with Mass. Bay Brewing Company while keeping its roots. The supplied source does not specify the precise corporate structure or ownership resulting from that decision. Long Trail remains an active brand, presenting its beer, Vermont origins, pub, and community involvement through its official website.

Long Trail Brewing Company traces its beginnings to 1989, when the first batch of Long Trail Ale rolled off the line. The brewery began in the basement of the Old Woolen Mill in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont, as a modest operation known as the Mountain Brewers. Its initial purpose was to produce an affordable American-made alternative to the German and English beers then common on store shelves. The brand’s account places this launch within the rise of American craft brewing and notes that Vermont was then more widely associated with maple syrup than beer. Long Trail Ale found an audience at local watering holes and, in the company’s telling, helped establish a path for Vermont craft brewing. As the beer became familiar in the Green Mountain landscape, the brewers were commonly called “the Long Trail guys.” The company says it eventually changed its name to Long Trail Brewing Company. Its name and identity are inspired by the Long Trail hiking route, which the official homepage describes as a 273-mile trail traversing the Green Mountains. The company has since framed its work as caring for Vermont craft and making beer worthy of its local roots. The company also describes an evolution in its packaging and environmental practices. In its early operation, bottles were reused Beck’s and St. Pauli Girl bottles, identifiable by their green glass. Long Trail says that its packaging later changed and that it shifted toward more environmentally friendly vessels, including cans. It has also identified charitable giving and sponsorship, trail preservation, conservation, and accessibility as areas of community involvement. Alongside its beer business, Long Trail operates a brew pub on the Ottauquechee River. The pub offers a seasonally rotating menu featuring locally sourced ingredients, a selection of year-round, seasonal, and limited-release beers, and indoor and outdoor seating. The official site also promotes reservations, private events, brewery events, and the Long Trail Lodge. A later corporate turning point came in 2022. The company’s About Us page says it made the decision to merge the brand with Mass. Bay Brewing Company while keeping its roots. The supplied account does not provide further details about the transaction, its legal structure, or specific ownership arrangements. Long Trail continues to present itself as a Vermont craft beer brand, connecting its products and hospitality offering to the state’s landscape and community.

• First batch of Long Trail Ale

• Decision to merge the brand with Mass. Bay Brewing Company

A Vermont-rooted craft beer brand emphasizing local identity, beer shaped by its surroundings, and support for trails and community.

• Long Trail Ale

  The brand’s original beer; its first batch was produced in 1989.

• Year-round, seasonal, and limited-release beers

  Categories of beers that the company says are served at its pub.

1. 1Home - Long Trail Brewing Co.longtrail.com
2. 2About Us - Long Trail Brewing Co.longtrail.com