If breweries were judged solely on location and facility, Stone Cow Brewery in Barre would, hands down, be the undisputed king. Carter & Stevens Farm is a 1,000-acre plot perched atop a hill with sweeping views – the white steeple of the Congregational Church just visible through the tree line – and home to five generations of dairy farmers and an enormous barnhouse beer garden.

My fiancée and I had been wanting to check out the brewery for some time, so the news that Stone Cow started offering growlers (and our discovery of its popular barbecue) gave us an excuse to drive on up into the hills.

We got a sampler flight of four: Gypsy Four-Star IPA (hazy, fruity and brewed with local hops), Bono Loco NE IPA (more haze and heavy on the citrus), Farmhouse Saison (peppery, but the smoothest to go down) and the Blue “Barre” Sour (made with blueberries fresh from the farm and delightfully crisp). Paired with them, some truly excellent barbecue, the most memorable being a tender and balanced pulled-pork sandwich.

Unfortunately, our schedule for the coming weeks did not afford us the opportunity to indulge in a full growler of beer. Filling a 32-ounce or 64-ounce flagon is a tall order. Outwardly, it may not seem so, but once opened, a growler can be difficult to finish without company.

An open growler needs to be consumed practically immediately. And seeing as we were not planning on having guests in the next two weeks – which is the generally agreed upon lifespan of a these large canteens of alcoholic suds – any beer we bought would’ve ended up going to waste. And one does not waste good beer.

It’s always difficult to judge how certain drinks are going to affect you. It’s part of the reason why we have tastings, so we know what we like and what we don’t. Making a purchase and bringing something home is not only an act of trust on the part of the seller but also on the knowledge of the buyer, that they’ve been sold something they want. Luckily, for all of us here in Worcester County, Stone Cow is one of those businesses that will continue to rise in popularity and in trust and quality. And maybe next time we go, we’ll come home with a growler or two.

Ryan Cashman