Just in time for the first frost, the state’s newest microbrewery — Grateful Hands Brewing in Cabot — has opened with a focus on small batches of dark beers.

On September 8, brewer Ricky McLain offered samples of his inky oeuvre at his Route 2 nanobrewery: They included a robust porter called Spare Change; a black IPA, Common Sense; an American brown ale, Time; and an American stout, Courage. He’s brewing each in 20-gallon batches, making them available for growler fills on the second Saturday of each month. McLain, who runs the brewery with his wife, Joy, eventually plans to bottle his brews.

Announcing the launch, Kurt Staudter, executive director of the Vermont Brewers Association, called Vermont the “Disneyland of beer,” citing the fact that we have more breweries per capita than any other U.S. state. We can expect Vermont to edge closer to beer-theme-park status in coming months: Burlington, Brattleboro, Stowe and South Royalton are all on track to host new microbreweries, possibly by year’s end.

Find Grateful Hands at 2211 Route 2 in Cabot, 249-4092.

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Corin Hirsch was a Seven Days food writer 2011 through 2016. She was also a dining critic and drinks columnist at Newsday from 2017 to 2022, and contributes to The Guardian, Wine Enthusiast and other publications. She’s spoken often on colonial era...