Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Lawson’s Finest Liquids is a brewery and taproom in Waitsfield. Sean Lawson, a naturalist and homebrewer, brewed his first beer in 1990, a maple wheat ale. He and his wife, Karen, built a small brewery by hand next to their home in Warren, nicknamed the Crooked Cabin. They founded the business there in 2008 on a one-barrel system, and the first keg, of Sugarhouse IPA, went to Mad River Glen. The brewery grew to seven barrels in 2011 and picked up World Beer Cup medals for its Maple Tripple Ale. The lineup centers on maple beers and hop-forward IPAs, led by its flagship Sip of Sunshine and its family of Sunshine IPAs. Freshness is a central focus, and the beer is kept cold from storage through shipping and shelving. The taproom pours flights and taproom-only releases, and the company runs a social impact program.