It was kind of a bummer day the other day at SIP headquarters when it was confirmed that a mischievous, friend-shaped, young bear ripped down our bird feeders overnight.

The next night, we set up a game cam and caught him coming back for more snacks. He looked so disappointed that there weren’t anymore sunflower-seed filled pinatas for him to play with.

Then, the next night, I had a crazy work-anxiety dream in which a bear was on the ski slope above SIP and he eventually tried to get a beer and we had to evacuate and we were all on bikes. It was probably the best work-anxiety dream I’ve ever had.

And then, the next morning, I got an email from Matt, the GM at Mad River Glen, confirming that there’s this great local musician playing there on August 19th and if we wanted to set up our annual SIP POP UP TICKET SALE then, that would work great!

So it turns our the bear was a catalyst somehow for me announcing that yes, finally:

Our SIP POP UP TICKET SALE will be August 19, from 5-7pm at Mad River Glen.

• Tickets are $55 each
• They include the usual entry, 10 tastings & a souvenir glass.
• As a bonus, these tickets come with a free SIP Glass from the Past! We will have some other SIP freebies too…
• We will have up to 300 tickets available and/or we will be open until 7.
• These tickets are CASH OR VENMO only.
• Here’s the menu for the Stark’s Pub. They open at 4:30pm. We recommend the fried green beans and any of the tasty beers they have on tap.
• This is the talented local musician who will be playing, Madigan Linnae!
• This is our new spirit animal, disappointed.
• Tickets are still available online if you can’t join us.
• We are still looking for some volunteers – join our wicked fun team!

Thanks team! Take in your bird feeders and see you soon!

It’s generally accepted that the worst day of the week for holidays to fall on is Saturday. It’s the vacation/work schedule equivalent of dropping your ice cream cone on the ground. It’s a wet towel. A sad trombone.

Thankfully you are wicked good at attending SIP! And sure, SIP is not a Federal Holiday, but it’s a celebration in it’s own right and it’s always on a Saturday! So this coming weekend should be right in your wheelhouse: a bunch of friends and a bunch of tasty Vermont brews.

Speaking of which, if you haven’t checked out our Brewer Line Up recently, we’ve been busy! Our list is packed with incredible Vermont Beer, but we are super excited to offer non-beer options like cider, mead and back this year, cocktails!

• Cold Hollow Hard Cider – Vermont to the Core since 1974. One of the most visited places in Vermont doesn’t just make cider & cider donuts anymore. Their hard cider has quickly become one of the best cider options in the state and you’ll be able to make the call for yourself at SIP.
• Old Merl’s Craft Mead – Small-batch meads blended with fruit and local honey, Old Merls will curl your toes with their tart raspberry and warm your heart with their rich barrel-aged maple. If you want to try something different at SIP, save a token for this booth!
• Black Flannel Canned Cocktails – We all know and love Black Flannel’s beers, but did you know they are also ace distillers!? New this year they will be bringing their distinctively distilled spirits to SIP in the form of canned cocktails. OMG!

Learn more our these and the other great brewers signed up so far and get your SIP tickets today! Or maybe you’d like to get a peek behind the curtain and join the SIP volunteer team?? It will be the most fun you’ve ever had working!

Have an amazing and safe Independence Weekend – see you in September!

Starting this Sunday, June 21 at 8am, you’ll be able to secure your tickets to the Best Little Beer Fest in Vermont by purchasing them online, here.

There will also a Pop Up Sale but it will take place after online tickets sales start. This is a little different than we’ve done things before, but the Pop Up will still have a fixed number of reduced rate tickets and other perks for purchasing in-person. Those details are still in the works so expect an announcement soon. Either way, you will have the opportunity to purchase tickets so you can hang out on the slopes of Mad River Glen, September 19, with all your favorite beer-drinking buddies, and of course all their dogs!

Aside from that, the usual modus operandi at SIP HQ remains the same. For example:

• SIP is still proudly partnering with For The Love of Dogs! They will once again have adorable adoptable pups at our event! Check out their webpage for more information and to register now in case you want to add a fluffy four-legger to your home!
• SIP is once again partnering with a local artist to create a custom poster just for our event! This year we are working with the uber talented Kate Ives! If her work doesn’t put a smile on your face, we need to talk.
• SIP Volunteer Sign Up is open! As always, we need your help bring things together! Sign up now for the most fun job you’ll ever have!
• Most importantly, SIP will have the same top notch caliber of brewers in our 2026 Brewer line up! We’re nowhere near done confirming our brewers, but you can see who we have confirmed here.

Stay tuned to for more posts and follow our Instagram and Facebook feeds for the latest updates! You stay classy, SIPtemberfesters!