New brewery to open in Vt., giving state 26

The Vermont Brewers Association says Grateful Hands Brewing is opening this weekend in Cabot and will specialize in dark beers.

Owner Ricky McLain will pour samples of his beers and sell containers called growlers on Saturday. His initial four offerings include an American brown ale called Time and an American stout called Courage.

Grateful Hands is considered a nano-brewery because of the size of each batch of beer, 20 gallons. The Brewers Association says McLain expects to start off selling growlers from the brewery and at farmer's markets and eventually start bottling.

The Springfield-based Vermont Brewers Association says it was established in 1995 to promote professional craft brewing in the state. Executive Director Kurt Staudter calls Vermont "the Disneyland of beer" and says the new brewery gives the state 26.