BEER HAVEN

Three Penny Taproom has as many craft brews on tap as it has seats: two dozen. On a bustling Friday or Saturday night, it may be a tight squeeze in the Main Street bar, which was also runner-up for Best Brewpub Outside Chittenden County. But there’s no doubt about it, this place is serious about beer. The constantly rotating tap list fills up three wall-mounted chalkboards with local brews such as the Trapp Lager; California beers, including North Coast Scrimshaw; and international offerings from Belgium, Germany, Norway and Japan. But it’s not just the beer that keeps people coming back to Three Penny. The tapas-style bar food, prepared almost entirely with a couple of Crock-Pots, a sandwich press and a water boiler, is reason enough to stop by. Grab a plate of Cavendish Cup oysters or a bowl of Marcona almonds. Or try a sandwich with Manchego, chorizo and whole-grain mustard, or grilled squash with avocado-lime butter.

- Megan James