Winooski's Vermont Homebrew Supply to Close

After 29 years in business, Anne and Matt Whyte plan to close Vermont Homebrew Supply once they’ve sold through their inventory of equipment and ingredients for homebrewers, cidermakers and winemakers. The couple said they expect that to happen by the end of February.

When Anne, 64, and Matt, 69, opened their shop at 147 East Allen Street in Winooski in 1995, homebrewing “was just taking off,” Anne said. “Craft beer hadn’t really happened yet.”

Anne, an expert homebrewer, always provided advice along with yeasts, funnels and sacks of grain. She said a decline in the number of homebrewers and increased competition from online retailers contributed to the decision to close, along with her age.

Fewer people feel motivated to brew at home these days because “there is so much good craft beer,” Anne theorized. “Craft beer and craft cider owe a huge debt to homebrewers,” she said, adding that a number of local brewery and cidery founders started as hobbyists and customers.

The business supported the Whyte family of four for many years, the couple said. Matt technically retired a few years ago; their 35-year-old son, Terry, worked there part time until recently.

The Whytes made no attempt to sell the business before deciding to close. They never expanded into online sales, “the 800-pound gorilla,” in Anne’s words.

“I don’t think anyone could walk in and turn this around,” she said.

Burlington homebrewer Michael Burdick swung by on Monday morning to pick up some grain. The longtime customer said he was shocked and saddened to learn of the pending closure.

For him, Vermont Homebrew was more than a supply source. “Anne knows her way around a mash tun,” Burdick said, referring to a brewhouse vessel. He found her adept at counseling seasoned and novice brewers alike: “It was a place to come talk about beer.”