Okay, I’ll admit. I’m really just in it for the pizza. You could get me to go to the American Flatbread Burlington Hearth any time, any day to get some of their incredible pies (Are you paying? Are we leaving right now?). The fact that the Zero Gravity brewery is located right inside is frankly just a bonus–a delicious bonus.
Zero Gravity doesn’t just produce your usual ales and lagers–they’re there, but they’re not the stars in my opinion. This place has introduced me to some off-the-beaten-path styles of beer. When the typical customer first looks at the choices, they might be confused by some of what they see, simply because it’s not seen very often around here. But the beer menus all have helpful descriptions so anyone can find a style that intrigues them or feels familiar. I tried:
Nelson: American pale ale. Hoppy flavor without a lot of bitterness
Gruit Ale: Medieval-style ale with some ingredients that sound like they’re straight out of Harry Potter: yarrow, mugwort, and sweet woodruff
And of course I have to mention the food. You could walk in here five minutes before they open and there will still be a wait to get this food, but it’s worth it. Everything is as fresh as you can possibly get, local, seasonal, and combined in interesting and palate-pleasing ways. I usually like to get one pizza with the homemade organic tomato sauce (like the pepperoni and peppers, my favorite), and one without (like the Revolution with mushrooms and caramelized onions.). I am usually not the type of person to care overly much about things being organic and local. I’m certainly aware of it– I live in Vermont after all–and I try to buy food that fits that bill as often as I can, but, when it comes down to it, I shop at Shaw’s and buy their brands most of the time. But this pizza is one of the things that convinces me that local, fresh, and seasonal is 10,000 times better. Seriously, it never fails to impress me.
I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Pizza and beer, man. Does it get any better than that combination? And when you take pizza and beer that have each been carefully crafted to be singularly delicious in their own way and combine them, it’s like alchemy–they’re both worth more than the sum of their parts. American Flatbread and Zero Gravity are nourishment and happiness together.
And seriously, you can take me there any time. I’m not kidding. Let’s set a date.
Brewery tip: While you’re waiting for your drink at the bar, take a look at the tap handles. I’ll never figure out how the bartenders remember which beer is which!
Zero Gravity/American Flatbread Burlington Hearth
115 Saint Paul St
Burlington, VT
Vermont on Tap 
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