Vermont protects brand

Vermont brewers have a message for the rest of the industry: Don’t go describing a brew as a Vermont beer if it’s not from the Green Mountains.

The Vermont Brewers Association is taking issue with out-of-state brewers using “Vermont” in the names and descriptions of their beer. One target is Berkeley’s Fieldwork Brewing, which produced a beer described as a “Vermont Farmhouse Ale.”

Vermont is home to numerous craft breweries, including the Alchemist, Magic Hat and Hill Farmstead.

The state has a rule to ensure that food makers don’t misuse the state’s name in their products.

The rule covers beer, the attorney general’s office said, but it won’t say if it’s investigating.

Vermont fiercely protects the integrity of products, particularly maple syrup, its signature crop.

Fieldwork Brewing did not return a phone call seeking comment.