# Any Craft Beer / Brewery Travelers?



## Space Coast Laurie (Jan 24, 2014)

Is anyone on here a craft beer aficionado who (at least sometimes) makes timeshare exchange decisions based upon the number/quality of breweries and brewpubs within driving distance of the resort?

Where have you traveled in search of beer nirvana?  What are your favorite areas for a beer-centric trip?  Which resorts have served as the best home bases for your beer adventures?

And for those of you who are not into this, I'm not talking about drinking massive quantities of alcohol for the sake of getting trashed.  The craft beer aficionado is generally like someone who goes wine-tasting.  They enjoy trying new beers... visiting different breweries...knowledgeable about styles, how they differ and often, how they're made... familiar with what an "off flavor" is and how it may have happened during brewing, fermentation, bottling/kegging or aging/storage.  They may even be a home brewer.


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## Beaglemom3 (Jan 24, 2014)

Space Coast Laurie said:


> Is anyone on here a craft beer aficionado who (at least sometimes) makes timeshare exchange decisions based upon the number/quality of breweries and brewpubs within driving distance of the resort?
> 
> Where have you traveled in search of beer nirvana?  What are your favorite areas for a beer-centric trip?  Which resorts have served as the best home bases for your beer adventures?
> 
> And for those of you who are not into this, I'm not talking about drinking massive quantities of alcohol for the sake of getting trashed.  The craft beer aficionado is generally like someone who goes wine-tasting.  They enjoy trying new beers... visiting different breweries...knowledgeable about styles, how they differ and often, how they're made... familiar with what an "off flavor" is and how it may have happened during brewing, fermentation, bottling/kegging or aging/storage.  They may even be a home brewer.




Hi,
  I'm not exactly beer-centric, but I will seek out a local crafts beer pub or brewery wherever I'm staying if time allows.
 Also, I have taken the pub crawl with the London Walks a few times and have tried the new & upcoming micro-brews on tap if available.

Cheers ! Bottoms Up !


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## Passepartout (Jan 24, 2014)

We are not exactly 'brew snobs', nor do we actually plan trips around craft beer availability, but if available, we are educated consumers. Seattle-land, and Portland, OR are well worth a visit for their potations. The wines ain't bad either. We recently had occasion to  sample the wares in Auckland NZ at a place that boasted 102,  but most were bottled. I can recommend Maui Brewing Co near Kaanapali if you're in the area. If lagers and pilsners tickle your fancy, Belgium and Czech Republic will quench your thirst. Of course it isn't exactly craft beer by definition, but it just takes two things to make a town in Germany: a bakery and a brewery.

We are in Mexico now, and so far, decent beer seems to have them baffled.

Jim


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## swditz (Jan 24, 2014)

if you come to Vermont the Long Trail brewery in bridgewater makes a popular local beer. Can take a self guided tour and they have a decent lunch restaurant. Very popular with the out of state skiers.


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## Timeshare Von (Jan 24, 2014)

I'm far from a beer aficionado or snob but I do enjoy taking brewery tours and enjoying a nice local brew pub.  Wisconsin, and Milwaukee in particular, is especially rich with not only good local brews, but also a lot on the history of the beer industry in the USA.

There are a few timeshares scattered throughout the state so for anyone looking for beer nirvana, I suppose you could find it here within driving distance of a T/S resort.


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## csxjohn (Jan 24, 2014)

I have never planned a trip around my love of craft beer but seek out breweries and locally brewed beers when we travel.

We took an exchange in Newport Oregon a few years ago and it happened to fall when the Rouge Brewery was holding their "Happening."  It's a surfing competition they sponsor every year and had a ball.

Their brewery tour was the only one I've ever been on that did not include a sample of the beer.

We went across the parking lot to their distillery and had as many samples as we wanted of their products, go figure.

We have enjoyed the breweries in Asheville NC very much and will go to at least 2 brew pubs every time we are there.

The Cleveland area is chock full of excellent craft breweries, so many that I have not been to them all yet.

I can brew my own craft beers at the Brew Kettle in Strongsville and they can replicate brews that you like by looking up recipes and using what they have available.  I've made an ale very similar to Rouge's Dead Guy Ale but can buy it on tap there to get the real thing when I need to.

http://www.thebrewkettle.com/

Of course there are no timeshares around here so you can't plan that kind of trip around the breweries but if you wanted to spend a day or two at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, I'd suggest checking out some of our local brews.


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## PigsDad (Jan 24, 2014)

If you stay in Estes Park, CO, you would have access to at least 20+ micro- and small breweries within an hour drive.  Estes Park has a one, but then the northern Front Range from Ft. Collins down to Boulder have several, well-respected micro-breweries.  It's almost like it's in our blood around here.

New Belgium and Odell's are probably the most well known as they have multi-state distribution, but there are lots of very small operations as well.  On the other end of the spectrum, Ft. Collins has a large Anheuser-Busch brewery w/ the Clydesdales on site.  Another thing that makes this area unique is that brewing is huge, but relatively a very young business around here.  For example, New Belgium, one of the first micro-brews that is now nationally distributed, was a basement operation around 1990.  Still locally owned and operated.

If you are concerned about coming to this part of the state this summer because of the floods we had in September -- don't be worried.  The state and the Army Corp have done an amazing job of cleanup / rebuilding, and while you will certainly notice the after-effects of the flood, most of the area is back to business as normal.

Kurt


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## tashamen (Jan 24, 2014)

We're pretty much like most of the posters here - DH in particular loves to try different beers, but we have not specifically planned a trip around that (yet).  We do enjoy going to brewpubs and/or trying local brews wherever we go.  (Note that this does not mean going to a Yard House with their hundreds of beers, only a few of which are usually local).

There seem to be local brews available most places in the US and Canada these days.  I  was in Scottsdale at the Kierland Villas two weeks ago and was impressed by the variety of local/regional beers available in many of the local restaurants.

We were in Finland for a wedding a few months ago and did most of the Helsinki Beer Trail, which is a self-guided pub crawl.  Sadly (or maybe not so sadly) the beer tram was not running as it only does so in summer. 

We have on occasion planned trips around restaurant weeks, including to Boston, NY and Washington, DC.


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## Ridewithme38 (Jan 24, 2014)

swditz said:


> if you come to Vermont the Long Trail brewery in bridgewater makes a popular local beer. Can take a self guided tour and they have a decent lunch restaurant. Very popular with the out of state skiers.



We were planning at stopping at the Magic Hat Brewery when we stay at Smuggs in July, would you suggest also stopping at the Long Trail Brewery?


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## buzglyd (Jan 24, 2014)

San Diego county is craft brew heaven. You could stay at Welk or any of the Carlsbad resorts. There are even tour buses that stop at all the breweries.


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## SMHarman (Jan 24, 2014)

I hear this place is worth the pilgrimage
http://www.hillfarmstead.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/business/craft-beer-the-very-limited-edition.html?_r=0



> Two weeks ago, a beer drinker in Fresno, Calif., called Hill Farmstead Brewery in Vermont to ask where he could buy its craft beers. “You have to drive to the airport, get a ticket, fly to Burlington, rent a car and drive an hour and a half to the brewery,” the owner, Shaun Hill, replied with a laugh. But he wasn’t joking.
> 
> Hill Farmstead, in the hamlet of Greensboro, produces just 60,000 gallons of beer annually. The beer is available for purchase only at the brewery and in roughly 20 Vermont bars. In addition, Mr. Hill sends 12 kegs to distributors in New York City and Philadelphia a few times a year.



And Burlington is worth visiting.  Not far from Smuggs and Stowe.

http://americanflatbread.com/restaurants/burlington-vt/
http://www.farmhousetg.com/home.html

And while you are there you can also visit MagicHat.net and Ben and Jerrys and Cabot and then take a look at this list.

http://www.vtbeer.org/


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## wackymother (Jan 24, 2014)

Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware does a FANTASTIC tour with your choice of samples! We went there when we stayed in Ocean City, MD, last summer. Both a great tour, and great beer. 

Just remember that you have to book way in advance. 

http://www.dogfish.com/community/tours/index.htm


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## ccurey (Jan 24, 2014)

Have never gone on a TS brew vacation only because I just purchased mine.  That being said I have planned and taken a 2 week driving vacation centered on local brews. In my travels from Michigan to South then central coast of Cali and back. I managed to hit brew pubs at every city I stayed in. 

The point of this trip was to focus on truly local fair. I stayed away from nationally distributed brew intentionally. I must say that it was the best 6000 miles I've ever driven. Of those I hit my favorites were on the central coast. You can stay in San Luis Obispo, you can then go in any direction and reach several great breweries. Not to mention you get to see a section of the west coast that should be on everyones bucket list. 

Traverse City Michigan has a handful of exceptional brew pubs. Great place to stay in July or August if you can get in. I think Michigan has around 100 craft brewers state wide several of which are worth the trip. Bells brewery in Kalamazoo as well as Dark Horse brewing company in Marshall. 

I guess my point would be that craft beer is an exceptional way to meet like minded people. That are always happy to share their experiences and point you to your next pint. Cheers and Happy travels.


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## Beaglemom3 (Jan 24, 2014)

If you're in Boston, consider this:
Brew tour(s) info: http://bostonbrewtours.com/?gclid=CMyR052CmLwCFQdnOgodwBoAiA


The Sam Adams' brewery tour is interesting, but I don't think we can classify SA as a micro or craft brew anymore. I could be wrong on this point depending on one's definition. 

 My old friend, from long ago, Jim Koch, did a lot to get good beer back into this country (USA) IMHO. I remember him struggling with his Lightship Beer  (his second beer) back in '84. He gave me a lot of promotional paraphernalia touting the new beer with logo (a cardboard periscope, a ball cap and a carpenter's apron. I still have them). It didn't do that well.


Friends don't let friends drink crap beer.


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## falmouth3 (Jan 24, 2014)

Massachusetts is also a hub for microbrews and craft beer.  Many, many opportunities to do tastings, beer fests, etc.

We went to Harpoon in Boston a few years ago right around Christmas time.  The young woman behind the bar was pouring whatever and however much people wanted to drink.  Since I'm not much of a drinker, I had my fill very quickly.  There were two or three young men there with us and they were enjoying the opportunity!


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## LynnW (Jan 24, 2014)

We like to try the different brew pubs wherever we are. DH works part time at a beer and wine making supply store (when we are at home!) and the home brewing has really taken off. I'm sure we'll be trying a few places when we're in Oregon in Sept and Carlsbad in Nov.

Lynn


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## BJRSanDiego (Jan 24, 2014)

*San Diego*



buzglyd said:


> San Diego county is craft brew heaven. You could stay at Welk or any of the Carlsbad resorts. There are even tour buses that stop at all the breweries.



I live in San Diego and I can attest to the fact that YES, we do have our "rightful" share of craft breweries.  Here are just the ones that are in the North County:  

North County Breweries.  
1. Lost Abbey/Port Brewing 
2. Iron Fist 
3. Stone 
4. Mother Earth 
5. Rip Current 
6. Latitude 33 
7. Belching Beaver 
8. Offbeat 
9. Breakwater Brewery 
10. Stone taphouse Oceanside. 
11. Pizza Port Calsbad. 
12. Fezziwig. 

In addition there are:  Ballast Point, Societe, Greenflash  , Alesmith, Coronado, Saint Archer, and Mission. 

So many beers, so little time....   :hysterical:


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## buzglyd (Jan 25, 2014)

Two choices. Portland or San Diego. San Diego has about 75 craft breweries and plenty of tour buses. I'm sure Portland is similar. And that list of 12 is stellar.


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## Passepartout (Jan 25, 2014)

buzglyd said:


> Two choices. Portland or San Diego. San Diego has about 75 craft breweries and plenty of tour buses. I'm sure Portland is similar. And that list of 12 is stellar.



I have to agree. The difficulty with Portland is the lack of urbanish timeshares. So for the context of the OP, San Diego area probably gets the clink of the glass for TS locations near microbrews/craft beers. 

Jim


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## djs (Jan 25, 2014)

Beaglemom3 said:


> If you're in Boston, consider this:
> Brew tour(s) info: http://bostonbrewtours.com/?gclid=CMyR052CmLwCFQdnOgodwBoAiA
> 
> 
> ...



Sam actually is still a "Craft Beer" it is defined by a brewer who produces less than 6 million barrels of beer a year.  If you go on a tour of a craft brewer they likely will point out that Bud spills more per year than they brew. 

I've done a tour at Sam before, but they don't do a traditional tour (not a lot of brewing oes on at JP location anymore). Harpoon has a great tour, nice beer hall where there are apx 20 different beers on tap. Many of the beers in their beer hall are only available at the beer hall.


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## Beaglemom3 (Jan 25, 2014)

djs said:


> Sam actually is still a "Craft Beer" it is defined by a brewer who produces less than 6 million barrels of beer a year.  If you go on a tour of a craft brewer they likely will point out that Bud spills more per year than they brew.
> 
> I've done a tour at Sam before, but they don't do a traditional tour (not a lot of brewing oes on at JP location anymore). Harpoon has a great tour, nice beer hall where there are apx 20 different beers on tap. Many of the beers in their beer hall are only available at the beer hall.



  Thank you for the clarification. 
  Maybe we can take some visiting Tuggers on one of the brewery tours someday.
  I live near "The Watch City Brew Pub & Brewery" in Waltham (am in Weston).


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## SMHarman (Jan 25, 2014)

djs said:


> Sam actually is still a "Craft Beer" it is defined by a brewer who produces less than 6 million barrels of beer a year.  If you go on a tour of a craft brewer they likely will point out that Bud spills more per year than they brew.
> 
> I've done a tour at Sam before, but they don't do a traditional tour (not a lot of brewing oes on at JP location anymore). Harpoon has a great tour, nice beer hall where there are apx 20 different beers on tap. Many of the beers in their beer hall are only available at the beer hall.



After they got craft beer redefined from 2m barrels.


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## cubigbird (Jan 25, 2014)

My wife and I are craft beer fans.  Living in Colorado gives us lots of choices.  SVO timeshares here are also near quite a few craft beer breweries in the mountains.


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## bluehende (Jan 25, 2014)

*magic vs longtrail*



Ridewithme38 said:


> We were planning at stopping at the Magic Hat Brewery when we stay at Smuggs in July, would you suggest also stopping at the Long Trail Brewery?




Magic Hat is great.  Nice tour with samples after.  Longtrail has no real tour and no samples.  What they are is a great brewpub.  Good food and a lot of good beers for sale.  Many of the beers they have on tap are not available outside the brewery.

In Burlington there is also the switchback brewery.  A little bit away in Waterbury is the Vermont alchemist which brews Heady Topper.  Be warned they will likely be closed and sold out so call first.  If they are open there is very little to see.  Having said this, having the opportunity to buy Heady is priceless.  Morrisville near stowe has Rock Art.  I am not sure what they offer.


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## vikingsholm (Jan 25, 2014)

I've visited some of the San Diego and Oregon craft breweries, some nice ones there.  My favorite killer tour is our local one though, in the north bay of the San Francisco area from Marin up through Sonoma counties.

Here's a great day trip, through the rolling hills with parts of it near the wine country:

Start in Mill Valley in Marin at the Mill Valley Beerworks for an early lunch (open at lunchtime on weekends only I think) and their own brews. Pretty good food too.

Head up 101 to Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma. They have a tour and a large beer garden outside. Several seasonal varieties available, but the IPA Maximus and Hop Stoopid are a few that I like.

Continue north up 101 to Santa Rosa. Near downtown, 3rd Street Ale Works Brewpub has a nice bar/restaurant with their own brew that's quite good. Then a two block walk to the notorious Russian River Brewing Company, home of Pliny the Younger and Pliny the Elder, rated #2 and #3 in the world by Beer Advocate last year.  Hard to get a seat there though, and lines for Pliny the Younger that's only available the first 2 weeks or so in February are absurd.

Next up to Healdsburg to Bear Republic, further north on 101.  Another excellent choice, and lots of great restaurants and wineries nearby too.  It's just a bit north of Windsor, so the worldmark (or wyndam?) there would be a good place to stay.

Some much smaller craft brews of some renown can also be found around the Santa Rosa area for those not satisfied yet:

-Moonlight Brewing
-Rincon Valley Wine & Craft Beer
-Woodfour Brewing Company
-Petaluma Hills Brewing Co.


There's also a north bay brewery bus tour that visits 3-4 of the bigger ones listed above so the driving's not an issue.


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## buzglyd (Jan 25, 2014)

vikingsholm said:


> I've visited some of the San Diego and Oregon craft breweries, some nice ones there.  My favorite killer tour is our local one though, in the north bay of the San Francisco area from Marin up through Sonoma counties.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I live Anderson Valley beer but it is truly in the middle of nowhere. Boonville is the correct name for it.


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## memereDoris (Jan 26, 2014)

San Diego area.  We stay in Carlsbad at the Grand Pacific Palisades because there is a Karl Strauss brewery on site and new beers almost every day.  There is a train system from there that takes you along the coast and no driving is necessary.  

If we keep the men happy, they will follow us anywhere.


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## talkamotta (Feb 3, 2014)

buzglyd said:


> San Diego county is craft brew heaven. You could stay at Welk or any of the Carlsbad resorts. There are even tour buses that stop at all the breweries.



Our friend has a family member that works for Stone Brewery.  We were able to do a tour at their brewery.  It has a nice restaurant but it would even be relaxing to go have a couple of beers out on their patio.  


My favorite is still Karl Strauss and their food is absolutely wonderful.  

They have Bevmo  so you can try different beers and take them back to the condo. I like beers on tap but sometimes you just cant sit in a bar all day and drive home.   

I noticed the OP was from Florida.  Havent found any good breweries in my travels to Florida but your wines from St. Augustine/San Sabastian  and Keel and Curly are on my top favorites.  Publix has good prices and are often on sale.  

Now a plug for my hometown........Wasatch Brewery namely  Polygamy Porter (Wasatch Brewery) is as good if not better than Guiness.  Their beers and Unitah beers are very good.


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## talkamotta (Feb 3, 2014)

PigsDad said:


> If you stay in Estes Park, CO, you would have access to at least 20+ micro- and small breweries within an hour drive.  Estes Park has a one, but then the northern Front Range from Ft. Collins down to Boulder have several, well-respected micro-breweries.  It's almost like it's in our blood around here.
> 
> New Belgium and Odell's are probably the most well known as they have multi-state distribution, but there are lots of very small operations as well.  On the other end of the spectrum, Ft. Collins has a large Anheuser-Busch brewery w/ the Clydesdales on site.  Another thing that makes this area unique is that brewing is huge, but relatively a very young business around here.  For example, New Belgium, one of the first micro-brews that is now nationally distributed, was a basement operation around 1990.  Still locally owned and operated.
> 
> ...



We went to the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival.  I think some of the local breweries couldn't get down to Telluride because of the floods (either could some of the groups).  What a beautiful little town.  We still had a great time and will be coming back.


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## sun starved Gayle (Feb 3, 2014)

https://brewcycleportland.com/our-bikes/

Another vote for Portland. Tons of options!


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## Space Coast Laurie (Jan 29, 2015)

talkamotta said:


> I noticed the OP was from Florida.  Havent found any good breweries in my travels to Florida but your wines from St. Augustine/San Sabastian  and Keel and Curly are on my top favorites.  Publix has good prices and are often on sale.



Reviving an old thread for two reasons. 

First, we just locked in a week at WorldMark Wine Country Sonoma County, which is just 8.6 miles (but who's counting?) from Russian River Brewing.  They make some of our favorite beers, and my husband and I have a LOT of respect for the head brewer and his wife/co-owner.  We can't wait to visit!  (We're also tying this trip in to attending the UCF football game at Stanford on Sep 12).

Second, craft beer has exploded in Florida over the past couple of years, especially in the Tampa Bay area.  There are now dozens of microbreweries and nanobreweries and more are in planning.  Cigar City (known for killer stouts and a lot of very interesting brews) is the biggest, and the Dunedin Brewery is the oldest at 19 years.  We've got microsbreweries (7venth Sun) who are know for their funky brews and "Florida Weisse" (a fruity offshoot of Berliner Weisse, with a slightly different way of souring), a nano or microbrewery (not sure which) in planning that will specialize in sours (Tangent Brewing), a nanobrewery (Rapp Brewing) that specializes on older German styles, a microbrewery (St. Somewhere) that does Belgian sours, and a bunch more.  Many are just west of Tampa in Pinellas County.  The Cajun Cafe on the Bayou in Pinellas Park (not a brewery) hosts some of the best beer festivals in the country.  Tampa Bay Beer Week is coming up in March, and there will be a ridiculous number of cool events going on.


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## tashamen (Jan 29, 2015)

Suncoast Laurie said:


> Reviving an old thread for two reasons.



I'm glad you did - I had forgotten about this thread!  I'm going to a conference in Denver in May and am now planning to add a few days in Boulder so that I can do brewery visits in both Denver and Boulder.  Looks like there are lots of choices.


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## buzglyd (Jan 29, 2015)

Suncoast Laurie said:


> Reviving an old thread for two reasons.
> 
> First, we just locked in a week at WorldMark Wine Country Sonoma County, which is just 8.6 miles (but who's counting?) from Russian River Brewing.  They make some of our favorite beers, and my husband and I have a LOT of respect for the head brewer and his wife/co-owner.  We can't wait to visit!  (We're also tying this trip in to attending the UCF football game at Stanford on Sep 12).
> 
> Second, craft beer has exploded in Florida over the past couple of years, especially in the Tampa Bay area.  There are now dozens of microbreweries and nanobreweries and more are in planning.  Cigar City (known for killer stouts and a lot of very interesting brews) is the biggest, and the Dunedin Brewery is the oldest at 19 years.  We've got microsbreweries (7venth Sun) who are know for their funky brews and "Florida Weisse" (a fruity offshoot of Berliner Weisse, with a slightly different way of souring), a nano or microbrewery (not sure which) in planning that will specialize in sours (Tangent Brewing), a nanobrewery (Rapp Brewing) that specializes on older German styles, a microbrewery (St. Somewhere) that does Belgian sours, and a bunch more.  Many are just west of Tampa in Pinellas County.  The Cajun Cafe on the Bayou in Pinellas Park (not a brewery) hosts some of the best beer festivals in the country.  Tampa Bay Beer Week is coming up in March, and there will be a ridiculous number of cool events going on.



Anderson Valley Brewing is up that way too and fantastic.

I think Lagunitas is in Petaluma and Heretic is up there as well.


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## tschwa2 (Jan 29, 2015)

I am heading to TAP-NY at the end of April.  


> *What is TAP- New York? *
> 
> Over the years, TAP- New York has developed into New York State's largest craft beer festival in the number of brewers attending.





> Adirondack Pub & Brewery - Lake George
> Andean Brewing Co. - Blauvelt
> Bacchus Brewing Co. - Dryden
> Bandwagon Brew Pub - Ithaca
> ...



This will be out 3rd time in 5 years.  It's at Hunter Mountain/Kaatskill Mountain Club in the Catskills.


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## Space Coast Laurie (Jan 30, 2015)

tashamen said:


> I'm glad you did - I had forgotten about this thread!  I'm going to a conference in Denver in May and am now planning to add a few days in Boulder so that I can do brewery visits in both Denver and Boulder.  Looks like there are lots of choices.



Oh, my... YES!!!  We did almost two weeks in that area last spring, and it was marvelous!  If you have a little extra time, Trinity Brewing in Colorado Springs is also worth the drive down (don't try to do it during the after-work rush hour, though... the traffic is a bear at that time).  It's a tiny little gourmet brew pub with delicious and innovative food, and their sour beers are quite amazing.


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## falmouth3 (Jan 30, 2015)

I wish some of these festivals could work out a system for non-drinkers to accompany the beer lover.  There are so many opportunities that my husband would enjoy, but after 1/2 beer, and I'm done.  He refuses to go without me and he's too cheap to pay for me if I'm not drinking.


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## Space Coast Laurie (Jan 30, 2015)

*Beer agenda so far this year*

_> I am heading to TAP-NY at the end of April.  _

Well, that looks pretty amazing, too!  Enjoy!

On our short-term agenda...

My husband and I are serving a few of our meads at the Cajun Cafe on the Bayou (Pinellas Park, FL) First Annual Cider & Mead Festival this weekend.  We'll also be serving our own beers at the Cajun Cafe for their Festival of Florida Beers at the beginning of April, their Sour, Berliner Weisse and Lambic Fest in May, and their 10th Annual Fall Craft Beer Festival in November.  Can you tell that the owner of this place is a true craft beer aficionado???  

We are also attending the 14th Annual Dunedin (FL) Stogies & Stout Festival at the end of February, and then the Cigar City Hunahpu's Day Fest in Tampa in March.

I'm heading out to California mid-February and my youngest daughter and I are doing to take a drive up the coast from San Clemente to the Big Sur area and back.  Will probably hit 3-4 breweries during our travels and pop inland for a bit to visit The Bruery, but it's not going to be a seriously beer-centric trip.... this one's more for the scenery and just hanging out together.  Then, in September, hubby and I will be back in California a bit further north for the trip I mentioned earlier.

BTW, a beer blogger friend posted this article on FB this morning regarding the growth of craft beer in Florida.  It's booming!  Not all produce great beer of course, but there are some real gems, and you have those who are great and those who are not so great in any industry.  Eventually, those who are towards the bottom will go away if they don't improve.  If any of you craft beer lovers head to the Tampa Bay area and want to make some of the rounds with a couple of locals, message me!


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## Space Coast Laurie (Jan 30, 2015)

falmouth3 said:


> I wish some of these festivals could work out a system for non-drinkers to accompany the beer lover.  There are so many opportunities that my husband would enjoy, but after 1/2 beer, and I'm done.  He refuses to go without me and he's too cheap to pay for me if I'm not drinking.



Though some don't, a number of the Florida festivals have a DD option.


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## Bailey#1 (Jan 30, 2015)

Laurie, Vermont has some of the top craft beers. If you want to escape the summer heat in Florida, I would check them out! I tasted alot of the craft breweries in the state. My favorite is the Foley Brothers double hops IPA. It is called Fair Maiden made in Brandon Vermont. Amazing flavor with a very pleasant back note!


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## talkamotta (Jan 30, 2015)

We havent gone on a beer tour but we do have our favorites when we travel. 

Big Island, HI   Kona Brewery.  Longboard and Wailea Wheat are great and I have always loved thier food. 

Portland Maine -  They have the only Pumkin Beer that I have ever liked and I love thiers.  You can get that in other places like Florida during October.  Its the only beer I have put in my suitcase to take home.  (I live in Utah and no shipping alcohol to that state. )

Rockland Maine has a little brewery called Rock Harbor.  Thier food is very good.  Jeff ordered a Guiness and the owner asked him to try his personal beer Suchi after the Olympics.  Jeff isnt much of a beer drinker he likes mixed drinks but we bought a growler to go and came back for a refill.  If you stay in Samoset thats pretty close.


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## Passepartout (Jan 30, 2015)

This discussion makes me feel like such a neophyte. I likes me brews as much, maybe more, than the next guy. But I don't remember specifically planning a trip further than my local brew pubs to wet my whistle. Occasionally- like if there's a good game scheduled, a growler of IPA will find it's way into the fridge.

This  'beer travel' thing bears looking into.

Jim


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## Space Coast Laurie (Jan 30, 2015)

Bailey#1 said:


> Laurie, Vermont has some of the top craft beers. If you want to escape the summer heat in Florida, I would check them out! I tasted alot of the craft breweries in the state. My favorite is the Foley Brothers double hops IPA. It is called Fair Maiden made in Brandon Vermont. Amazing flavor with a very pleasant back note!



Vermont has more breweries per capita than any other state.  I haven't been there in more than 20 years... quite a while became a craft beer fan.  Not sure when I'll get there, but going up there for a bit of beer tourism is on my bucket list.


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## tante (Jan 30, 2015)

cubigbird said:


> My wife and I are craft beer fans.  Living in Colorado gives us lots of choices.  SVO timeshares here are also near quite a few craft beer breweries in the mountains.



+1

Colrado is great because you can snowboard/ski and then grab a great beer.


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## bluehende (Jan 31, 2015)

*Info*

I never vacation just for beer.  There are too many options everywhere to worry about not having a good brewery to try.  Your best resource is beer advocate.  They have ratings for places (breweries, bars, and stores) as well as ratings for individual beers.  Everywhere we go I check out the local best spots and have always had a few places to go.  My wife does not drink beer but gives me an hour or so to try new beers.  I am an avid beer advocate and home brewer so enjoy my suds.


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## wayknow (Mar 3, 2015)

When in Fairbanks Alaska be sure to stop in for a pint at HooDoo Brewery.  A three vessel system brewing craft beer the old fashioned German way.


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## Tahiya (Mar 7, 2015)

*Bend Oregon for microbrews and timeshares*

Bend Oregon is a lovely all-season town with a lot to do and great microbrews.  Nearby timeshares include Mt Bachelor Village, 7th Mtn Resort, Eagle Crest, and the timeshares at Sun River.  We live in Portland, which as others have mentioned has good brews.  The closest timeshare, Whispering Woods, is about an hour away in Welches.


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## CubaTravelExpert (Aug 7, 2015)

*Great idea for a post = brings a refreshing view to travel*

We've often thought of doing a Chech trip for the beer though frankly, with nod to all previous posters/posts in the thread, there are so many great places here in the US. 
Having a cold beer and meeting locals makes travel all the more fun and memorable!
Cheers,


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## Space Coast Laurie (Aug 26, 2015)

My younger daughter is now a travel blogger http://forgetsomeday.com.  On her website, under *Features*, then *Try Local Food*, she has several beer-centric articles, including one on drinking beer in the Czech Republic, titled "First Timers Guide to Drinking Beer in Prague."  Just in case you decide to head over that way someday.  Of course, she'd say "Forget someday... go now!"


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## PaddyMac (Sep 4, 2015)

I am a home brewer, 6 years now and best friend which we started together is an assistant brewer in our hometown. We have always travelled and searched out craft wherever we go.

That being said we are going next July to Belgium for the ultimate Beer Mecca trip for out 20 wedding anniversary, yes our wives are coming. 12 days of glorious bliss. Plans to hit Flanders for sours, saisons, and farmhouse ales, as well as Ghent, Bruge, Brussels for every brewpub we can find. Not to mention the holy of all holies, Westvleteren.

We are literally bringing an extra suit case just for beer to return. Their is a Trappist and trenches tour we will be doing that looks amazing. 

Best yet our hotel stay is on points thanks to TS and SVN, SPG etc.

To the poster that put up the west coast itinerary it looks like I have our 25 anniversary trip planned. Thanks so much. 

FYI, if you go to Michigan, take half a day and hop over to Windsor, Canada to Walkerville Brewery, recently reopened but original to the area since the 1880s. Henry Ford is said to be an original investor. It's in an original Ford warehouse from the time period. Great historical vibe and amazing beer. 

If you do, let me know, home few and craft brew go great together.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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