With summer now in full swing after a year or so of being cooped up, you can be sure a lot of people are looking to hit the road for trips big and small.
Try booking something now and you’ve probably found places that have been reserved for months already, depending on your destination and length of stay.
But, before another mediocre hotel gouges your summer travel aspirations and you consider chucking your laptop off the balcony in exasperated defeat, take a deep breath, crack open a beer, and check out these beer-centric travel ideas.
If you reside in Central New York as I do, options for day trips abound. Most local beer lovers are familiar with Ommegang and the majestic farmhouse brewery outside of Cooperstown.
If it has been a while since your last visit you’ll want to explore the recent upgrades, including a larger, and covered outdoor seating area, with enough lawn games and green space to keep anyone occupied. Have a friend, parent, or kid that is being antisocial? Have some fun with them. When they least expect it, grab the pocket computer from the hypnotized acquaintance and see how far you can toss it. “Fetch Richard!” When you get back to tossing bean bags, cool down with Ommegang’s crisp, rustic, and refreshing Idyll Days Pilsner.
If you’re scouting for more of a weekend beer tour, Stowe, Vermont, offers a beautiful drive and a place where you can stay and play around Vermont’s highest peak. You can also be within an hour of a few of the best breweries in the east.
Know Your Craft: Weihenstephaner kellerbier — a lager above
Entertainment: Levitt AMP Utica Music Series boasts diverse lineup spanning genres with local, state acts
In Stowe itself, you have Von Trapp, The Alchemist, and Lost Nation a town over. But, Von Trapp’s lagers — start with a Helles if having a session — paired with their Austrian fare make the roughly four-hour trip a worthy venture alone. For the real devotees, Lawson’s and Hill Farmstead are all within a moderate drive’s reach with legendary beer-focused bars and restaurants located along the way. The Three Penny Taproom in Montpelier is an all-time favorite.
If it is a longer trip you seek, the coast of Maine and New Hampshire might present insurmountable lodging challenges this late in the game, but you could get lucky midweek. Portsmouth Brewery, where Smuttynose traces its origins, has great food to match the righteous beer offerings, and just north sits the epic beer town Portland. Whether at Allagash, Oxbox or another exceptional beer venue, throw in some of the east coast’s best seafood and you have an experience that can’t go wrong.
And remember, if you strike out with online hoteliers, you can always bring a tent, because after an Oxbow Farmhouse Ale at The Great Lost Bear what could be better than sitting around a campfire someplace off of Highway 1 for just one more.
This week's recommendation: Ommegang Idyll Days, an unfiltered Belgian-style pilsner brewed with Belgian yeast, and floor-malted Czech barley. 5% ABV. Cooperstown, New York.
Colin Hubbell is co-owner of the Green Onion Pub and The Beer Hub in South Utica.
June 22, 2021 at 03:47PM
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Know Your Craft: Not sure where to go for some summer fun? Follow the beer! - Utica Observer Dispatch
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