We just stopped for a bathroom break and gas in Wyoming, and I must say there isn’t a whole lot of anything here. Aside from a few gas stations, the state is very open with a bit of hills and mountains, but our trek ahead looks a bit flatter. The last town we stopped in had a whopping 261 residents, the largest city in a hundred miles in any direction. How 261 people can live in that town baffles me. What jobs are around the area? Just a thought but let me fill you in on my favorite brewery trip and day, up until yesterday. Yesterday’s Colorado’s Brewers Festival was a blast but you’ll have to wait for me to catch up in my blogging to read stories about our drunken escapades. Without further ado, here’s what we did on day five.
We woke up and checked out of our hotel in Ann Arbor. After a bit of driving through Michigan, we made a stop for some five dollar footlongs at Subway. Our first stop of the brought us to Bell’s Brewery. I really liked the beer and atmosphere here. We all made our own personalized six beer sampler. Having tried a few different beers (both the Oberon and Two-hearted), I tried six beers that were all new to me. I must say that they were all great. Everyone else really enjoyed the Oberon and Two-hearted. After sampling a few beers, we made our way to the gift shop and home brewing store.
One of the employees, Trevor gave a great tour of the home brewing and gift shop at Bell’s. He does a lot of home brewing and also gave me some great advice. The best of which is, “Sanitation, sanitation, sanitation, sanitation, and sanitation.” I have the tour on video and will figure out how to get it online. He also told us that our Beercation would not be complete without a stop to The Livery. He said to ask for Steve, the owner and head brewer. But before making a memorable stop at the Livery, we took a brief detour to the Old Peninsula in town.
We left Bell’s and made a quick drive over to Old Peninsula and immediately ordered a sampler of all the beers on tap. I was able to talk in depth with the head brewer about this brewery, his roll, and where the company has come since he began working there. He started as a home brewer in the nineties and began a home brewing club in the area. He let me tour the facility while we chatted and also gave me some advice about home brewing. He said don’t get into it to make money, do it for yourself and to enjoy doing it. He also recommended joining a home brew club. For him, the home brew club helps him stay up to date on new sometimes revolutionary techniques that he can use to improve his brewing on a larger scale.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Day 4 Part 2
Updated Day 4
I’m including this paragraph again because the last sentence does not do justice to the neighborhood this barbeque joint was in. Ben had been texting his last boss of an art gallery in New York about our Beercation and mentioned being in Michigan. She let Ben know that there is a great BBQ restaurant with some great beers on tap. We spent quite some time trying to find this restaurant. While our GPS knew the fastest way to get there, it seemed like all the large roads and interstates in city of Detroit were under construction. About thirty minutes of driving through a fairly deserted and rundown area, we arrived at Slow’s BBQ. Apparently this place is in an up and coming neighborhood where a lot of hipsters live. Right up the street is the Depot where a lot of homeless people and squatters live. The entire back road trip into this place was full of deserted houses and homeless people out barbequing their own creations. We found out later that night that there was a big firework show that night and might have explained why so many people were out and about throughout the city. Or it might have been the fact that Detroit has a ton of homeless people. After a very satisfying meal and a Annilator beer from Southern Tier at Slow’s we left the city of Detroit for Ann Arbor, Michigan to find a place to stay and sample more good local beers.
We arrived in Ann arbor and check into a Motel 6 a bit outside of town, relaxed for a bit and turned on the college world series game. At this point, Ben is extremely jetlagged and tired and decides that he won’t come out drinking with us. Matt’s sister and my cousin Mary has a boyfriend who attended University of Michigan. So we get a few recommendations of where to head out to in town. After making a selection, we head into town to Arbor Brewing. It’s a pretty muggy night, but we decide to sit outside and get a sampler. We talk to our server about the brewery and beers on tap. After a bit of a discussion, we get to business to order an nine or ten sampler. We all agree that the beer is a bit warm and lacks carbonation at least for our taste. But overall the quality of the beer is pretty good. We finish up our samples and head back to the hotel to get some sleep. While I had a great time in Ann Arbor, day five was one of my favorite days, thus far of the trip. At the moment, we’re driving through Colorado on our way to California. I’ll have some time to write more about the past few days during the drive, but I’m very full for a great burrito from Big City Burrito in Fort Collins. I feel like I’m going to have a food coma, so a nap seems like a good idea to settle my full belly.
I’m including this paragraph again because the last sentence does not do justice to the neighborhood this barbeque joint was in. Ben had been texting his last boss of an art gallery in New York about our Beercation and mentioned being in Michigan. She let Ben know that there is a great BBQ restaurant with some great beers on tap. We spent quite some time trying to find this restaurant. While our GPS knew the fastest way to get there, it seemed like all the large roads and interstates in city of Detroit were under construction. About thirty minutes of driving through a fairly deserted and rundown area, we arrived at Slow’s BBQ. Apparently this place is in an up and coming neighborhood where a lot of hipsters live. Right up the street is the Depot where a lot of homeless people and squatters live. The entire back road trip into this place was full of deserted houses and homeless people out barbequing their own creations. We found out later that night that there was a big firework show that night and might have explained why so many people were out and about throughout the city. Or it might have been the fact that Detroit has a ton of homeless people. After a very satisfying meal and a Annilator beer from Southern Tier at Slow’s we left the city of Detroit for Ann Arbor, Michigan to find a place to stay and sample more good local beers.
We arrived in Ann arbor and check into a Motel 6 a bit outside of town, relaxed for a bit and turned on the college world series game. At this point, Ben is extremely jetlagged and tired and decides that he won’t come out drinking with us. Matt’s sister and my cousin Mary has a boyfriend who attended University of Michigan. So we get a few recommendations of where to head out to in town. After making a selection, we head into town to Arbor Brewing. It’s a pretty muggy night, but we decide to sit outside and get a sampler. We talk to our server about the brewery and beers on tap. After a bit of a discussion, we get to business to order an nine or ten sampler. We all agree that the beer is a bit warm and lacks carbonation at least for our taste. But overall the quality of the beer is pretty good. We finish up our samples and head back to the hotel to get some sleep. While I had a great time in Ann Arbor, day five was one of my favorite days, thus far of the trip. At the moment, we’re driving through Colorado on our way to California. I’ll have some time to write more about the past few days during the drive, but I’m very full for a great burrito from Big City Burrito in Fort Collins. I feel like I’m going to have a food coma, so a nap seems like a good idea to settle my full belly.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Day 4 (Part 1)
We’re stopping for a quick bite to eat at Sonic’s just outside Des Moines, maybe Urbandale. And I am going to write about our fourth day of the journey. We woke up in the morning and drove to Niagara Falls and stopped for a couple of minutes to take some pictures and videos of the falls. We weren’t able to see the falls from the Canadian side because a few of our passports were expired. That was a bit disappointed considering that I’ve heard the Canadian side is a better view. Anyway, I was still very impressed with the enormous size and beauty of the falls. After taking a quick tourist stop, we decided to get some grub at a Quarter Steak and Lube. We each got the buffet which consisted of plates full of wings and riblets. After getting some food into our stomachs we were eager and ready to wash it down with some beers.
We found out that there was a local brewery in town where we stopped for lunch and set off to find it using Matt’s GPS. We punched in the address and turned off the main drag when the GPS began demanding that we turn right. Confused, Matt turned into a gas station and the GPS recalculated where we were suppose to go. He turned back onto the road we originally turned onto and keeps heading the same direction. At this point the GPS begins barking out, “When possible make a U-turn.” Matt makes one a few hundred yards up and looks at the GPS to see where the heck this brewery is. The GPS tells him, “Turn right.” So we end up in a cul-de-sac which confuses us even more. The end point is a bit to our left as we begin to turn around in this cul-de-sac and look for the street that this brewery is on. At this point, Matt stops and starts looking at the street names in the area on the GPS and trying to figure out where we are and where the GPS thinks we are. After a few minutes, we take a right a few yards before the last street we were on and find the brewery at the bottom of the hill. As we pull into the brewery, the GPS recalculates how to arrive at our destination. It begins talking again, “Turn left, then right, turn left.” At this point we’re laughing in the parking lot of Erie Brewing Company.
We walk into the small facility and find out that it’s not going to be possible to try any of the beers on tap because the brew tubing and tap system needs to be cleaned out. We tell the girl about our Beercation and convince her to let us try a couple of the beers that this brewery brews. A few samples later, we are ready to make the drive to Cleveland to visit Great Lakes Brewing Company. Thus far, this brewery has been one of my favorite stops along the way.
We arrive and find some parking a few blocks over from the brew pub. Walking up to the brew pub is are a few outside tables with people enjoying the extremely mugging weather. I think the temperature was around ninety degrees and by shirt was definitely sticking to my back as we entered into the gift shop. I ask if it’s okay to film a bit of the inside and told that the marketing and pub manager will stop by and speak with me. After we sit down at the bar and order a sampler of the beers on tap, the marketing manager stops by to speak with me. We tell her about our trip and how we are documenting via blog and video along the way. She lets me know that it won’t be a problem and tells me to speak with the restaurant manager and one of the bartenders. I have a great interview with the manager who was very sincere in explaining about the origins of the brewery, some of the legendary stories, and also about the beer. I’ll also try to get this online at the end of our trip. It’s a great interview, but I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to the audio. I’ll check that tomorrow when we are at our hotel. But the next interview I had was also a great one.
A bartender who has been working at the bar for fifteen years answers some more questions about how he came to the states, what’s it’s been like working at Great Lakes Brewing Company, and some of the stories he can share from years past. One night, half of the band Led Zeppelin came in and got drunk in the local fashion with Steve. As Steve recalls it was a great time that lasted well into the early hours of the morning. I thought partying with my friends in college led to a great times and great stories. While I had some great nights drinking, I think Steve’s night with Led Zeppelin tops any night of me partying in college. After talking to some interesting people at Great Lakes Brewing Company, we decided to push our driving to Ann Arbor and spend a night in the college town of University of Michigan. But Detroit is somewhat on the way, so we made a slight detour.
Ben had been texting his last boss of an art gallery in New York about our Beercation and mentioned being in Michigan. She let Ben know that there is a great BBQ restaurant with some great beers on tap. We spent quite some time trying to find this restaurant. While our GPS knew the fastest way to get there, it seemed like all the large roads and interstates in city of Detroit were under construction. About thirty minutes of driving through a familiar deserted and rundown area, we arrived at Slow’s BBQ. Apparently this place is in an up and coming neighborhood where a lot of hipsters live. If you don't know what a
hipster is, click the link shown.
It's the morning of day eight and we had a long drive from Wisconsin to Fort Collins, Colorado. We made it here and grabbed a bite to eat at Waffle House around 5:00 am this morning. Today we have the Colorado Brewer's Festival, which we are all looking forward to. We were able to get to the hotel that we are planning on staying at tonight and were able to sleep in the room we are staying in tonight for no extra cost. So we got the best nap of the trip in from about 5:45 am this morning to about 9:30 mountain time. I'm about to hop in the shower and get this day going. Hopefully I'll get a chance to finish to update the blog and hammer out a few more days of writing later today. Of course it will be after the beer festival, which lasts from 11:00 am mountain time til 6:00 pm. But seeing as I'm a bit smelly, it's time for a refreshing shower. Unfortunately, we didn't chill any beer this morning on the fridge in the hotel room. So a beer shower is out of the question. But I'm a happy camper just being able to get myself clean again.
We found out that there was a local brewery in town where we stopped for lunch and set off to find it using Matt’s GPS. We punched in the address and turned off the main drag when the GPS began demanding that we turn right. Confused, Matt turned into a gas station and the GPS recalculated where we were suppose to go. He turned back onto the road we originally turned onto and keeps heading the same direction. At this point the GPS begins barking out, “When possible make a U-turn.” Matt makes one a few hundred yards up and looks at the GPS to see where the heck this brewery is. The GPS tells him, “Turn right.” So we end up in a cul-de-sac which confuses us even more. The end point is a bit to our left as we begin to turn around in this cul-de-sac and look for the street that this brewery is on. At this point, Matt stops and starts looking at the street names in the area on the GPS and trying to figure out where we are and where the GPS thinks we are. After a few minutes, we take a right a few yards before the last street we were on and find the brewery at the bottom of the hill. As we pull into the brewery, the GPS recalculates how to arrive at our destination. It begins talking again, “Turn left, then right, turn left.” At this point we’re laughing in the parking lot of Erie Brewing Company.
We walk into the small facility and find out that it’s not going to be possible to try any of the beers on tap because the brew tubing and tap system needs to be cleaned out. We tell the girl about our Beercation and convince her to let us try a couple of the beers that this brewery brews. A few samples later, we are ready to make the drive to Cleveland to visit Great Lakes Brewing Company. Thus far, this brewery has been one of my favorite stops along the way.
We arrive and find some parking a few blocks over from the brew pub. Walking up to the brew pub is are a few outside tables with people enjoying the extremely mugging weather. I think the temperature was around ninety degrees and by shirt was definitely sticking to my back as we entered into the gift shop. I ask if it’s okay to film a bit of the inside and told that the marketing and pub manager will stop by and speak with me. After we sit down at the bar and order a sampler of the beers on tap, the marketing manager stops by to speak with me. We tell her about our trip and how we are documenting via blog and video along the way. She lets me know that it won’t be a problem and tells me to speak with the restaurant manager and one of the bartenders. I have a great interview with the manager who was very sincere in explaining about the origins of the brewery, some of the legendary stories, and also about the beer. I’ll also try to get this online at the end of our trip. It’s a great interview, but I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to the audio. I’ll check that tomorrow when we are at our hotel. But the next interview I had was also a great one.
A bartender who has been working at the bar for fifteen years answers some more questions about how he came to the states, what’s it’s been like working at Great Lakes Brewing Company, and some of the stories he can share from years past. One night, half of the band Led Zeppelin came in and got drunk in the local fashion with Steve. As Steve recalls it was a great time that lasted well into the early hours of the morning. I thought partying with my friends in college led to a great times and great stories. While I had some great nights drinking, I think Steve’s night with Led Zeppelin tops any night of me partying in college. After talking to some interesting people at Great Lakes Brewing Company, we decided to push our driving to Ann Arbor and spend a night in the college town of University of Michigan. But Detroit is somewhat on the way, so we made a slight detour.
Ben had been texting his last boss of an art gallery in New York about our Beercation and mentioned being in Michigan. She let Ben know that there is a great BBQ restaurant with some great beers on tap. We spent quite some time trying to find this restaurant. While our GPS knew the fastest way to get there, it seemed like all the large roads and interstates in city of Detroit were under construction. About thirty minutes of driving through a familiar deserted and rundown area, we arrived at Slow’s BBQ. Apparently this place is in an up and coming neighborhood where a lot of hipsters live. If you don't know what a
hipster is, click the link shown.
It's the morning of day eight and we had a long drive from Wisconsin to Fort Collins, Colorado. We made it here and grabbed a bite to eat at Waffle House around 5:00 am this morning. Today we have the Colorado Brewer's Festival, which we are all looking forward to. We were able to get to the hotel that we are planning on staying at tonight and were able to sleep in the room we are staying in tonight for no extra cost. So we got the best nap of the trip in from about 5:45 am this morning to about 9:30 mountain time. I'm about to hop in the shower and get this day going. Hopefully I'll get a chance to finish to update the blog and hammer out a few more days of writing later today. Of course it will be after the beer festival, which lasts from 11:00 am mountain time til 6:00 pm. But seeing as I'm a bit smelly, it's time for a refreshing shower. Unfortunately, we didn't chill any beer this morning on the fridge in the hotel room. So a beer shower is out of the question. But I'm a happy camper just being able to get myself clean again.
Updated Day 3
We just left the rest stop and are on the road again, probably hour or so hours outside of Omaha, Nebraska and about eleven hours outside of our hotel in Fort Collins, Colorado. But I’m going to jump back into day three again. After a brief stop for some samples and six packs to add to our collection of beer in the trunk of Matt’s Honda Accord, we were off on the road again. This time we were headed to Middle Ages in Syracuse, New York. Because of our stop at Cooperstown Brewery we were pushing it close to 6:00 pm closing. We arrive there at 5:50 pm, just in time for one sample. We walk around the gift store and talk to an employee and a few visitors. One of the people in there is the mailman who sells his own beef jerky. I’m not going to lie, beef jerky and beer are two of my favorite things in the world. Women being another one (love you mom). Anyway, it’s closing time for the tasting room at Middle Ages. We decide that since none of us have tried the beer that another six pack is a good idea to throw in the trunk. We take off from Middle Ages, and the rest of our night is pretty uneventful.
We continue on the trip and end up in a hotel in Buffalo, New York. Ben is exhausted and extremely jet lagged so we decide that going out in Buffalo is not in our best interest. Instead we decide to share a couple of growlers of beer that we have picked up along the way. Side note: Growlers are a 64 ounce glass bottle usually with a small handle and topped off with a metal cap. The glass can be a variety of colors but brown growlers are preferable because beer in brown glass does not spoil as quickly as beer in clear glass. Anyhow, we order in some food from Domino’s and drink in the classiest fashion that we know, clear plastic cups. We settle sleeping arrangements and call it an early night.
We continue on the trip and end up in a hotel in Buffalo, New York. Ben is exhausted and extremely jet lagged so we decide that going out in Buffalo is not in our best interest. Instead we decide to share a couple of growlers of beer that we have picked up along the way. Side note: Growlers are a 64 ounce glass bottle usually with a small handle and topped off with a metal cap. The glass can be a variety of colors but brown growlers are preferable because beer in brown glass does not spoil as quickly as beer in clear glass. Anyhow, we order in some food from Domino’s and drink in the classiest fashion that we know, clear plastic cups. We settle sleeping arrangements and call it an early night.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Day 3
Day 3
It’s a few minutes after 2:00 pm on the seventh day of our trip and I slowing falling behind blogging. We just left New Glarus Brewing Company, by far the largest brewery we’ve stopped at. But as this is day three’s post, I’ll rewind back a few days. After a good night of drunk sleep on day two, we wake up and drive to Ommegang Brewery. Coming into the brewery was quite a spectacle. You enter under a large arch with the name of the brewery and drive straight through a split in the brewery before parking along the backside of the brewery. After parking, we jump out of the car eager to get our drink on.
I make a quick pit stop in the bathroom and meet Matt, Ben, and Andrew in the tasting room. As I arrive there, the three of them are already a few samples ahead of me. So I do my best to catch up and sample beers quickly. I sample quite a few beers including the three philosophers, Wit Beer, Chocolate Raspberry, and the Lambic. I take some great video of the tasting room and gift shop at Ommegang. I also had a stirring revelation about one of the beers offered in the tasting room.
Before visiting Ommegang, I thought that I hadn’t tried any of the beers, but now I stand corrected. I saw a bottle of Fin de Mar I picked up a bottle of this same beer at a local liquor establishment back home near Chicago. I make the connection that I had tried some of the beers from this brewery until the dazzling and a bit trippy artwork on the Fin de Mar jumped out at me. On our initial drive into Ommegang, we saw a sign for a brewery in Coopertown. While walking to the car, we decide that yet another unscheduled brewery can only make the trip better.
Ben uses his Iphone to look up the address for the brewery, and Matt punches the address into his GPS. On a quick side note, Matt’s GPS has been an essential on this trip across the United States. But it did lead us into quite a frustrating drive trying to get to Erie Brewing company. But you’ll have to read the day four post to figure out what happened to us. To get back on track, we type in the address and begin driving from Ommegang to Cooperstown brewery. The estimated time of arrival is four minutes so we presume that the brewery is just up the road. A couple of miles later, we arrive at the brewery which is much smaller in comparison to Ommegang. Matt notices and points out a still from the last century. We enter into the brewery, which consists of a small gift shop which doubles as a tasting room and the brewing facility. The head brewer is very open and lets me record our tasting and some questions.
We discover that the brewery sells locally and in a few places in the state of New York. While the beer is sold only locally in the United States, the beer is heavily distributed into Japan. We continue sampling and all agree that the Pride of Milford is our favorite beer. We all throw in for a communal six pack of the Pride of Milford. Ben enjoys it so much that he picks up another six pack for his neighbor back in Texas. Personally, my favorite part about the Cooperstown brewery is the bathroom. I know that sounds kind of weird but let me explain.
The inside of the bathroom is lined with beer bottles, mostly the traditional twelve ounce ones. But there are a few larger twenty-two ounce bottles. Immediately, I recognize a few beers but many of the bottles are not familiar to me. I took a pretty good video of the bathroom and bottle collection that lines the wall, so I’ll try and put that online sometime at the end of Beercation. We just pulled off at a rest stop in Iowa, so I’m going to put up what I have been writing about day three and finish the rest with a second posting. But don’t worry, I’m going to knock out another day or two in writing today. I just found out that this blog is 6th on google searching Beercation. We're moving up in life.
It’s a few minutes after 2:00 pm on the seventh day of our trip and I slowing falling behind blogging. We just left New Glarus Brewing Company, by far the largest brewery we’ve stopped at. But as this is day three’s post, I’ll rewind back a few days. After a good night of drunk sleep on day two, we wake up and drive to Ommegang Brewery. Coming into the brewery was quite a spectacle. You enter under a large arch with the name of the brewery and drive straight through a split in the brewery before parking along the backside of the brewery. After parking, we jump out of the car eager to get our drink on.
I make a quick pit stop in the bathroom and meet Matt, Ben, and Andrew in the tasting room. As I arrive there, the three of them are already a few samples ahead of me. So I do my best to catch up and sample beers quickly. I sample quite a few beers including the three philosophers, Wit Beer, Chocolate Raspberry, and the Lambic. I take some great video of the tasting room and gift shop at Ommegang. I also had a stirring revelation about one of the beers offered in the tasting room.
Before visiting Ommegang, I thought that I hadn’t tried any of the beers, but now I stand corrected. I saw a bottle of Fin de Mar I picked up a bottle of this same beer at a local liquor establishment back home near Chicago. I make the connection that I had tried some of the beers from this brewery until the dazzling and a bit trippy artwork on the Fin de Mar jumped out at me. On our initial drive into Ommegang, we saw a sign for a brewery in Coopertown. While walking to the car, we decide that yet another unscheduled brewery can only make the trip better.
Ben uses his Iphone to look up the address for the brewery, and Matt punches the address into his GPS. On a quick side note, Matt’s GPS has been an essential on this trip across the United States. But it did lead us into quite a frustrating drive trying to get to Erie Brewing company. But you’ll have to read the day four post to figure out what happened to us. To get back on track, we type in the address and begin driving from Ommegang to Cooperstown brewery. The estimated time of arrival is four minutes so we presume that the brewery is just up the road. A couple of miles later, we arrive at the brewery which is much smaller in comparison to Ommegang. Matt notices and points out a still from the last century. We enter into the brewery, which consists of a small gift shop which doubles as a tasting room and the brewing facility. The head brewer is very open and lets me record our tasting and some questions.
We discover that the brewery sells locally and in a few places in the state of New York. While the beer is sold only locally in the United States, the beer is heavily distributed into Japan. We continue sampling and all agree that the Pride of Milford is our favorite beer. We all throw in for a communal six pack of the Pride of Milford. Ben enjoys it so much that he picks up another six pack for his neighbor back in Texas. Personally, my favorite part about the Cooperstown brewery is the bathroom. I know that sounds kind of weird but let me explain.
The inside of the bathroom is lined with beer bottles, mostly the traditional twelve ounce ones. But there are a few larger twenty-two ounce bottles. Immediately, I recognize a few beers but many of the bottles are not familiar to me. I took a pretty good video of the bathroom and bottle collection that lines the wall, so I’ll try and put that online sometime at the end of Beercation. We just pulled off at a rest stop in Iowa, so I’m going to put up what I have been writing about day three and finish the rest with a second posting. But don’t worry, I’m going to knock out another day or two in writing today. I just found out that this blog is 6th on google searching Beercation. We're moving up in life.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Beercation Day 2
It’s the morning of day five and we just woke up and check out of our hotel. We stayed in Ann Arbor and are heading to Kalamazoo, Michigan to visit Kalamazoo Brewing. But before I keep writing about today, I need rewind back to day two of this epic adventure. That morning we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel. Then we headed from Burlington, Vermont to Harpoon brewery in Windsor, Vermont. There we sampled a couple of the beers and sat outside and enjoy the pints that we ended up liking. I had the 100 barrel series beer and a summer beer that was on tap. But I also had the privilege of trying the Leviathan series (all above 9% ABV). While sitting outside enjoying our refreshments, we met a new friend Art. I spotted him chilling in the grass a few chairs behind where we were sitting. We were all thinking that it was quite odd that there would be a turtle near a brewery since we were unaware of any nearby water sources. I was able to take a few pictures and videos while at Harpoon, of the brewery and our newly found friend. We also discovered that if you visit four Vermont breweries you were eligible for a free bottle opener. So we began our hunt for more breweries in Vermont.
We had already mapped out a rough itinerary for the day, stopping at a few breweries and brew/pubs. But along the way we found a few more because of a newly acquired map and recommendations from people we met along the way. Our next stop of the day was Walver/Otter Creek in Middlebury, Vermont. Here we sampled all the beers that they had on tap, spoke to the marketing director and were even able to try allegedly the bitterest beer. At a laboratory tested 135 IBU’s, it was by far the most bitter beer that I have ever tasted. The company is also allegedly in the works of contacting Guinness Book of World Records to make the claim as the world’s bitterest beer. Out of all the beers I sampled, I was quite partial to both the Imperial stout and Heller’s Ale. The marketing director that we were conversing with mentioned that the head brewer of their operation had switched places with another brewery at a brewery across town a few years back. Needless to say, we added yet another stop in our fact finding quest.
We arrived at Bobcat and talked to the bartender there for a while. After a brief initial discussion we decided to get the sampler of the beers on tap. Nine beer samples didn’t seem like a big deal but at the end of the tasting, we were all feeling a bit full. I also shot some pretty good video inside Bobcat of the different beers that we tried and maybe a conversation with the bartender (don’t quite remember). The more driving and drinking (safe of course), the more the days seem to blur into one another. Yesterday we were at lunch and had not begun any fact finding for Beercation but were unable to name the day of the week without looking at a cell phone. Sorry to get off track. Anyway, after finishing up at Bobcat, we were off to visit Magic Hat. At this point, we were about to earn a free bottle opener and were contemplating whether ten Vermont brewery visits for a free shirt was a possibility or just a far-fetched dream.
We arrive at Magic and walk around the store, which I am digging immediately. The store is a lightly lit warehouse style tasting room with a store selling everything from pint glasses to apparel. The brewery has quite a few beers on tap so obviously we sample them all. During our first few samples, we ask our bartender what his favorite beer is, he won’t tell us. I’m definitely enjoying all of the samples of beer that we are trying and also taking some video, but I must say that the suspense is killing me. So I get the attention of another bartender and ask her what her favorite beer is and she immediately responds that she enjoys the Magic Hat #9. About half way through our tasting we realize that we can get our fourth stamp here and earn the coveted right to a free beer bottle opener, great success (think Borat). At the end of our tasting (high five), our first bartender reveals his favorite beer the brown ale. My cousin Matt and I agree that is also our favorite, good stuff (really though, no Borat). So we have a free bottle opener, via mail-in-form to Vermont and are extremely feeling adventurous.
We get back to our hotel in Burlington and leg it over to the breweries and brew/pubs in downtown Burlington. Our first stop brings us to the Burlington Hearth. We enjoy a beer in the bar are here and get our stamp for our Vermont passport. A few girls (5 or 6) waiting for a table in the restaurant approach Andrew and start a conversation. Ben also talks to a few of the girls who approached Andrew. But I’m sitting too far away from the bar, next to Matt who is closer to these girls, to hear the ensuing conversation. Somehow Matt jumps into the talk and begins talking to the girl who was originally talking with Andrew. She makes her way closer to Matt so that I am within earshot of the conversation. She asks Matt a few questions about what brings us to Vermont and the Burlington Hearth. Matt tells her a bit about our trip, with him starting out in Boston at the American Craft Brew Festival and heading from the east coast to the west coast on a Beercation. She perks up a bit to the fact that we are making a road trip across the US and turns more towards Matt as they continue to talk. At this point, I’m just overhearing the conversation when Matt begins with his own question, “So are you townies?” Surprisingly, she immediately ends the conversation with Matt and heads back to her friends to wait for a table with her friends. Matt and I both begin to crack up at the fact that calling a girl a townie is a degrading term. We later discover that these girls are underage and were probably trying to mooch free drinks and maybe a place to party later in the night. While this might have been a fun prospect (these girls were pretty cute), the fact that Matt ended a conversation telling girls that they were from around the area and getting the “cold-shoulder” is hilarious.
After our first beer at the Burlington, we headed over to the Vermont Pub for some food and brew. Everyone but me got something to eat, but I just wasn’t feeling eating anymore. Beer is filling. Since we all walked to the bar, we decided to try the sampler which was six beers, nothing compared to the nine at Bobcat. Nevertheless, it was a great sampler and I was completely full when I finished. After everyone finished eating, finishing sample packs, and pooping (a few of us did…no comment), we headed over to a local bar, the Red Square. I walk in very toasted and find my cousin Matt and ask him what he is drinking. Not a second later, my mom calls and I run outside to answer.
She begins to grill me with questions like a good mom should. I answer as best as I can, but she lets me know that she doesn’t appreciate the driver having a few samples at breweries we were visiting. To be honest, she should be concerned about her son and the road trip I’m on. Good form mom but we are being safe. Once I get off the phone, I hear some faint music in the background and ask the bartender what song is playing. She informs me that there is a live band playing outside and directs me where to walk to get there. I walk outside and find my cousin Matt chilling, listening to the live band at Red Square. I’m usually not a big fan of random live bands at bars but Sour Boy played some great covers of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaugn, 311, Eric Clapton, and The Who. While this band had a great guitar player, the rest of the band was easily replaceable. And the band lacked a solid singer. The covers and original songs were good but just weren’t as good as they could have been. After requesting a few more songs and seeing the end of Sour Boys set at Red Square, we left for bigger and better beers.
From the Red Square, we headed back to Three Needs, a brewery which we visited the night before. There we had a Alt beer and and a Scottish Wee. After talking with the bartender for a while and apparently getting a picture, I scored a free drink. Before leaving Three Needs, I wished Monique (my apparent bartender of choice) a goodbye. At the end of our night I was close to not remembering the walk back since it was miserable walk. But 2.2 miles later, we made it home safe.
We had already mapped out a rough itinerary for the day, stopping at a few breweries and brew/pubs. But along the way we found a few more because of a newly acquired map and recommendations from people we met along the way. Our next stop of the day was Walver/Otter Creek in Middlebury, Vermont. Here we sampled all the beers that they had on tap, spoke to the marketing director and were even able to try allegedly the bitterest beer. At a laboratory tested 135 IBU’s, it was by far the most bitter beer that I have ever tasted. The company is also allegedly in the works of contacting Guinness Book of World Records to make the claim as the world’s bitterest beer. Out of all the beers I sampled, I was quite partial to both the Imperial stout and Heller’s Ale. The marketing director that we were conversing with mentioned that the head brewer of their operation had switched places with another brewery at a brewery across town a few years back. Needless to say, we added yet another stop in our fact finding quest.
We arrived at Bobcat and talked to the bartender there for a while. After a brief initial discussion we decided to get the sampler of the beers on tap. Nine beer samples didn’t seem like a big deal but at the end of the tasting, we were all feeling a bit full. I also shot some pretty good video inside Bobcat of the different beers that we tried and maybe a conversation with the bartender (don’t quite remember). The more driving and drinking (safe of course), the more the days seem to blur into one another. Yesterday we were at lunch and had not begun any fact finding for Beercation but were unable to name the day of the week without looking at a cell phone. Sorry to get off track. Anyway, after finishing up at Bobcat, we were off to visit Magic Hat. At this point, we were about to earn a free bottle opener and were contemplating whether ten Vermont brewery visits for a free shirt was a possibility or just a far-fetched dream.
We arrive at Magic and walk around the store, which I am digging immediately. The store is a lightly lit warehouse style tasting room with a store selling everything from pint glasses to apparel. The brewery has quite a few beers on tap so obviously we sample them all. During our first few samples, we ask our bartender what his favorite beer is, he won’t tell us. I’m definitely enjoying all of the samples of beer that we are trying and also taking some video, but I must say that the suspense is killing me. So I get the attention of another bartender and ask her what her favorite beer is and she immediately responds that she enjoys the Magic Hat #9. About half way through our tasting we realize that we can get our fourth stamp here and earn the coveted right to a free beer bottle opener, great success (think Borat). At the end of our tasting (high five), our first bartender reveals his favorite beer the brown ale. My cousin Matt and I agree that is also our favorite, good stuff (really though, no Borat). So we have a free bottle opener, via mail-in-form to Vermont and are extremely feeling adventurous.
We get back to our hotel in Burlington and leg it over to the breweries and brew/pubs in downtown Burlington. Our first stop brings us to the Burlington Hearth. We enjoy a beer in the bar are here and get our stamp for our Vermont passport. A few girls (5 or 6) waiting for a table in the restaurant approach Andrew and start a conversation. Ben also talks to a few of the girls who approached Andrew. But I’m sitting too far away from the bar, next to Matt who is closer to these girls, to hear the ensuing conversation. Somehow Matt jumps into the talk and begins talking to the girl who was originally talking with Andrew. She makes her way closer to Matt so that I am within earshot of the conversation. She asks Matt a few questions about what brings us to Vermont and the Burlington Hearth. Matt tells her a bit about our trip, with him starting out in Boston at the American Craft Brew Festival and heading from the east coast to the west coast on a Beercation. She perks up a bit to the fact that we are making a road trip across the US and turns more towards Matt as they continue to talk. At this point, I’m just overhearing the conversation when Matt begins with his own question, “So are you townies?” Surprisingly, she immediately ends the conversation with Matt and heads back to her friends to wait for a table with her friends. Matt and I both begin to crack up at the fact that calling a girl a townie is a degrading term. We later discover that these girls are underage and were probably trying to mooch free drinks and maybe a place to party later in the night. While this might have been a fun prospect (these girls were pretty cute), the fact that Matt ended a conversation telling girls that they were from around the area and getting the “cold-shoulder” is hilarious.
After our first beer at the Burlington, we headed over to the Vermont Pub for some food and brew. Everyone but me got something to eat, but I just wasn’t feeling eating anymore. Beer is filling. Since we all walked to the bar, we decided to try the sampler which was six beers, nothing compared to the nine at Bobcat. Nevertheless, it was a great sampler and I was completely full when I finished. After everyone finished eating, finishing sample packs, and pooping (a few of us did…no comment), we headed over to a local bar, the Red Square. I walk in very toasted and find my cousin Matt and ask him what he is drinking. Not a second later, my mom calls and I run outside to answer.
She begins to grill me with questions like a good mom should. I answer as best as I can, but she lets me know that she doesn’t appreciate the driver having a few samples at breweries we were visiting. To be honest, she should be concerned about her son and the road trip I’m on. Good form mom but we are being safe. Once I get off the phone, I hear some faint music in the background and ask the bartender what song is playing. She informs me that there is a live band playing outside and directs me where to walk to get there. I walk outside and find my cousin Matt chilling, listening to the live band at Red Square. I’m usually not a big fan of random live bands at bars but Sour Boy played some great covers of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaugn, 311, Eric Clapton, and The Who. While this band had a great guitar player, the rest of the band was easily replaceable. And the band lacked a solid singer. The covers and original songs were good but just weren’t as good as they could have been. After requesting a few more songs and seeing the end of Sour Boys set at Red Square, we left for bigger and better beers.
From the Red Square, we headed back to Three Needs, a brewery which we visited the night before. There we had a Alt beer and and a Scottish Wee. After talking with the bartender for a while and apparently getting a picture, I scored a free drink. Before leaving Three Needs, I wished Monique (my apparent bartender of choice) a goodbye. At the end of our night I was close to not remembering the walk back since it was miserable walk. But 2.2 miles later, we made it home safe.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Beercation End of Day 1
It’s the night of day four, and I’ve neglected to write much of anything despite the fact that our hotel had internet three days ago. After landing in Albany, Matt picked me up and we headed to Moe’s for a bite to eat. We stopped in at Starbucks to see whether or not they had free internet, which they didn’t. So we walked back to the car and noticed Maxie’s Bar and Grill, where we had originally intended to grab some food. So Matt and I enjoyed a Sam Adams Seasonal beer, before we headed out to pick up Andrew from the airport in Albany. Andrew situated his luggage in the truck and we headed to meet up with Matt’s friend Julia from school. We took interstate 7 north and the weather was unpredictable. For a few minutes the rain would pour and visibility would be terrible. A few minutes later the sun would sneak out from behind the clouds and create a clear, shining light in front of us. And surely enough the process seemed to repeat itself, intense rain for ten minutes and then a break the rain with a hint of sunlight, then back to big old droplets of rain. We finally finished the poor weather and made it up to Manchester, Vermont to meet up with Julia. For dinner, we ate at the Manchester Pub. We ordered a round of Switchback Ale and some burgers. Shortly after dinner, we said goodbye to Julia and picked up Ben from the airport in Burlington.
After jamming Ben’s huge package into the truck (literally this thing was massive but it needs to be when you live in Mongolia for 3 months), we checked into the Anchorage Inn. After settling into our room, we headed off to a local brewery, 3 Needs. We walked a bit more than two miles and tried a trio of their beers (Scottish Wee, ESB, and Alt). After a few beers we strolled two miles back to our hotel. Upon arriving to our hotel, Ben insisted on drinking and went to the front desk with Matt to see if there was a gas station open that would sell us some beer. After a one block walk to the Shell, Ben was adamantly told to, “get the fuck out of here.” Ben was solely bearing boxers, an undershirt but no shoes. I guess the shoes might have gotten him some service.
After jamming Ben’s huge package into the truck (literally this thing was massive but it needs to be when you live in Mongolia for 3 months), we checked into the Anchorage Inn. After settling into our room, we headed off to a local brewery, 3 Needs. We walked a bit more than two miles and tried a trio of their beers (Scottish Wee, ESB, and Alt). After a few beers we strolled two miles back to our hotel. Upon arriving to our hotel, Ben insisted on drinking and went to the front desk with Matt to see if there was a gas station open that would sell us some beer. After a one block walk to the Shell, Ben was adamantly told to, “get the fuck out of here.” Ben was solely bearing boxers, an undershirt but no shoes. I guess the shoes might have gotten him some service.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Beercation Part 1
I’m sitting listening to some music at the airport in Albany, New York. I talked to my cousin and dad once I landed. Obviously, I wished my dad a happy father’s day. And my cousin let me know that he’s about 2 hours away, driving through Massachusetts. So I should have the chance to finish watching the new Fast and Furious movie that I started on the plane. Thankfully this airport has free wi-fi, so I can check my email, update this blog, and mess around a bit on the internet. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find an outlet near a seat to charge my computer and camcorder, but I’ll make do with what I have now. I'm thinking about trying to find a place where I can grab an overpriced, macrobrewed beer (probably a Miller or Bud product). At Midway Airport in Chicago, I was surprised to see a couple of other beers on tap at the restaurants and bars in the airport. Two of the places had Heineken and a Seasonal Sam Adams on tap. Someone sitting a couple of chairs over from me just got up, so I think that I'm going to snatch their place and charge my computer.
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