Beer-cations

We did the Denver Loop which included Colorado Springs, Boulder, Fort Collins & Denver. Also plenty of non-beer attractions.

 

You might want to figure out where your going and post in the section applicable. California, Michigan, Oregon, NY, UK, Belgium, Germany we done as semi beer-cations etc. To name a few.

 

Ah..I thought this was going to be a chemistry question.

 

i went on a beercation to portland last year. im from there originally but centered this trip on a few breweries and beer bars and had a wonderful time!

i live in san diego and swear every day is a beercation

 

Also did Portland myself a couple of years ago. Drove down from Edmonton, via Couer D'Alene ,Idaho and across through Spokane. Was in Portland for 5 days and it wasn't enough! Came home through Vancouver, BC for more good beer. A tiring but enjoyable trip.

 

Took a few beercations from Boston MA (where I use to live) to San Diego CA. Fell in love with SD. The people are amazing and the beer flows like water all around.
In November of 2009 I woke up one morning and said what are two things I love? Beer and burritos. I decided to move to SD. Packed the truck up with my wife and dog and drove over 3,000 miles to San Diego CA where I live now.

If I could go anywhere these days on a beercation it would be to Portland.

 

Last year I went to Colorado for GABF. But to be honest, I enjoyed the week leading up to the event more than the fest itself. We rented a car and visited all of the best spots in Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins, and Longmont. If you don't mind driving a little, you can easily spend a week+ in that area alone. This doesn't even include the breweries that are south of Denver or on the other side of the mountains/sate. Look at the BA directory and you'll see that CO has some of the most breweries per state in the country.

In addition, there are some truly amazing beer bars in Denver and Ft. Collins, and great bottle shops that see really wide distribution.

If that isn't reason enough, you're only 30 minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park and some of the best views/hiking in the country.

 

If you are staying in the US, I could think of basically four different areas that would be at the top of my list.

Northern California-Oregon.- Within a 200 mile radius you have Russian River, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, Deschutes, Firestone Walker, Moylans, etc.

San Diego.- Within a 40 mile radius you have Stone, Port Brewing-Lost Abbey, Pizza Port Brewing, Ballast Point, Green Flash, Alesmith, etc.

Colorado (Denver).- You may have to drive around a bit more to get to the good places but for me in the Denver area you have Avery in Boulder and Great Divide in Denver. You also have Twisted Pine in Boulder, Breckenridge in Denver. Oskar Blues and SKA are in different parts of the state but not too far.

Southern Illinois-Northern Indiana-Michigan.- Within a 200 mile radius you have Goose Island, Three Floyds, Bells, Jolly Pumpkin, Founders, etc.

Now I didn't include the Northeast because I already went to Dogfish in Delaware but if you wanted to include an area from Delaware on up to Massachusets you have Dogfish, Victory, Brooklyn, Clown Shoes, etc.

Good luck.

 

I feel like the East Coast option is going to entail a ton more driving than any of the other choices (if you're looking to hit up good breweries). That said, I have been to DFH multiple times and love the Rehoboth Beach area. It's also fairly close to Philly which would be my choice for a beercation in that part of the country. If planning a trip to the East Coast, I'd either stay near Philly (and hit more bars than worry about breweries) or head farther north to Vermont/Maine.

 

You also could look at:
Texas with 512, Live Oak, Jester King <-To be honest not sure how far from eachother.
Maine- Pretty and tons of Allagash
Alaska- Take a cruise and go to Midnight Sun

Cheers!

 

I vote for Belgium its smaller than most states, they have Trains, bus that work well. Its Walking friendly. They have most every beer style there is plus most of the Trappist! Reason alone to go. Food is great, lots to see. Most speak English. Most folks there are very helpful and friendly. of course if you want USA, I vote California, or Oregon, or both in 1 trip. Its all about how much time and cash you got.

 

We combine normal vacations with our beercations. Last year and this year it will be to Maine, I din't get enough lobster and beer in just 2 weeks. Go all out and head to Germany or Belgium. In Germany we've found brewery/hotels that combine great accommodations with excellent fresh beer for very reasonable prices.

 

Hello. For Texas the driving distances increase, being that Texas is the biggest state in the US (square miles, not population). In Austin you have 512, Jester King, Austin Beerworks, Real Ale (Blanco), etc. In Houston you have Saint Arnold, No Label, Karbach, Southern Star (Conroe). In Dallas just recently we've had a growth spurt of breweries and so far they are very good. Besides Rahr (Fort Worth) we now have Deep Ellum, Peticolas and Lakewood. Union Bear is a 'nanobrewery'. Within 3 to 5 months we should have three other breweries up and running. However those three cities (areas) are at least 200 miles from each other, so there is a lot of miles to drive. Spider889, I agree that the northeast would entail a lot more driving around, just like Texas would also.

 

I did one a few years back, when I did Montréal and Boston. Both cities are easy to get around on foot and public tranportation and offer a lot in beer.

 

Went to Tampa Bay from Chicago this past January. Mostley came back with brews from CCB, and some Terrapin stuff. Beer-cations are awesome!

 

I did a cruise out of New York which was a really cool (and not particularly pricey) beer-cation. Stopped off at Boston, in Maine, Halifax NS, and St. John NB. I tried some awesome beers in Nova Scotia (Hart & Thistle, Garrison, Propleller), and was able to visit some breweries. Adn the best part was drinking the local stuff and avoiding the overpriced macors on the ship.

 

Western Michigan: Founders, Bell's, Dark Horse, Atwater, Brewery Vivant, and lots of others.
Short Drive to 3Floyd's too.

Summers in Michigan along the Great Lakes are great.

 

Texas is #2. Alaska is larger.