Been thinking about this for a while, as I've been having some pretty kick ass beer-y outings, as of late. I really had to give it some thought, because although I find it fun to visit breweries and go to fests, I can't say that would be what I'd consider ideal. Don't get me wrong visiting the Trappist breweries in Belgium or the breweries in Munich all day would put a smile on my face, but by the end of the day I would imagine that I'd be exhausted. Same goes for GABF, FoBAB, or Oktoberfest. Maybe I'm getting older and calming down a bit, but the following would be a great day, in my opinion. - I usually wake up pretty early and train. Not that I'm against morning beers, but on this day, the morning would just be the gym, breakfast, and getting ready for the rest of the day. - Lunch at a world class beer bar. Good food and 2 or 3 great beers? Sounds like a plan to me. - Hit up a couple breweries and/or beer stores. Beer and swag shopping plus a couple more beers would be a nice way to spend the afternoon. - Nap. Yeah, I need those these days. - Proper dinner followed by a bunch of beers around a fire or in the hot tub sounds like a fitting end to an amazing beer day. Simple? You bet. Maybe I'm just pining for warmer weather, but those things sound very inviting to me. How about you all? How would your day go? Feel free to be as specific as possible, if that puts a rise in your Levi's.
I could just sit under a tree near the Chinese Tower (in Munich's Englischer Garten) all day sipping HB and watching the day go by. If I get hungry, they have plenty of food vendors and even an attached restaurant. It doesn't really get much better to me. I'd happily pivot that over to Andechs, Weihenstephan, Mahr's, or Spezial, too.
I will be experiencing an ideal beer day this Saturday (2/28/26) when I once again attend the annual German Bierfest at The German Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. https://www.phillybierfest.org/ I will first go to the German Beer Hall and drink imported German beer (e.g., Rothaus Pils, etc.) and watch some German folks dancing: And then some Currywurst for a snack. Then over to the Main Beer Hall to drink some locally brewed German style beers (e.g., Human Robot, Mainstay, Yards,...) and listen to some music from a live band: And after the event is over perhaps a visit to a local Philly brewery (e.g., Yards or maybe Triple Bottom or perhaps Love City or..). Then take the train back home. It hasn't occurred yet for 2026 but based upon the many past year events, A GREAT BEER DAY!! Cheers!
Any time I go out with my sons - any one of them or all - visiting breweries, talking, spending time together, hearing them reminisce about their childhood - that's about as good as it get's for me...and that's pretty damn good...
Basically going to a few breweries somewhere out of town does it for me these days, bonus points for new to me breweries. This past Saturday some friends and I went to Snohomish WA and hit Spada and 3 Bull breweries, stop at a bar that specializes in pies (I had a great slice of bourbon banana cream, and got a slice of apple-mixed berry for breakfast the next day), and went back to Everett. Hit a good little beer bar, and went to an Everett Silvertips hockey game. After the game, we went to a combination record store-bar for one more, then the nightcap back at my friends house. The next day on the way home, Justin and I stopped at 210 Brewing, which is in a Tribal Casino (the only one I know of) and then stopped at one of our favorites, Garden Path Fermentation in Burlington WA. That's a nice beery weekend for me.
If I had my fantasy and Mr Peabody's "wayback machine" I'd be at The Prince of Wales in Aberdeen. Before Green King bought out Belhaven, as Prince of Wales was a Belhaven owned pub. 10+ casks from all over the UK, great Scotch selection, awesome Thai food. Its still a fine pub under the Green King umbrella (when I last visited anyway), but there was something special about it with Belhaven, and with the excellent Thai food, was a similar experience to The Churchill Arms in London, but a bit more accessible than that...then walk on over to The Grill. Which has a not to shabby cask selection of its own, and one of the great Scotch selections anywhere...oh and reading some John Banville, Nial Williams, Douglas Stuart or Ali Smith novels while I'm at it... Edit... Though, can't argue with just a a full day spent at Churchill Arms either, but maybe with some Julian Barnes novels instead... Or...The Bow Bar in Edinburgh, or the...you get the picture
So far, my best beer day was at Dimensional Brewing in Dubuque, IA. My new girlfriend (now fiancé) and I walked in and saw a wall of taps. We asked if they served flights. They said yes, they serve flights of four. And flights of one of everything they make, which was 18. We chose the flight of 18. We sat outside and two people brought out a plank of 14 beers, and they returned with a plank of four more. And two glasses of water. Thank goodness they had a kitchen. We ate and drank and discovered how much we dislike IPAs. Good times. And we enjoyed seeing people doing double takes at the size of our flight.
Somehow my ideal day can be achieved very close to home, with a stay at a friend's house up in Nashville. I'd like to get up at a decent time, maybe clean, play guitar, then get a good workout and a shower in. After that, depending on how hungry I feel, either coffee at Living Waters brewing or finding a spot for lunch. If Living Waters, usually a lager or hazy post cappuccino or espresso tonic, and then moving on. I'd say Stoke Haus for lunch, but the barbecue is so heavy and I'm so inclined to get multiple meats which has historically stopped a day in its tracks that I'd have to say that's a one off. Probably the Caesar salad at Southern Grist with some added meat would be the best lunch option, which would segue well into a proper pint of some NEIPA and a few to go cans, maybe a bottle. After this, I like to go to Barrique usually with a bottle in tow to share, and depending on how I'm feeling, usually sharing the bottle and enjoying a lager, possibly a cask ale, before heading home. If there's good things in the fridge, I'll probably listen to new music and play guitar the rest of the day, or if friends are around, go hang out, walk around, or maybe watch sports and talk about music. It's a great system. Nashville hides some fantastic breweries with great atmosphere in addition to lovely restaurants, and I like nothing more than to share a day with people. I've really gotten my roommate into craft beer, and it's very fun to share beers with him and see what he thinks. He's a big fan of brown ale and amber lager, all of which are popular in this area, so whenever I go to the store I grab a few picks I think he'd like. He did, however, drink all of my Zombie Dust without asking, so he owes me quite a bit of beer at this point. Either way, beer is best enjoyed with others, and slowly throughout the day alongside great food. It's cliche, but so many people drink for the sake of drinking, even in the craft world.
I anticipate Zwanze 2026 at Schera's in Elkader, IA, being a great beer day, based on previous experiences in '18 & '19. There's just something about that atmosphere that I love and that I miss.
Today will probably be one since it's Day 1 of Zebulon's 10th Anniversary. Lots of vintage stuff on tap and in bottles. Goes til Sunday
8am - PtE (and that doesn't stand for physical training experience) 11am - PtE 2pm - PtE 5pm - PtE 8pm - PtE Since PtE isn't available to me, consider the above plan a dream, and the ideal day is a good pub crawl to new-to-me breweries that have been properly researched and added to the itinerary (3-4 of them would be ideal depending on proximity to each other). The last one at dinnertime would be a German-inspired brewery with a proper German food menu and close to a walkable hotel (the lunchtime place would be a bonus if also German). Food/apps is a must at each place.
My ideal beer day is April 25th. Because it's not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.
My rugby club's old boys team plays in a rugby festival in Franconia, NH the first weekend in June every year. I realized a few years ago that Hill Farmstead is only about an hour from Franconia. Now, I turn the trip up into a beer pilgrimage, & stop at Alchemist, load up, then hit Hill Farmstead, load up, have a draft or two, then head to the team hotel. I can then enjoy some amazing beer in the pool, & share with my teammates.
Sitting on the porch of the cabin having a well deserved cold one or three after a day in the woods cleaning up trails and ladder stands with a good friend. Of course the smoker is going and the stuffed mushrooms and peppers are in the oven.
In all seriousness Wake up, start coffee, good, clean shit, drink coffee on the way to the water. Go fishing. Doesn't matter where: pier, shore, wading, or boat, as long as they are biting. Catch and release, or donate to someone that needs them more than me. Not bothering with cleaning fish today. Full Irish but with decent beans and more interesting mushrooms than button, with a pint in a IRA bar. Nap with a chunky dog. Shower. Then a big, long meal with my friends. Folks from damn near everywhere I've lived. Folks that I haven't kept in touch with but mean so much to me. No main course, just waves of cheese, charcuterie, offal, and shellfish in different preparations all perfectly paired with various beers. Enough vegetable matter to get our fiber in, but not enough to be filling. Could be pickles, sourdough bread, crudité, or preserves. We talk about old times, what we enjoy about each plate in front of us, and how we'd improve upon it (there is no such thing as perfect). Satiated, we head to a kinda shitty bar with pool tables, shoot a few rounds over AALs as we no longer care about flavor, just the comradery. Insults, jokes, and inquiries about family flow. Taxi home. Drink a big glass of water. Go to bed.
