Beer-cation

If you're ever on vacation in New Orleans check out the Avenue Pub on St. Charles... was in NOLA for a week and spent a lot of time and money there on some great beers and events

 

with a thread title ending in ATION... i thought sure this was a Russian River related thread. #oops

 

Denver and Ft Collins is fun!

 

I'm assuming you've already done Chicago since you are so close. But just in case you haven't:

Solemn Oath
Two Brothers
Swing over to Munster for 3 Floyds
Revolution
5 Rabbits
Haymarket Brewery
Finchs

I have seen groupons recently for Finchs and Haymarket.

 

I'm headed to Copenhagen in one week. Apparently the CBC is going on while I'm there. And it just so happens Prairie is coming to Mikkeller, and the next day is FFF takeover at Mikkeller. So, that worked out perfectly!

 

Portland is easy without a car. Just be prepared to bike, or use public transportation. We stayed with a food historian who prepared everything for us, and also met the neighbors by way of a party one night courtesy our hostess, Jean.
Denver was a blast and since we use air bnb to travel. CHEAP. You will never get an annual pig roast at a hotel. We got one through air bnb though. Same weekend as GABF I might add.
The third coast on Michigans West Coast is its own beervana. Just be prepared to spend time driving, so pace yourself. Lots of bnb places cos it's Chicagos vacation resort. Traverse City was everything a tourist trap in the middle of nowhere should be.

 

Vermont when you have the chance. It is so nice up there. Lost Nation, Alchemist, Hill Farmstead plus the best beer bars I have ever been to. Heady on tap everywhere plus other insane locals. If you go up there and like sours try and find some backacre.

 

I believe a long weekend centered in Santa Rosa CA would be perfect. Just Lagunitas (Petaluma), Bear Republc (Healdsburg) and Russian River in Santa Rosa itself would be enough, but there's also Third Street a couple blocks from RR and Flavor Bistro where you can get 6 of Moonlight's excellent beers (Moonlight doesn't have, but apparently will in the future, a taproom or tasting room). Flying into SFO, maybe you could hit Speakeasy on the way up or the way back, too. And pretty cheap flights, and hotels in Santa Rosa aren't too bad.

 

Asheville, NC and Charleston, SC

 

Don't leave out Half Acre...by far the best brewery tour I've ever been on. $10 bucks - three pints, a glass, and nearly 3.5 hours of just hanging out and talking to the guys (even got a free bomber after my purchases in the shop).

 

cheap and beer cation never goes well. If your drinking out in pubs, its not cheap. Define inexpensive please....
We live on fixed income, everything has to be cheap. or we have to save years to do it and hope nothing happens before we go....

Figure out what you want OUT of the trip? try new beer you cannot get at home? See the a town you never seen before? What kind of entertainment do you want?, or do you want peace and quiet? you need a cheap travel agent.lol

Of course, IF you want advice from strangers ok, here it goes. Find a place with a cheap B&B, and a great pub you can walk to.....its why we are in Europe atm. ITs not cheap. But if you save and eat allot of ham sandwiches, you can do it. of course we are buying our beer in grocery stores and only eating out once a week or so. the old go cheap, Rick Steves way of travel.....

 

Planning this trip. Where do you stay? Looking at green mountain inn, but pretty pricey. Don't know if it is worth the nightly rate or not.

 

im doing VT in september. Gonna be up there for a wedding, and we are flying up early to go to HF. Pick up some Heady and Lawsons to bring home as well.

 

Just go on a normal vacation and add brewery stops, bottle shops etc. to the list.

 

Vermont doesn't have any good beer, no need to visit!

 

Not just for beer, but I make sure to put beer in the itinerary. Took a detour through Vermont en route to a vacation in Montreal (and hit Dieu de Ciel and Benelux), and stopped at Hardywood while going south on 95 to Charleston for a beach vacation. Thursday was beer day at Holy City, COAST, and Westbrook.

 

Not exactly a beer-cation, but I added a day onto a business trip to San Francisco that was well worth my while, a friend in town took me up to Bear Republic and we visited Russian River and Lagunitas on the way back into the city, it was a phenomenal beer day with lots to take home (my luggage was stacked with rr sours, pliny, blind pig, sumpin wild, racer x and even a growler from RR... full of pliny of course)

If you wanted to do a long weekend you easily could add SN, Lost Coast, even Firestone Walker, and of course 21st Amendment and Anchor as well as a few great bars in the city.



I also might be a bit biased but I think Philly is a great town to do a beer-cation, from bars like Monk's and Eulogy downtown, to any of a ton of bars in the suburbs, there are holes in the wall chock full of amazing beer everywhere you turn. There's also great brewpubs like Tired Hands, Triumph, Forest & Main, and Nodding Head, and breweries likes Yards, Round Guys, Prism, Victory and not too far away are Dogfish Head and Troegs.

 

Philly is a great town, if you can stay cheaply....

 

You're in Wisconsin? Head for Michigan!

Any number of places in Chicago.
FFF
Greenbush
Round Barn (the spirits are better than the beer)
Bell's
Kalamazoo Beer Exchange
New Holland
Founders
Brewery Vivant (a must see, and eat)
Hopcat

Then up to Traverse City, where there are probably 6 good breweries, and I can't remember them all right now.
Right Brain
Brewery Ferment
Short's
Jolly Pumpkin (a bit disappointing)

VanDerMill Cidery

Swing to Ann Arbor or Dexter for the real Jolly Pumpkin

 

depending on what beer you're bringing, you can stay at my house for free