Beercations

I'll be there this year. You?

 

We try to do beercations whenever we can. GABF twice. Seattle. 2 years ago, we did a baseball and beer vac. Drove to Cleveland, Chicago, then Pittsburg. Got 6 cases of Headhunter, 4 cases of zombie dust and 1 case BCBS and ball games every night. Would love to do it again

 

we travel Waterbury or stowe Vermont every few months for prohibition pig. only way to get hands on some Lawsons finest, Hill Farmstead or Heady Topper. North to montreal is also another favorite beer trip for Dieu du ciel. Certainly well worth the money

 

I always tell people that the beer isn't THE reason for the trip, and I still can't decide if I'm lying about that or not. I can honestly say that trips that I've gone one where the #1 reason is beer are few. Vermont once a year the last two years. I tagged along with the gf and her family (kill me) to San Diego - and of course I wouldn't have gone if it was anywhere else.

But I think to answer your question "is a beercation worth it?" you have to just ask yourself "is any vacation worth it?" B/c ultimately, even if the reason I go to Vermont is because of the beer, the trip is so much more than just the beer. It's getting away, the quiet, the beer, the whatever else you end up doing.

I hear about these people driving up to Hill Farmstead from Jersey/Philly (6-7 hours) and coming back THE SAME DAY. This is most definitely NOT worth it. But stay a few nights. Get a buddy or two to go. Split $100 hotel room 3 ways. Relax. That's worth it.

 

Last spring my wife and I did a long weekend in philly just cause we had never been and a short train ride from conn. Walked all over the the city and found lots of great beer places to stop along the way thanks to beer advocate places I'd recommend it

 

Stopped by Asheville on my road trip. It wasn't the sole reason of the trip, but the abundance of good beer probably subliminally swayed me there.

 

Wow, I guess we have a serious drinking problem! Last 12 months included trips to Copenhagen (CBC '13), Shelton Brothers Festival in Portland, Firestone-Walker XVII Anniversary party, Renaissance Festival for Churchill's Finest Hour release, a couple Untapped Festivals (Dallas and Ft. Worth), and trips to New Orleans and Chicago/Michigan that included great beer.

As to whether they're worth it, absolutely! Festivals have taken us to cities we may not otherwise have visited. BA's are always great in whichever city we meet them... as is the whole craft beer culture! We're fortunate living in Austin, so I can randomly ship some great JK beers to these new friends we've met on these trips... and wonderful boxes show up on our porch. We've even hosted some folks from out of town who flew in for JK's Funk 'n Sour Fest.

And, I'm fortunate my wife is as into the scene as me. Without that, I'm probably not posting this message. I recognize I'm one lucky bastard!

 

Taking a mini beer cation, driving 20 minutes and hitting 2 microbrews.

 

Have beer, will travel. As long as the brewpubs have wine and great food, my wife is warming up to the idea. ME, NH, MA, RI, CT, MI, IN, WI, CO, CA, OR and WA have worked up to now.

 

Only 1 beercation I would take and that would be a stop at Oktoberfest in Munich, but then again, I would go to Germany for many other reasons as well.

 

Not this year. Too much other stuff going on. Book to be tarted.

 

Prague last year. Fresh, beautifully poured Czech pils on what seemed like every street corner. And at $1.50/half liter it might as well have been coming from a public fountain. Beer heaven.

 

The biggest for me is spending weekends in San Diego - about a 2 hour drive from LA

 

Not often enough.

 

Went to Pennsylvania for a Younger tapping. Had Elder on draft as well. Gotta say it was worth the 1.5 hour drive.

 

I love this hobby enough to enjoy the trips to try craft beer. In the last year I've;

* Done a pub crawl through Brooklyn
* Drove to Monk's Café for PtY tapping
* Visited both Funky Buddha and Cigar City on a Florida trip
* Gone to awesome events like Savor Craft in NYC
* Met the folks from Cisco Brewers on a boat for a beer pairing

Its sometimes a struggle to justify the trip if its only for beer. But if you're blessed with a spouse that enjoys these trips as well, and have a small group of friends to enjoy it with it is so worth it. Often the experience is as fun as the beer.

 

I do some travelling for work, and always make it a point to research the city before heading out. I've taken in quite a few tours, and have had the opportunity to share many excellent brews with clients while on the road. Even though it's not specifically a beercation, it does make the traveling more enjoyable and memorable. My home state has several beer events throughout the year, so I don't have to travel far for these dedicated beer trips. Looking at heading to the Beer Dabbler' s Winter Carnival next year. And the GABF this year if I can swing it.

 

Took road trip from Jersey to Boston for the Belgian Beer Fest sponsored by BA.
Allagash was co-sponsor and I love their beers. Lots of good breweries.
We stayed the weekend and found the best beer bars also.