So hubby's birthday is coming up in January. We try to plan a weekend away. We've done Rehoboth and Baltimore a few times. Although I wouldn't argue going back to dogfish/burley oak and max's/Stillwater I was just wondering if there's wad some other destination you'd recommend for a beer weekend. We are in lancaster so anywhere up top 3-4 hours would be good.
It's not the most exciting place, but if you really don't want to go to Rehoboth/ Baltimore again, and you really are confined to that driving distance, then I think you can consider checking out New Jersey. Cape May Brewing is actually quite excellent to visit with over a dozen beers on tap, and it isn't far from a number of other South Jersey Breweries (although I haven't been to Rinn Duin or Tuckahoe). Flying Fish, Spellbound, Village Idiot, and Forgotten Boardwalk are all within half an hour of each other, and are all pretty decent, but don't have large selections. The obvious best breweries are Kane and Carton, and they aren't far from each other, but aren't close to much else that I can recall. The Jersey Shore, unfortunately, isn't the most picturesque place in to be in January.
Take a look at Frederick, MD and the surrounding area. Flying Dog is located there as well as a couple of other interesting breweries. There are a couple of first rate shops, and there's also a good bit to see and do in the area (weather permitting).
You could do the lower Hudson Valley. Captain Lawrence, Peekskill, Newburgh, and even Rushing Duck. If you drove to all of them in a day it would probably be about an hour and a half of driving from first to last stop. Not too far apart. Can easily pick two of them to hit in a day and not have a problem at all. You could also spend a day in CT or something and do Two Roads and New England Brewing - about an hour to New Haven from Captain Lawrence area. And since I'm getting carried away, you could add on a stop in Monson, MA for Tree House Brewing. It's only another 30-40 minutes from NEBC and worth the extra drive if you're already in New Haven. I'd love to recommend my home state of NJ like @tkdchampxi, because there are some solid breweries around. Carton and Kane are awesome spots within 20 or so minutes of each other, but other than those two - there's not much else. Everything in Jersey is just so spread out that I'd have a hard time saying to go there.
Richmond/Williamsburg, hardywood should have GBS and BA GBS next month, also Alewerks, Mekong, strange ways..lots to do
It's a bit farther than 3-4 hours from Lancaster, but you may want to consider the Bed & Brew weekend package at the Inn at Cooperstown (NY). My wife and I have gone twice in the past few years. It is really a nice weekend that includes a private dinner and tasting at Ommegang. The Inn is beautiful and your reservation includes an Ommegang jeroboam. While in Cooperstown, you can hit Council Rock Brewery, Butternuts, and get some of the best aged cheddar in the world at Spurbeck's Grocery. Also, the Baseball Hall of Fame is just down the block.
Plus 1 on the Bed and Brew weekend in Cooperstown NY. I guess I'm not hip to knowing what an Ommegang jeroboam is...
It's a 3L bottle. The first time we did the Bed & Brew weekend, we were given a 3L of Hennepin - waxed and signed by the Ommegang brewmaster. The next time we got a 3L of Rare Vos.
