East Coast Beer Trip

It may be a little out of your way but if you want to venture over to Western New York you can hit Southern Tier in Lakewood (near Jamestown), then Ellicottville, and there are a few in the Buffalo area.

 

The more I think about it the trip to Southern Tier may be worth it, they are becoming a significant brewery, the other breweries on this side of the state are just a bonus.

 

Definitely hit up New England Brewing Company in CT. You won't find Fuzzy Baby Ducks, but just about everything they have is great. Keep in mind, they are only open Wed - Fri 3-7 and Sat 11-4, people seem to have been getting their old hours on various internet sources. As you get closer to your travel date, follow them on Facebook and/or twitter, as that is the best way to know what is on tap at any point in time.

 

Seriously, Tree House.

 

If you find yourself heading through Troy, NY on your way to VT, stop by some of the local bars (The Ruck) for a drink and good food and Hoosick Street Beverage to take a look at their great selection of bottles.

Once you're in VT, make sure you eat some pizza and drink some beer at Parker Pie after your trip to HF. Enjoy!

 

I would go through Greenville SC (Thomas Creek) to Brevard NC (Oscar Blues) to Hendersonville NC (Sierra Nevada if finished by then) to Ashville NC (Highlands) Then so on and so forth.

 

Disregard the advice of folks telling you to go to Ithaca, It is out of the way by hours and the beer is a disappointment.

Instead hit up the Mid Hudson Valley of New York, which is on the way north to Vermont, and still gives you the option of going through the beer centric parts of Mass. on the way. Captain Lawrence, Peekskill, Rushing Duck, Newburgh Brewery, Bacchus, Mill House Brewing, Keegan Ales, and Crossroads are all easy to get to on your path.

Please let me know when you are coming, I love showing and sharing with fellow BA's the great beer we have in our area. And if you bring beer to trade, we can do that too.

 

I've heard good thinks about Peekskill Brewery in NY. It might be on your way to Ithaca depending on the Route. Ommegang in Cooperstown might also be on the way. While your up in the Alchemist area, I would stop at Fiddlehead Brewing in South Burlington and Lost Nation in between HF and Alchemist.

 

get to the warren store in warren, vt on thursday morning @ 8-9 am for lawson's offerings.

looks like you're going to VT via NY. if you should decide to go via CT I would hit up new england brewing. check FB for hours. gandhi bot is third only to Heady topper and dbl sunshine imo.

 

your gonna need a motorhome and an xtra gps

 

Not sure if it's open for tours/visits, but St Josephs Abbey just opened up their brewery last month. Surprised no one else has mentioned this yet! It's located in Spencer, MA.

 

Sounds like a fun trek. If you have the opportunity, Fullsteam in Durham is a unique place.

 

The man who designed Flower Power for Ithaca, Jeff O'Neil, left Ithaca, along with another talented brewer, Mike Benz, and now makes a stunning assortment of hop masterpieces and other amazing beers at Peekskill Brewery, which is one of the best breweries in my area. He also was given free rein to make all the beers he wants to brew, something Ithaca prevented him from doing. It is such a pleasure to be able to drink his liquid masterpieces anytime I want, and I would be glad to show you around when you get here! We are an area that is developing into a true beer destination, and the plan is to be Vermont south.

Ithaca still makes some decent beers, and they do have some brewery only things worth drinking. Ommegang is also out that way, and they are a great stop too. NY is blessed with some great breweries. That said, there is little doubt that my area is the top area for brewing in the state now.

Let's keep in touch by conv. and firm the dates as they get closer

I hope one day to do what you are doing, but not north south, but east west, ending in Ca., Or. , and Wa. Cheers!

 

Kane yea..than hit Peekskill..than 84e to nebco..than 91n toward vt. or hit some Ma. breweries too

 

When I see threads like this, I get pissed off, hahaha.

When I was a younger man and had little to no responsibility--but had money--there weren't a fraction of these types of breweries to go to. I'm jealous you young whippersnappers can do things like this.

Late 90s, all I had was Brooklyn, Southhampton, and Blue Point and I went to Magic Hat because I had an ex who lived in Burlington. Going to the Boston Beer Works or a pub with a decent tap selection (like the Peculiar Pub in the Village-NYC) qualified as a beer trip for me.

 

I was going to say something along these lines. Unless you are trying to prolong your trip as much as possible, Ithaca seems like it's way out of your way. You should easily be able to pick up a sixer of Flower Power along the way if you're interested in that specifically.

I also saw some suggestions for Trillium in Boston. If time and/or cost is becoming an issue, I would skip Trillium for Treehouse or Jack's Abby. I find both to be better than Trillium, especially so when cost is factored in. On the other hand, all three breweries are usually pretty good at posting what they are pouring, so check ahead when you're about a week out. Sometimes you can get a pretty small selection at Treehouse or Trillium, but it might be just what you're looking for.

Allagash is probably also going to be pretty far out of your way, but I've got to put in a plug for those guys. Awesome beer. Great tour. Great samples. Amazing city. Especially in the summer.

 

Everything Andrew said x3! Jack's Abby is awesome, and their new tap room is great!

If you do end up venturing into Boston for Trillium, you might as well stop off at Harpoon to see their new beer hall. It's only 5 minutes from Trillium and their pretzels are AMAZING!

 

Dogfish Head in Delaware is a great brewery, and I've heard alot of good things about Kane Brewery in New Jersey. You pretty much goy the cream of the crops lined up. Have fun.