In the fall (likely the third week of September) my wife and I are going to embark on a road trip from Pittsburgh, PA to Hill Farmstead. My preemptive plan is to start the trip by cutting across Pennsylvania, stopping in Hershey (Troegs) and then over to Ardmore (Tired Hands) before then heading north. Once in Vermont, I plan to head to Greensboro Bend to Hill Farmstead before hitting both Lawson's in Warren and the Ben and Jerry's factory (something that she wants to do) on the way out. The return path will take us across upstate New York to Cooperstown for both the baseball hall of fame and Ommegang, across to Niagara, down to Lakewood, NY to Southern Tier and then down through PA from Erie, hitting up Lavery and then finally Voodoo before making it back to Pittsburgh. My question to those of you familiar to New England is this: Beer wise, what am I missing? I don't want to side track as far as Boston, but we'll be cutting through both Connecticut and Massachusetts on the way up to Vermont. What am I missing that we should plan to try to hit up along the way? The wife is also very into wine and I know there are several around Cooperstown. If anyone has any recommendations for that I'd be all ears as well.
One note: You can't stop at Lawson's (not open to public), and unless you're going to be in Warren on a Thursay AM, you're not getting any beer. Missing: Lost Nation. Search the NE Forum, there are lots of very informative threads that will provide a lot of info.
For me, now that the alchemist is closed, VT is a whole different trip. I day trip it up to Hill Farm now- maybe get lunch @ the parker pie co or I day trip it to the farmer's market on saturdays for lawson's. then get lunch at the worthy burger. can't wait for the new alchemist to open.
If you are looking for other things to do with the wife besides beer but can still have beer and you are taking I-91 consider a stop at http://vermontshepherd.com/visit-us/ They have a little self service store where you can get cheese and there is a market nearby for other things like bread and meats and you can make that rock slab into a table and crack open some Hill Farmstead, wine or what ever you feel like.
I make this drive several times a year to visit friends and family in New England. I'd add Pizza Boy (in addition to or instead of Troegs in the Hershey area). Heading North from Tired Hands you can hit Weyerbacher (only open a few hours a week), Captain Lawrence, Peekskill, New England Brewing Co., and Tree House without going very far out of the way.
