"So close, yet so far away."

good point. i went to a happy hour with some coworkers at a brewpub one time and it was slightly comical how baffled a few people were that they ONLY served their own beer there. i tried to make some suggestions, but it's difficult to please everyone.

 

Seriously, this. I can't imagine being in a position where you're on a road trip and can't even sometimes stop at these places.

I guess I'm spoiled, the first time I met my girlfriend's family we went to Stone for dinner, and stopped at a bottle shop on the way there! When I went home for Xmas my mom had stocked the fridge with Heavy Seas, Stone, and Brooklyn, and when I was with my dad in November he entertained my request to stop at a bottle shop (he saw a beer he remembered loving in Philly, Westmalle, and picked some up!).

I just can't fathom how you'd have family who won't ever do something you want to do.

 

I agree with those who say you should make your preferences know. If you're truly a family, your loved ones will be glad to indulge your interests too once in a while. I mean, don't they know you're a fan of good beer?

As thickfreakness said, if you visit the area "a lot" it shouldn't be a big deal to make the effort to stop at a place that you want to go to.

OTOH, if you're suffering in silence, you need to man up as Hanso said, and tell the family. They may not realize you'd like to visit a brewery/brewpub. Surprisingly, most people are not mind readers. They may know you like good beer, but figure it doesn't matter to you since you never say anything.

 

Luckily both my family and my in-law's have both adopted enough of my enthusiasm for visiting breweries while on trips. It's come to the point now that my wife will even mention a brewery to visit before I do. I love her.

To the OP - do your in-laws know of your interest in beer? Maybe the next time you pass by Founders, you say "lunch is on me!" Then while you're there, you show how excited you are to be there. Hopefully they'd get the hint you really enjoy this and they might find it infectious for future trips.

 

Apparently they already got this balls tied up so tight he might have to ask to go on the internet to look at a menu. Then they might get suspicious that's he's trying to deviate the group from starbucks.

 

Holy shit. That's bullshit, my brother. If this happened to me, I would never post about it. And I would never tack-on the part about stopping at Starbucks 3x. I would sooner post about being castrated.

 

This thread delivers

 

That really sucks. To answer your question, no I do not have those so close yet so far moments. Luckily I have an understanding and indulging wife and in-laws. We go to her family reunion every summer in Wisconsin and depending on where in WI it is that year we stop at brewpubs and breweries and even toured one once. This year I am hoping to tour Tyranena and stop for a drink at the Grumpy Troll. My family is the same way and my dad is just as enthusiastic as I am about visiting breweries when we go on vacations together including FFF, GI and Half Acre every time we go to our annual Cubs game.

 

I can possibly understand if they do not want to stop into FFF for a beer, but there is no reason not to stop and pick up a sixer or a case for the trip back. Founder's has great sandwiches, no reason not to stop. And if you traveling between the two, Greenbush puts out good beer and one of the best pulled-pork sandwiches I've had in a while.

Speak up, be heard, go to breweries

 

I was three hours away from Alchemist Brewery -- staying in Boston -- but I didn't have a damn car. I totally would have driven too. That's most likely the closest I'll get to Heady Topper outside of a trade.

My father-in-law lives about 5 minutes from Weyerbacher, and I've drug him there before for some of their brewery-only beer. But, every time we go to his house we pass right by Troegs on the way, and have never stopped.

 

I think some of you are being pretty hard on the OP. Once you have kids, for example, things change. That's a cold hard fact, and it sounds like some of you aren't ready for it. Let's start out with the obvious fact that some beer-related venues don't allow kids—so you're automatically forced to choose between beer and your family. If I can't find a workable compromise, I'm going to choose my family every single time.

I've been in a couple similar situations to what the OP describes. A few months ago we were down in Portland for a quick overnight (actually a memorial service for one of my wife's aunts in Vancouver, on the other side of the Columbia) and all I could manage was a very quick beer run to a couple bottle shops while my wife & daughter were napping in the hotel. Spent about $300 in 20 minutes picking up beers we can't get here in Washington, then back to the hotel to meet a friend for dinner. Back to Seattle first thing the following morning. Given the circumstances, I was fortunate to manage that.

Then in February we were down in San Diego, mostly visiting family on both sides. Between driving up to Murrieta to see my dad, and going to Legoland and the SD zoo and all the other attractions for my daughter, and visiting friends for dinner, and doing things with my wife's sister and her husband, my hopes of getting up to the Alpine brewery were dashed. There just wasn't time. We did manage to get over to the Stone bistro as well as a short visit to Lost Abbey—mostly because my sister-in-law's husband knew I love beer and wanted to show me some of the local beer spots—and I did manage to get out to a couple local bottle shops to pick up just a few beers I can't get here in Seattle (mostly Alpine, Kern River). But otherwise we simply ran out of time with other commitments.

I try to incorporate beer-related outings into my travels whenever I can. But sometimes it just doesn't work out, and yes, it sucks. But if beer is more important than spending time with family and friends, well, I'll just say I hope I manage to keep my own priorities straight.

 

There are breweries that won't let you come in and shop at their store if you have a kid? I find that hard to believe.

 

If you're gonna be in the craft game for life, you gotta make sure your loved ones know about your obsession. If they can't support your hobby & let you have fun every once in a while, screw em. If my family made me pass up all those world-class breweries... I'd have a new family by now.

 

I usually do this. To myself. At the store. I'm too cheap.

 

I don't know about breweries, but in both Washington and Oregon there are definitely brewpubs (basically restaurants that also brew beer), bottle shops, and other beer-centric venues where minors are strictly forbidden to enter. Trust me, I have a list of the ones you can go into and the ones you can't. Sucks too because some of these places would be very family-friendly if not for the law keeping them from being so.

Here's a thread I started a while back if you want to read up on it.

 

I was visiting family friends with small kids in Minneapolis a few weeks ago. I found an opening on a Surly tour but they nixed it because of the kids

 

We have a lot of similar laws for unattended children/teens, but with their parents? What asinine laws you guys have.

 

I couldn't agree more.

As the other thread explains, it's actually a permitting issue. But it definitely makes certain places in this beer mecca called the Pacific Northwest feel "so close, yet so far away" whenever I'm out with the family—which is basically almost whenever I'm not at work or at home.

 

You seem like quite the catch!