It’s a long drive to my sister’s cabin in Hayward. Our usual strategy is to break up the drive by visiting the Drive In in Taylor’s Falls. It’s nearly halfway but, more importantly, they have cheese curds. My sister says they stop at the location in Grantsburg on their way home. In August we put the town on our agenda. No food for us though, our trip was for craft beer at Brickfield Brewing.
Continue Reading…Birch’s on the Lake
September 17, 2019
I’m too young to understand the “supper club.” A concept interwoven into the fabric of the Midwest, these establishments have long sought their place in the modern era. By the time I was old enough to remember, these previously revered restaurants had become an odd blend of classy and kitsch. A vestige of the past. The craft beer industry is suited to blending the old and the new. Enter Birch’s on the Lake.
Continue Reading…Alluvial Brewing Company
August 31, 2019
One of my criteria for a great brewery is the taproom. Of course, the beer matters. Yet the taproom can make or break the experience. I begin by trawling any “best of” lists that I can find, collecting the breweries that appear multiple times and any others that jump out at me. Then I dig deeper. I dive into the pessimism of reddit, ask for recommendations from Instagram influencers, browse individual websites, and search through local tourism info. Once I have list of breweries – usually far too long for my needs – I search for them on Google Maps. Location is a factor, but the primary reason is to view photos. Google organizes these, and Vibe is my jam. While searching for Iowa breweries, there was one that cropped up that intrigued me but had few photos of the interior. My visit to Alluvial Brewing Company would now have purpose.
Continue Reading…Peace Tree Brewing Co. – Des Moines Branch
August 28, 2019
“Why won’t this thing take a good photo?” I asked my wife. I was trying to take a photograph of my flight board. “Everything is washed out, what’s going on?” I asked the universe. At this point I noticed a strange icon in my viewfinder. A quick Google search later and I hung my head, crestfallen. Deep in the menu there was a setting to lock the ISO, and ours was set to the max. ISO controls the sensitivity of the sensor, the higher the number the brighter the photo. The trade off is noise. “How long has this been on?” I wondered. It was difficult to tell looking at the camera screen, and I had to inspect each photo’s settings before confirming my greatest fear. Not a single photo from our last three breweries was usable. I fixed it for Peace Tree Brewing Co.
Continue Reading…White Elm Brewing Company
August 22, 2019
Nothing against Nebraska, but the drive across the state isn’t the most visually interesting. Knowing the mountains are at your back makes the plains stretch on endlessly. It’s no wonder they built The Archway. It’s a beautiful building that appears I’m sure has lovely exhibits, but it’s a tourist trap if I’ve ever seen one. “If we want to enjoy our time at White Elm, we can’t go inside” I said, as we watched our daughter burn energy crawling around the gift shop. She sighed, grabbing her from the floor. “Can we at least get her photo in front of the giant bison?”
Continue Reading…WeldWerks Brewing
August 16, 2019
There was a brewery that consistently appeared in my search for “top breweries in Colorado.” They’ve won awards, host an invitational beer festival, and keep a tap list stocked with innovative beers (over 100 in 2018). Location was the only issue. Our aggressive itinerary had us arrive in downtown Greeley during sunset. The destination: WeldWerks Brewing.
Continue Reading…Jessup Farm Barrel House
August 14, 2019
“Do you think we’ll have enough time?” my wife asked. We were standing at an overlook within Rocky Mountain National Park. Ahead of us the Trail Ridge Road was closed for the season. “If we leave now and we don’t stop, I think we can make it work.” I said. Our plan was to visit two breweries that afternoon. “I’m glad the fog lifted, this was worth the drive.” I said. A thick fog had covered the valley on the drive up to our summit. It had just cleared, giving us an incredible view of the valley below. “Who’s driving?” I asked. “You,” my wife responded. Jessup Farm Barrel House was waiting.
Continue Reading…Bierstadt Lagerhaus
August 11, 2019
The plan was to drive through Denver on our way back to Minnesota from Moab. These days, researching our destinations includes a heavy craft beer component. With over 400 breweries in the state and 100 in the Denver area, it wasn’t easy to narrow the list down. We were spending the night at my friend’s home and the plan was to meet him at a brewery beforehand. After comparing notes with him it seemed the best use of our time would be to visit the RiNo neighborhood. Due to the density of breweries in the area we would have a lot of options. Though one place sounded particularly intriguing: Bierstadt Lagerhaus.
Continue Reading…Guanella Pass Brewing Company
August 9, 2019
Ambitious. That’s the word I’d use to describe our travel style. On each new trip we try dialing our itinerary down. We continue to disappoint ourselves. For our first road trip as a family of three we planned on only 5 to 7 hours of driving a day. That ends up being quite a lot for a baby. Despite struggling at times we still made room in the schedule for craft beer. The first brewery on our list: Guanella Pass Brewing Company.
Continue Reading…Moab Brewery
July 27, 2019
The primary agenda for our trip to Moab was the National Parks. Both Canyonlands and Arches are nearby. Canyonlands was our first stop and it blew us away. We spent the entire day driving the White Rim Road around the Island in the Sky. With baby on my back we hiked to Mesa Arch, Grand View Point Overlook, and a handful of spur trails. After lugging my daughter across the mesa in the hot sun there was only one recovery drink on my mind: a cold beer at Moab Brewery.
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