Sometimes the Trip Makes the Beer

I’m headed to Jack’s Abby today to pick up the brewery only release of their Barrel Aged Framinghammer, one aged with coffee and one with vanilla, and it really got me thinking about how road trips are so important in beer drinking.

Hill Farmstead brewer Shaun Hill in a New York Times article recently mentioned his brewery would be brewing 150,000 gallons annual production and would cap production for the time being at that mark. Hill Farmstead’s beers will probably never leave his home state of Vermont (except for the occasional keg sent to various beer fests) and he seems just fine with that. So in order to get their beer you’ll have to make the almost 2 hour drive from Burlington. I’ve done this trip twice, once three years ago and once last year, and it’s been worth it every time. The two hour drive, with a return trip of equal distance only makes that beer that much better when you finally open the growler you bought, break out a nice glass and pour the first beer after your journey.

The journey for beer from the source to my lips can sometimes be incredibly long. Stone IPA begins its trip by being loaded into a shipping container in San Diego, driving across the country in a range of weather conditions before hitting a warehouse, being unloaded and then waiting for a salesman to key the case in, then it gets picked, loaded onto another truck, brought to the store and put on the shelves just waiting for me to wander in and decide, yes, today I’d like a 6 pack of Stone IPA. It’ll taste great, and I’ll be very satisfied with my choice. Sometimes though, it’s not enough, and I can’t always drive the 4 hours from my home to Hill Farmstead.

This is where local breweries are beginning to fit into a market they may not have known existed, trip destination. I can drive to Jack’s Abby in 45 minutes, and even closer Trillium Brewing is a 13-minute drive. 13! Sure, Jack’s Abby beers can be found at many beer stores, but if you want that prized whale you have to jump in your car and make the effort, and drinking that beer will taste that much sweeter, or bitter I guess depending on the beer.

Breweries are opening up all around the country in your backyard, trying to capitalize on two things, making great beer and your money. The best breweries will do both, making beer that’s worth seeking out and warranting a journey that pays off whether you’re driving 13 minutes for it, or 4 hours.