vacations

[corkybstewart]

I'm wondering if anybody here is taking a beer-oriented vacation this summer.

[Halgarmeister]

Yes, everyday at about 5:30... ;)

I search out whatever the local watering hole is in all my travels. Last year a trip through Yosemite brought me up the eastern Sierra's and out in the middle of nowhere was a place called Eastern Sierra Brewing! It was hot, REALLY hot, I thought it was a mirage for a minute before laying the brakes to the floor and turning around for a closer inspection! LOL I will be camping on the coast this summer and know of a couple places near where I'll be. Most of the guy in the local pub take "beer" vacations and tour areas of the state by brewery, so I'll be getting some pointers to the local flavor when I go.

[sharkstewbrewer]

Come to Maine, you could spend yer whole vacation traveling from pub to pub and breweries

http://travel.mainetoday.com/todo/tastes/beerlist.shtml

[Beer Monkey]

wife and I are working out a trip this summer, from DC to Graceland, to Savanna and back to DC. Haven't plotted out which breweries are on the way yet, but defiantly see a few in my future.

[chazwicke]

I never travel unless beer is somehow involved. All my vacations and travel are beer travel.

Sharkstewbrewer has a great suggestion with the Maine breweries. Maine has a wealth of them and is an extraordinarily beautiful state to boot. I done that trip many times. As for me, I'm hoping to get back to London before too long. Maybe as soon as May.

:)

[HarkJohnny]

Originally posted by corkybstewart
I'm wondering if anybody here is taking a beer-oriented vacation this summer.

april 21-23 a group of us will be going to Peoria IL for a beer festival. Not really a vacation persay but a trip to a beer event

[mdblu1]

We are planning a trip to Michigan with the kids to a blueberry festival, so I'm sure a trip to Bell's and a few others will be added to the agenda.

[zoom6zoom]

What is this "vacation" of which you speak? I vaguely remember something about having one once, but...

[Seymour]

Generally, like Corky, I scope out whatever local beers may be had where we are taking our vacation. Enjoyed Eske's Brewpub in Taos, The Library in Laramie, WY, and Sierra Grande Brewpub in Saratoga, WY. Sampled Breckenridge's wares in Colorado, as well as Steamworks over in Durango, and Main Street Brewing in Cortez. Tried out a pub in Tempe, AZ, and Salt Lake City some years back, but their names escape me just now. Even stopped off at the Wellhead Brewhouse and Restaurant in Artesia, NM.

With two rugrats in tow, it'd be a little hard to schedule a vacation just for beer. But if the restaurant we stop at just HAPPENS to also brew beer, well...

[surfadelic23]

Any trip to San Diego becomes a beer vacation when the surf blows out! Actually, any trip I take becomes a beer vacation when the surf blows out... or the fish stop biting!!

[wortchillergoal]

I will be on vaction next week. I plan mine around my boys so beer is not a big part. We are going to St. Augustine again, in laws luve there.

While there, I will get to the A1A Alehouse(brew pub) and Rendez Vous(nice bottled beer bar). I have not been overly happy with A1A the last couple visits. I am taking a couple local brews to share with one of the bartenders at Rendez Vous.

Anyone in the area? Last time I met Taco. We had a good afternoon at those two places.

[DecoJuicer]

No vacation for me this summer. We were planning a trip to Disney World in December, but I don't think that's going to happen this year.

I will probably take a week during hunting season and bank the rest of my time for next year. If I use my time wisely, I'll have about 12 weeks of vacation to burn next year.

The only other thing that Mrs. DecoJuicer and I have talked about was a weekend trip to DC. If that trip happens, I will most defintly be checking out the local beer scene.

[zoom6zoom]

surfadelic, if you're headed to Sandy Eggo, don't miss Pizza Port...

[The Alchemist]

I go to Hilton Head Island every year to play golf with a few guys. The beer selection in HHI is fairly limited, but good or bad each days round of golf ends at some local watering hole. At one time we had found a place that had a few decent beers but unfortunately they have fallen off the pace.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by DecoJuicer

The only other thing that Mrs. DecoJuicer and I have talked about was a weekend trip to DC.

Keep us posted..;)

[Breavey]

Originally posted by surfadelic23
Any trip to San Diego becomes a beer vacation when the surf blows out! Actually, any trip I take becomes a beer vacation when the surf blows out... or the fish stop biting!!

Any trip to San Diego should also be a beer vacation, regardless of the surf or the fish. The trio (beer, fish, and surf) is really quite intoxicating. I just got back from a trip down there and managed all three. You can come pretty close to touring all the major destination areas of the city by stopping by all the major breweries and brew pubs. And, yes, definitely don't miss Pizza Port.

[surfadelic23]

zoom6zoom,
Mmmmmm, Pizza Port! Ended up there every day I was visiting. Great beer, good food, fun vibe, and AWESOME guest taps to boot!
Need to get out there again.

[corysdad]

In a couple of weeks we are heading to south central Wisconsin to visit the Huber Brewery in Monroe, the New Glarus brewery in New Glarus and Capital Brewing in Middleton. Hope to bring home lots of liquid souvenirs. Not quite a vacation but a nice beer run.

[SoxyinMO]

Hitting two games in Kansas City this summer so going to try out some beer up that-a-way. My daughter & I went to the 75 th street brewery last summer; I was a bit disappointed as they didnt' have the beer I ordered and just chose for me instead of letting me make another choice. The ghetto growlers were a little wacky, too.

[Erin W]

As far as I'm concerned, any bar I visit at least 5 zipcodes away IS a vacation!:eek:

[Bloodaxe]

Generally when I'm on holiday or if I'm working away I scout the area for decent looking pubs THEN look for a bed and breakfast within reasonable walking distance, nowt worse than booking yourself into a place then finding only one crap pub who only serves crap keg beer!

[unkle bik]

The wife & I have cottage lined up for July in Door county, Wi. Anybody know of any breweries on the pennisula?
IIRC, somebody said of one in Sturgeon Bay.

[Osh]

The one in Sturgeon Bay is long gone. There was another one up the road a bit, maybe Sister Bay or Fish Creek that was quite forgetable. Your best bet up that way is Titletown in Green Bay. There's another one near there but can't remember the name right of hand.

[ontap78]

Me and the boys are going on a canoe camping trip into the Quetico in Ontario. No cans, bottles allowed. Why is this beer related you ask? Because I'll be damn thirsty for a beer when I get out of the bush and I'll have been thinking and fantisizing about beer for a whole week. Probably won't see a proper beer until I get home though. I do this every year so I'm used to it. It's my week of purification and oneness with nature and all that happy horse shit.

[eppie]

I always try to look for local beer when we're out of town. It's just another reason we don't go to France that often even though the border is only 40 min away. Dutch border too for that matter (we usually head South and stay in Belgium).
Our last trip was with my folks who came to visit a few weeks ago. We went down to Bastogne for a bit of WWII tourism and were a 15 minute drive form Achouffe. Very pretty small village with a pretty dammed good brewery, La Chouffe. We ate there, and my Dad bought a case of thier newest beer Houblon. They call it an IPA Triple. We got it home (they didn't have on tap to taste) and found out it is intended purely for export TO THE US. Good news for me is that pops didn't want to lug 8 75ml bottles home, if he can find them in Bev Mo in a few months. They are now aging in my celler (that's upstairs ironically enogh).
Just in case you're wondering, The Houblon is pretty good. It's really an over hopped version of La chouffe. They use Saaz, Amarillo and Tomahawk hops. I think it doesn't have the balance of La Chouffe, but am really interested to see how it tastes in a year or so.
________
condo Pattaya sale (http://pattayaluxurycondos.com)

[gone_fishing]

Generally speaking all of my vacation time is spent going to the American Bass Anglers national finals tournament, which is always many many miles away. This year I'm taking one of my weeks at the end of this month and driving to Fort Leonard Wood for my son's graduation from Army MP school. Wife has never seen any of our country so I decided to make a road trip out of it. I have a commercial driver's license, so unless I have a beer in the hotel bar I'm not likely to drink anything on the trip.

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by sharkstewbrewer
Come to Maine, you could spend yer whole vacation traveling from pub to pub and breweries

http://travel.mainetoday.com/todo/tastes/beerlist.shtml

The wife and I will be in New England from early May to early June and though not entirely beer oriented I'm certainly planning on hitting a few places that I've heard you guys talk about a lot.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by gone_fishing
Generally speaking all of my vacation time is spent going to the American Bass Anglers national finals tournament, which is always many many miles away. This year I'm taking one of my weeks at the end of this month and driving to Fort Leonard Wood for my son's graduation from Army MP school. Wife has never seen any of our country so I decided to make a road trip out of it. I have a commercial driver's license, so unless I have a beer in the hotel bar I'm not likely to drink anything on the trip.

I recently bought a prpfessioal alco sensor so I could see what my BAC content is after dinner out and a beer or two. If I have more than two my wife always drives but I was curious. I've only used it once. I had three Mai tais with a meal at Charlie Changs. I registered .03. I'm keeping the sensor in my car. I can give you the links for a couple places that sell these if you want.

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by chazwicke
I recently bought a prpfessioal alco sensor What are the legal limits in US states ?

[corkybstewart]

The limits vary from state to state. Here in New Mexico the limit is .08, but the police have the discretion to arrest you at any limit if they decide you are intoxicated.

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by corkybstewart
The limits vary from state to state. Here in New Mexico the limit is .08, but the police have the discretion to arrest you at any limit if they decide you are intoxicated.

What's the point of having a limit then ?

[Bloodaxe]

The limits are set like it or not, here in England you can drink 2 pints of moderate strength beer before being over the limit but drink anything higher in alcohol content and you could be in trouble. The law does NOT say that you are inebriated and therefore unfit to drive, merely that you are over the limit allowed. In the UK that means a driving ban of at least a year, plus a fine.
This is all very well of course but a lad I know can get pissed on a chocolate liquer- so low is his capacity, but he'd still be legal to drive!

[corkybstewart]

When my wife was a bartender there was a customer who got completely smashed halfway through his second Budweiser. I thought he must be drinking somewhere else before, but over the months that he came in I realized 1 Budwieser was his max limit. So he could be well under the "limit" and not be able to drive.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by Stahlsturm
What are the legal limits in US states ?

The limit in all 50 states is now .08%. The states were all blackmailed into accepting this limit by the Federal Govt. which threatened to hold up Highway funds. The last state capitulated last year. If you are arrested for under the .08 legal limit you have a good chance of having your case dropped. But It'll cost you the attorney fees possibly. I used to work in traffic court many years ago. We saw cases dropped all the time. But that was in the days before MADD. I never drive when I've had more than 2.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by corkybstewart
When my wife was a bartender there was a customer who got completely smashed halfway through his second Budweiser. I thought he must be drinking somewhere else before, but over the months that he came in I realized 1 Budwieser was his max limit. So he could be well under the "limit" and not be able to drive.

Alcoholic women can get drunk very easily. Apparently they lack an enzyme that breaks down alcohol or something like that.

[xtalman]

Originally posted by chazwicke
The limit in all 50 states is now .08%. The states were all blackmailed into accepting this limit by the Federal Govt. which threatened to hold up Highway funds. The last state capitulated last year. If you are arrested for under the .08 legal limit you have a good chance of having your case dropped. But It'll cost you the attorney fees possibly. I used to work in traffic court many years ago. We saw cases dropped all the time. But that was in the days before MADD. I never drive when I've had more than 2.

I thought I read somewhere that some states are now considering dropping the limit farther. Pretty stupid idea, but it probably originated from MADD which is finding it self irelavent now a days.

[xtalman]

Originally posted by chazwicke
Alcoholic women can get drunk very easily. Apparently they lack an enzyme that breaks down alcohol or something like that.

This has also been found is some asian's also IIRC.

[Bloodaxe]

Yeah, there are occasional proposals to drop the limit in the UK too. Pointless, I think as it's not the guy who's trying to stick to the limit that's the problem, it's the people who flagrantly ignore it, get well tanked up and then drive.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by xtalman
I thought I read somewhere that some states are now considering dropping the limit farther. Pretty stupid idea, but it probably originated from MADD which is finding it self irelavent now a days.

You would be correct. MADD wants to see the limit dropped to .05% But even some of their own members feel this is too far. If you enjoy that pint of beer or glass of wine with dinner at a restaurant, be vigilant. Soon it might be illegal to do so.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by Bloodaxe
Yeah, there are occasional proposals to drop the limit in the UK too. Pointless, I think as it's not the guy who's trying to stick to the limit that's the problem, it's the people who flagrantly ignore it, get well tanked up and then drive.

This is the situation here too. most accidents are caused by the habitual or repeat offender. Not the average joe.

[corkybstewart]

Unfortunately in the eyes of the law you're a first time offender when you do get caught, even though you do it every night. But back to the thread we've kind of finalized our vacation plans. We'll spend July in France with a one week side trip. My wife wants to go back to Belgium, I want to go to Germany. Maybe I'll be a good husband and not argue with her.

[chazwicke]

Hope the Riots are over in France by then. Bad situation there the last week. France is a lovely country. I've enjoyed all of my visits there.

on the breathalyzers:

http://alcometers.com/?osCsid=28f4ee0f31665f2e47ff7227cdda6963

http://www.alcolyzer.com/

This is the model I ordered:

http://www.alcolyzer.com/alcomatepro.html

[S.F.B.]

The only travel plans for our bunch this year is Colorado. Should be able to find some good beer there. Beer is always in the mix when we go somewhere. We don't necessarily plan around it but are always on the lookout for a brew pub or small brewery.

[corkybstewart]

Somebody will give in, either the government will back down or the school year will end and the students will run off to lay naked on the beach and forget about it for a while. I was hoping it would bring ticket prices down but so far not yet.

[wortchillergoal]

Hey guys, got a little computer time down here. I just had a great visit at Rendezvous. i will post more upon returning home.