Beer! It’s what’s for dinner.

OK, maybe it wasn’t the actual meal, but since I like really dark, heavy beers, they are like a meal in a glass.

On our trip to Vermont and New Hampshire, we made sure to hit as many local brewpubs and breweries as we could.   In fact, we actually drank enough beer last weekend to prompt Beer Geek to suggest skipping a brewpub because he was “brewpubbed out”.  Sadly, I actually felt the same way.  Not because we had drunk that heavily (we didn’t) or because the food wasn’t good (it was).  We were just tired and wanted to get home.  ;o)

Our first stop (Thursday) on the trip was Brown’s Brewing in Troy, NY.  We shared a sampler of their beers and I fell in love with their Whiskey Porter.  It tasted a lot like my beloved Dragon’s Milk, but had a lower alcohol content.  This is a good thing.  ;o)  (Tip:  If you visit a brewpub, always ask if they offer a sampler.  This gives you the opportunity to try a small amount of a variety of beers for a small amount of money.)  Brown’s actually bottles, so we left with a six pack of Oatmeal Stout and a big bottle of the Whiskey Porter.  Yum!

Our second brewpub of the trip (Friday) was Norwich Inn’s Brewpub in Norwich, VT.  We stopped there on our crazy day hitting all the fun things to do in Vermont.  Again, we did a sampler and ended up buying a bottle to go.  Even better was my hamburger made from local beef with vermont cheddar and homemade ketchup.  (I love eating and drinking “local”!) (Another tip:  brewpubs have really good food ’cause not everyone comes for the beer.  Many also try to think local when it comes to the food they prepare.)

 Our third stop (Saturday) was at the Flying Goose Brew Pub in New London, NH.  This was right after the five mile race and I was STARVING.  I had a really good vegetarian chili, a huge salad, and another sampler.  ;o)

Finally, we hit the place that inspired the trip: Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT.  I love Harpoon.  Their Winter Warmer (not out yet) is one of my favorite winter beers every year.  When I found out that they had a fall race at their brewery that coincided with an Octoberfest, I knew I had to run it.  I couldn’t pull it off last year, but this year the stars aligned and I managed to talk Beer Geek AND my parents into a super long road trip to run and drink.  (Or in our case, drink and run).  We got there mid-afternoon on Saturday, grabbed our first beer, and then got in line for a tour.  Nevermind that we’ve toured more breweries than I can count!  We had to do it.

Because of the festival, we got a shortened tour and a beer at the end. On their regular tours, you actually get to taste some of the young beer right off the tanks and compare it to finished beer. I was really bummed we didn’t get to do that, but it was still fun. Beer Geek and I then hung out in the sun, drinking a few more beers while my parents took the boys hiking. (Yes, I do have my priorities straight. LOL)

The next day we hit the brewery again, but not for the beer. Sunday was the race, where I came home with the best swag I’ve ever gotten from a race.