Beer! Wed, Aug 07, 2019

Is drinking beer actually a hobby? Debatable. But exploring and traveling to different breweries certainly has become a hobby of mine over the last several years, so that’s what I’ll write about. I suppose it started when I lived in Chico, because having Sierra Nevada nearby was awesome, and when I moved back over here, I was missing having a go-to brewery to hit up, so I started branching out in search of new ones. It’s now become such a hobby of mine and my husband’s, that we’ve planned several vacations all around this hobby, traveling to the breweries on our bucket list and usually coming home with a few shirts to prove it. Aside from the beer itself, which is fun to taste in flights, we enjoy the natural vibes that come along with breweries. The best ones are usually full of down to earth people who are enjoying themselves and are happy to meet other beer connoisseurs, and of course, good food! One example of this is an elderly couple named Art and Melva that we met on the famed “Ale Trail” in Bend, Oregon last year. They liked us so much that they ended up tagging along with us to several breweries throughout our trip, and we keep in touch via Facebook to this day. They even invited us to come stay with them next time we visit. Below are some of our favorites: 

Jack Russel Brewing (Upper Left)...a local classic.

Coronado Brewing (Upper Right) was picture perfect, just steps from the beautiful beach! Also I highly recommend their carne asada fries.

Deschutes (Bottom Left) is one of my all-time favorite breweries, so touring it in Bend was amazing. Fun fact -- this was the only beer we served at our wedding

10 Barrel Brewing Company (Bottom Right) in Bend, OR. This one was awesome because one side of the bar was outside on the patio, and it actually started snowing on us as we finished up our flight! One of our favorite memories.

A few more of our favorites not pictured:

Stone Brewing (Both the SD & Napa locations)

Bike Dog Brewing (Sacramento, CA)

Red Bus Brewing (Folsom, CA)

Belching Beaver (SD, CA)

We’re going to a wedding in September in Georgia, so we’re already planning on hitting up SweetWater Brewing in Atlanta, and end of this year we are planning a brewery trip to Colorado. And of course Ireland for the Guinness factory is on the list for 2020. Cheers! 🍻