Beer Travel – Beer Trips – Beer Adventures
When people think of visiting the Pacific Northwest to experience the beer scene, they usually focus on either the Seattle area or the Portland area. Too often they forget about Spokane and its surrounding environs. There are plenty of reasons to visit the Spokane area, but the Inland Northwest is now a bona fide beer destination and the local breweries teamed up last year to issue a standing invitation to beer lovers.
Searching for good beer in wine country is a noble mission. We recently stumbled upon a brand new brewery in the heart of one of the world’s most prolific wine regions: Walla Walla, Washington’s Burwood Brewing Company.
Wine tourists are familiar with Walla Walla’s “airport wine district.” The remains of a World War II Air Force training base surround the Walla Walla Regional Airport. Today, more than 20 wineries, many within walking distance of each other, call the retired Air Force base home. Some wineries occupy old hangars, barracks, and other fossilized outbuildings, while some are located in newer buildings. And there you have it, Walla Walla’s airport wine district.
Outdoor adventurers of every class consider Hood River, Oregon one of North America’s premier locations for thrills and exploration. However, you can keep the snowboards, wind surfers, snowshoes or mountain bikes on top of the car or at home in the garage and still have a great time exploring this beautiful part of the world. (Pictured above: Acadian Farms & Brewery. Photo by Kim Sharpe Jones.)
You don’t need to be a thrill seeker to appreciate the magic of Hood River. The gorge also offers plenty of less-perilous forms of recreation for us chill seekers. For instance, Hood River and the surrounding area are home to no less than 10 breweries. Both sides of the Columbia River provide opportunities to explore breweries and seek significantly less-risky forms of entertainment. We call it the Gorge Brewery Loop (view in Google Maps).
Ninkasi Brewing invites friends and fans of the brewery to join them this September for a trip over the pond: a 7-day beer tour in Belgium. Jamie Floyd, the founder and top brewer at Ninkasi Brewing, serves as your host for Over the Pond: Belgium Bound with Ninkasi Brewing.
Working with Zephyr Adventures, Ninkasi created a first class beer itinerary, not to mention a delicious look at Belgium’s culture and history. Yes, you will taste a lot of beer and learn a lot about Belgium’s beer culture, but this tour also offers you a taste of the country’s delicious food, another important part of the “Burgundian lifestyle.”
We recently enjoyed a seven-day, beer-themed cruise aboard the Wilderness Adventurer. With only 40-something passengers aboard the small cruise ship, Seattle-based Un-cruise Adventures proved itself a different kind of cruise company, offering various levels of adventure and various types of fun to appeal to a wide range of cruisers. Our cruise included beer as part of the program. Kim and I happily served as hosts for the beer-fueled events along the way.
Most beer travelers around the Northwest fail to think of Astoria, Oregon as a worthwhile destination when planning their beer adventures. People imagine Fort George Brewing to be alone in the wilderness, but that is no longer the case. In fact, Astoria’s best-recognized brewery is not the city’s original brewery (Astoria Brewing holds that title) and Fort George has never been alone. Recently, new breweries have popped up on both the north and south sides of the mighty Columbia River and this micro-region is now even more worthy of attention from beer gypsies, with six breweries waiting to be explored.
Enjoy Downtown
Let’s face it, the greater Astoria area offers other breweries to visit, but staying within easy walking distance of Fort George Brewing is probably a good idea. That’s why I recommend staying downtown. There are several hotels within walking distance of the brewery and downtown Astoria still enjoys a small town vibe.
