As recently as 10 years ago, most self-respecting beer nerds could conduct a fairly thorough sweep of the nation’s craft offerings by simply scouring the shelves at a local bottle shop, BevMo, or Whole Foods. Cyclical as the craft beer revolution has become, it has also taken on elements of the microcosmic: that previously self-contained walk up and down the aisles of your local store now has a larger-scale, yet parallel equal. People hike, drive, and fly for their beer now, and this article seeks to determine which ones are worth the trouble.
A caveat: obviously, a great deal of this is contextual. If you live, for example, just outside Tillamook, Oregon or in the woods of Greensboro, VT, the breweries on this list won’t be too hard to find. Still, the vast majority of drinkers will have to make a trek. Here, then, are the greatest returns for your trekking.
Hill Farmstead Brewery
Greensboro, VT
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Neither Hill Farmstead’s location nor their quality are that closely guarded anymore—being voted Best Brewery in the World by RateBeer.com can do that—but the physical trek to the brewery remains no less of a challenge. The route takes you on winding dirt roads that snake through the Vermont forest, cell reception is almost nil and, aside from the brewery itself, there’s not a whole hell of a lot else out there. But your tenacity is rewarded with some of the best beers in the world at beyond-reasonable prices, a breathtakingly scenic area to drink them in, and a staff that stays friendly and helpful throughout the growler-fill rush. Taps and bottles rotate, but you’ll typically get to try at least one IPA or pale ale, at least one saison, and at least one stout or porter. There are almost always great bottles to go, including some from friends of the brewery, like Anchorage and Mikkeller.
Tip: Shaun is in the middle of adding extra brewing space and a proper tasting room, but still—we cannot stress this enough—put on your patient pants. Hill Farmstead is a destination, an experience, and is worthy of savoring. Also take care to read the growler policy, helpfully posted on the brewery website. You’ll save yourself, the staff, and other patrons a lot of hassle.
Amicas Pizza & Microbrew
Salida, Colorado
This one is a bit of a sentimental entry. Translating to “exit” in Spanish, Salida is located in the far west of Colorado, about a three-hour bus ride from the Denver Greyhound station, at 7,000-foot elevation and with a population of 5500 people. I worked there for a summer in between semesters of graduate school, carving out Arizona Trail connectors and repairing fishing accesses for the Southwest Conservation Corps. Our projects generally went in two-week hitches, followed by three or four days off. After dropping our gear off at the home office and debriefing, our team would walk back into town and stuff our faces with Amicas’ wood-fired pizzas and refreshing, nourishing craft brews.
The brewery boasts the usual fare—a thirst-quenching blond ale, a solid IPA—but keep on the lookout for the more esoteric stuff: that entire summer, they poured a chocolate milk stout on nitro that resembled a liquefied 80% cocoa bar. Their green chile ale is more a curiosity than anything, but if you’re out that way anytime soon, spring for a pour of Infinite Search, their imperial oatmeal stout—a chocolatey, coffee-like nightcap.
Tip: Nurse your inevitable hangover at the Café Dawn, a converted garage, just a few blocks away. The coffee is first-rate, and the chorizo wraps will sate any hiker’s hunger. Tell them Josh sent you. They’ll have no idea what that means.
Oxbow Brewing Company
Newcastle, ME
Oxbow just opened a brand-spanking new tasting room—Oxbow Bottling and Blending—in downtown Portland late last year, and it’s really cool: half a dozen beers on draft, mostly session-strength offerings at good prices. But if you really want to dig into what makes these folks tick, make the trek out to Newcastle, a ninety-minute drive outside of Portland. A farmhouse brewery in the truest sense, the place is basically in the middle of the woods, and features beers as rustic as the environment in which they’re crafted: their flagship Farmhouse Pale Ale sits serenely at the crossroads of saison, pale ale, and sour; La Griseta, a 3.8% ABV farmhouse ale, derives its palate-pleasing tartness from mixed fermentation. And look for any of Oxbow’s constantly-evolving Freestyle series—they’ll be sure to please, not to mention confound.
