The weather leaving Pittsburgh was dangerously
wet—Nicole and I’d be less drenched if we drove under Niagara Falls. Piling on the problems was the fact the
streets were utterly unfamiliar.
However, with the help of GPS and sailor-worthy cursing on my part, we
found the interstate and continued eastward towards the Beer Bloggers Conference.
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| SkyRush's first drop |
We camped in central Pennsylvania, awoke, and once
again indulged in some roller coaster action at Hersheypark. With eleven coasters (of which we rode all),
Hersheypark was by far the largest park we’d yet visited on our marathon
road-trip to the Atlantic. Thankfully,
it wasn’t insanely crowded. In fact, we
were able to log-in three go-arounds on thir newest ride, SkyRush. SkyRush is pretty rad because, of the four
seats in a row, the outermost hang over the edges of the track, dangling riders
in the void. It adds a touch more thrill
to an already intense coaster.
After leaving Hershey, Nicole and I headed towards our next destination,
Long Valley, New Jersey, where we claimed a campsite and—true to our nature—employed
the use of our smartphones to search for the nearest brewery. In this case, it happened to be the Long Valley Pub & Brewery (LVPB).
For those who watch too much The Sopranos and Jersey Shore and for those who buy into
New York City’s propagandistic teasing, one might assume one can’t swing a dead
cat in Jersey without hitting a goombah, a fake-tanned tool, or a
landfill. However, fans of Zach Braff might recall Jersey’s nickname: The Garden State. After negotiating the drive to the brewery in
Long Valley, the reason for the epithet becomes abundantly clear. The narrow, windy country roads navigating
through old-growth forests, farmlands, stone walls, and cottages is less GTL and more 4-H.
We turned right at the first traffic light we’d seen
for miles, drove up a small incline, and arrived at the brewery. I’m a big proponent for the industrial area
brewery (See: Strange Brewing Company, CAUTION: Brewing Co., and Yellow SpringsBrewery) because they turn shady neighborhoods into craft beer destinations
that regular, law-abiding consumers will visit without trepidation. They are the breweries that inspire
communities, the breweries that transform land largely deemed worthless into
sudsy paradises. Do you want to hang out
by the old factory amid the smoke-belching smokestacks? No, nobody does unless there’s beer involved; in which case, I’m already there. That’s the magic of a brewery brave enough to
tread where other businesses fear.
Then again, I can’t help but fall in love with breweries
located in already-awe-inspiring locations.
Stone Brewing Co.’s Old Testament-esque beer garden? Awesome.
The Church Brew Works from the day before? Literally divine. LVPB belongs in this group; the structure in
which it resides is already beautiful and the brewery within just adds to the
allure. With a stone façade, vaulted,
wood ceilings, and general grandeur, one might think that LVPB—like The
Church—was built in a decommissioned cathedral.
The truth, however, is more secular yet nonetheless inspirational; the brewery is in a barn!
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| Inside LVPB |
This monument to the rustic boasts an extensive,
rock-tiled patio (a feature not included in the original design, I’m guessing). The weather that day—for probably the first
time on our entire trip—was neither rainy nor oppressively hot so we opted to
enjoy our brews outside. The
pub-on-the-moors ambiance of the interior with its fireplace, wrought iron, and
stained wood was certainly appealing but I elect to drink in the great outdoors
whenever reasonable. I ordered the
oak-aged version of their Lazy Jake Porter (ABV N/A). It’s a sufficient beer and the vanilla notes
from the oak shine through but it isn’t necessarily the type of beer that makes
one stand up and rejoice. Lazy Jake isn’t
a bad beer by any means but, when compared to the picturesque, pastoral setting,
anything could be outperformed by the surroundings—the Hope Diamond wouldn’t
shine as bright if brought to LVPB. Let’s
just say Lazy Jake is a “good beer” because that’s accurate—it just isn’t
outstanding (despite the accolades).
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| Inside LVPB |
We camped for the night and in the morning pointed
north. That day, we drove through
five—count ‘em five—states! It’s easy to lose perspective on size when
living in a vast, western state where one can drive for hours and never cross a
border, where citizens explore remote corners of their home state like it’s a
foreign land, and where the beauty and splendor makes one wonder why anybody
lives anywhere else. Indeed, compared to
the West, all those New England states just seem so damn cute! Oh, who’s a little
state? Who’s a little state? You
are! Yes you are! Oh, yes you are! Cootchie, cootchie, coo!
Due to our GPS’s terrible route judgment (it gained
my trust in Pittsburgh and lost it in New York), we drove through Manhattan—during
rush hour. That was a tense drive, to
say the least. Oh, don’t you worry about
me, though, worry about the locals; I may have been born a small town boy but I
out-aggro’d those damn Yankee commuters like I was in a soft-core demolition
derby. I may not be accustomed to such
heavy traffic but I have driven the
Million Dollar Highway with over two inches of solid ice on the road, through
three feet of snowy visibility, and with temperatures hovering around negative
ten. After that, Manhattan’s a leisurely
cruise through the countryside.
We crossed into Connecticut and then into Rhode
Island where we made a brief stop in Providence to visit a brewery that may
sound familiar to Colorado beer geeks: Trinity Brewhouse (not TRiNiTY BREWiNG COMPANY).
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| Trinity |
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| Inside Trinity |
Trinity Brewhouse is located on a corner storefront
near downtown and derives its name from the Trinity Square neighborhood in
which it resides (Trinity Square? Oxymoronic much?). The place gives off a vague
Boulder-on-the-water vibe; crunchy, hippie bumper stickers plastered about,
colorful and carnival-esque artwork, and a general aura exuding an eco-friendly,
socially-liberal mindset. Yep, that
sounds like Boulder, except Trinity puts the nautical spin on it with their
beer list painted on oars.
We had a sample platter consisting of Kӧlsch (3.5%
ABV), IPA (7.4% ABV), Tommy’s Red (4.5% ABV), Belgian Saison (4% ABV), Belgian
Strawberry (11% ABV), and Larkin’s Irish Stout (4.5% ABV). Call me a sissy if you want but the
strawberry beer was the best of the platter; it’s subtle on the titular fruit
and big on Belgian yeasty goodness.
Heck, it’s 11% ABV so, really, it was the manliest beer there! Tommy’s was also semi-memorable for its pronounced
hop flavor among balancing malts.
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| Excuse my dopey look at Trinity |
After Trinity, we kept on our route and camped in our
fifth state of the day: Massachusetts. I
swear to you, we will eventually get
to a point in these posts where we’ll talk about the actual Beer Bloggers
Conference. We’re just not at that
point.
Prost!
Chris
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