A Working Vacation

The New York Times Travel section features a wonderful vacation option for brew geeks. Very few microbrew lovers (or home brewers) can afford the start up costs for their own brewery. Others can but prefer to keep beer as a hobby. Regardless of where you are on the brewing continuum one option is working at a brewery while you're on vacation.

The Times traveled to New Hampshire's Woodstock Inn Station and Brewery to speak with folks learning about the brewing process while making life easier for brewer Errol Chase. Of course, Dogfish Head has been offering a similar program for some time. The article also highlights unique vacation offerings by Sam Adams, Anheuser-Busch, and Rogue. You can find links to these programs in the article.

One option close to Washington, DC is the Shenandoah Brewing Company. While you can't help out the Brewmaster at Shenandoah you can check out the facility and make some home brew on site (with guidance from the experienced staff). You can also pick up some of their brews and requisite merchandise. All of this can be accomplished in a day trip to Shenandoah. You have to come back for a second visit within a couple of weeks to pick up your home brew.

Road trip anybody?