Something’s brewing across the country and folks are pretty hopped up about it, including us. It’s beer, of course, and this once-humble, blue-collar beverage — which has roots tracing back to the ancient Babylonians, Egyptians and Incans — is definitely having a moment in the fermented sun.
Beer is staking its claim alongside wine at paired multicourse dinners, at hugely popular festivals, and as a magnet for travelers in search of boutique microbrews. So here are a few Kimpton beercation packages the dedicated hop-head in your life will want to take note of, as well as some of-the-moment suggestions from a few of our chefs about what brews they’re currently drinking.
Hotel Monaco Denver
The architecture at the Denver Art Museum isn’t the only cutting-edge thing in the city. Denver is ranked as the country’s no. 2 beer city.
Ranked no. 2 on Travel + Leisure’s list of America’s best beer cities, Denver is the urbane corner of Colorado’s Beer Triangle, which is rounded out (if it’s possible to round out a triangle) by Boulder and Fort Collins. The Monaco’s Drink Like a Denverite package includes a surprise, city-themed amenity, plus a pair of Monaco pint glasses. With your new favorite glasses in hand, take a walking tour of local breweries and pubs (thanks to a handy-dandy brewery walking map) and get your glasses filled for special discounted prices. Participating breweries include Epic Brewing Co. and Blue Moon Brewing Co.
Hotel Triton, San Francisco
Even when viewed without beer goggles, San Francisco is mighty pretty.
Despite being the gateway to one of the world’s great winemaking regions, the City by the Bay is another top T+L selection for a beercation. San Francisco’s affinity for beer goes back to its rough-and-tumble Barbary Coast days, and it’s home to one of the country’s oldest breweries, Anchor Brewing, which can trace its lineage back to 1871. With the Triton on Tap package, you’ll be greeted with an ice bucket stuffed with local beers and a couple of Triton steins to pour them into. You’ll also get tours of four of SF’s finest breweries: Magnolia Brewing Co., Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, ThirstyBear Brewing Co., and Triple Voodoo Brewery & Tap Room. Your San Francisco Brewers Guild map will take you on a self-guided tour to the rest of the city’s sudsy hotspots.
Lorien Hotel & Spa, Alexandria, VA
Drink like a patriot at Port City Brewing Co. Photo: Creative Commons/Bubby
The Colonial port city of Alexandria, VA, has a long history of brewing, and in the 19th century was home to the South’s largest brewery, which was also the city’s largest employer (man, that Prohibition sure was a job killer.) And Port City Brewing Co. continues the proud tradition. The Lorien’s Tap the Local Brewery package includes a couple of welcome beers from Port City, which you can chase with a tour and tasting at the brewery itself. A pair of keepsake pint glasses will make the trip home with you.
… And some recommendations from a few of our chefs:
Chef Thomas Dunklin, Three Degrees, Portland, OR
Big Black Jack Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter, Oakshire Brewing, Eugene, OR
Valhalla Red IPA, Elysian Brewing, Seattle, WA
Pecan Harvest Ale, Abita Brewing Co., Abita Springs, LA
Chef Donald Lockhart, Cusp Dining + Drinks, San Diego
Curieux, Allagash, Portland, ME
Lost and Found Abbey Ale, Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Sextant Oatmeal Stout, Ballast Point, San Diego
Chef Jay Silva, Bambara, Cambridge, MA
Festbier, Victory Brewing Co., Downingtown, PA
Harvest, Southern Tier Brewing Co., Lakewood, NY
