boozy adventures // it’s five o’clock somewhere

Bad news. I had full intentions of taking loads of photos at the Kennett Square Brewfest on Saturday. I envisioned an amazing photo round-up of my boozy adventures! Unsurprisingly, I woke up Sunday morning without a single snap captured.

The good news is, Brewfest wasn’t my first alcohol-devoted travel adventure.  In fact, I’ve tallied up a pretty impressive roster of distillery visits, wine tastings, and brewery tours over the years.

The Guinness Storehouse: Dublin, Ireland // So, it’s not really a factory and Guinness hasn’t been brewed here in like, a lot of years, but the museum-like setup is a great way to see the history of the brewery. The price of your ticket includes a pint of Guinness. You can either redeem your ticket at the Gravity Bar on the top floor. There you’ll find amazing 360 degree views of Dublin. Or you can trade in your ticket and learn how to pull your own pint, which is way more fun. Plus, they give you a certificate at the end, so you have proof when you brag to your friends at home.

The Jameson Distillery: Dublin, Ireland // The Jameson Distillery offers group tours through the Distillery and ends with a whiskey tasting. After the tour, make a stop in the giftshop. They even sell certain bottles that you can’t buy anywhere else in the world. For a extra few euros, they’ll print you a personalized label (perfect for father’s day gifts!)

G.H. Mumm Champagne Tour & Tasting: Reims, France // G.H. Mumm’s offers a great tour of their caves and winery. Plus, they offer tours in all different languages, for those who can’t parlez the francais. Afterwards, you can take part in a Champagne tasting in their beautiful bar area. Best of all, dapper-looking French men in suits and white gloves do the pouring. Très bon.

Bushmills Whiskey Distillery // The Bushmills Distillery is a long trek from any big town in Northern Ireland, but the drive there along the Antrim Coast is one of the most scenic drives I’ve ever been on. We didn’t have time to take a tour of the distillery. We stopped just long enough to do a quick tasting at the bar, and pick up a few souvenir bottles.

Brooklyn Brewery: Brooklyn, New York // It took me six months of living in Manhattan to make the trek to the outer boroughs but the promise of cheep beer was enough to lure me across the Hudson in February. Brooklyn Brewery offers tours, but the real fun is the giant great room. It’s lined with big wooden tables where you can camp with friends for the day. You can actually carry in food here (orrrr get it delivered if you’re lazy like us) but you have to get there early. The tables fill up quickly. $20 buys you six tokens, which you can swap at the bar for any of their seasonal micro-brews.

Whether you consider yourself a wino or not, all of these trips were worthwhile and a super interesting alternative to standard history lessons. Drink up, friends.

slainte,
the wino

– all photos are my own