Beer Trip

Recently, I've been thinking about an idea I have for taking a trip. I want to take a week-long trip to an area within the U.S. that has a high concentration of craft breweries and brewpubs. I think I would fly there, rent a car, and book a different hotel each night near various breweries. It would be fun to visit 1, 2, or even 3 breweries in a day. I could also try to squeeze in lunch and/or dinner at a brewpub each day. I would make my way back to the hotel by foot or by taxi, sleep for the night, and get up the next morning so I can drive to the next hotel and set of breweries. It seems like the perfect vacation to me!

When I first started thinking about this trip, I had an area in mind. I thought California would be perfect. There are tons and tons of breweries in that state. I could fly into San Francisco and work my way north. By doing that, I could hit breweries like Anchor, 21st Amendment, Pyramid, Moylan's, Lagunitas, Mendocino, and North Coast. Plus, I have never been to northern California so it would be totally new to me. It would probably require more driving than I'd like, though. I decided I should consider a different area.

In my research I believe I've found the ultimate place to take a trip like this — Colorado. I've been to Colorado, and it's a beautiful place. Last time I visited, I was able to hit 3 breweries and a brewpub in one city! There are a lot of quality craft breweries all within a 32 mile radius from Longmont, which is just north of Denver. In fact, I'm getting excited just thinking about the "small" list that I made:

In Denver - Great Divide, Breckenridge

In Longmont - Oskar Blues, Left Hand

In Boulder - Avery, Boulder Beer

In Fort Collins - Odell, New Belgium, Fort Collins Brewery

And this isn't all of them. There are also a bunch of brewpubs in this area for solving the hunger/thirst combo.

Someday, I'm going to take this trip. It's just a matter of time (and $$$). Have any of you taken a trip like this, or do you want to? What areas do you think would be great for this? Let me know in the comments.