10 Great Beer Lover's Hotels Across America, from Vermont to California
As America’s craft brewing movement continues to explode, beer tourism is becoming big business. Hardcore beer lovers regularly make hops-fueled pilgrimages to Vermont’s Hill Farmstead and California’s Russian River, and hotels such as Los Angeles’s Four Points by Sheraton and Denver’s Brown Palace offer extensive brew programs. At the same time, beer makers have responded by opening beer-themed hotels and bed-and-breakfasts. From an Oregon farmhouse hidden among hop fields to the Milwaukee brewery where Pabst Blue Ribbon was once made, here are our favorite American lodgings to grab a brew and some shut-eye too.
This is Foaming at the Mouth, Joshua M. Bernstein’s hopped-up adventures in the ever-expanding universe of beer. And yes, he would like another round, please.
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery1/10The Beachy Beer Getaway: Dogfish Inn, Delaware
This summer, Dogfish Head opened a 16-room hotel a quick Frisbee toss from Lewes Beach. “It’s for people who embrace the beach lifestyle,†says Dogfish founder and president Sam Calagione. To that end, there’s a kayak launch and a library filled with beach reads curated by City Lights Bookstore, plus a fire pit for folks to gather round and drink beer. Since alcohol is not sold at the inn, you can stock up at the super-close R & L Liquors. “We want people to go out into the world, get their beer, and bring it back,†Calagione says.
Must-drink: Dogfish's gently sour, peach-infused Festina Pêche, preferably from the great glassware found in each room.
Best use of beer paraphernalia: Uh, where to start? From the Dogfish-brand soap and shampoo to Chicory Stout Coffee, the brewery’s touch is everywhere you look.
Drinking day trip: You’ll want to visit Dogfish Head’s Rehoboth Beach brewpub and production brewery in Milton. Remember to grab some brews for the room.
Rogue Brewery2/10The Brewer's Bunk: Rogue Bed ’n Beer, Oregon
Back when he was working the graveyard shift at Rogue’s first brewpub, in Newport, Oregon, Brett Joyce would spend nights cleaning kegs before catching a catnap and returning to work. “There would be weeks at the time where I didn’t leave the building,†says Joyce, now the brewery’s president. His experience led Rogue to open a three-room hotel just above the brewpub, with apartment-style amenities that include washing machines. “We thought that it was logical that if you came to Rogue, you could have some beer, have some food, and then stagger up 14 steps to your room,†____ Joyce says.
Must-drink: The rich and malty Dead Guy Ale.
____Best perk: The fridges are stocked with two complimentary 22-ounce bottles of Rogue beer.
Dog days: Canines are also welcome to crash in your bedroom.
Rogue3/10The Agrarian Getaway: Rogue Hop ’n Bed, Oregon
Like Rogue’s lodgings? You’re in luck: After leaving Newport, head inland to Independence, Oregon, where Rogue’s 42-acre hop field features free-range fowl and a farmhouse that bygone field hands once called home. Guests can wander the lush hop fields (harvest season hits in August), play lawn games, and then sample beers made with Rogue-grown ingredients. “You can have a full hop experience,†Joyce says.
Must-drink: The aromatic Rogue Farms 7 Hop IPA, best sampled in the on-site tasting room.
Best use of beer paraphernalia: The walls are adorned with historic pictures of hop farming.
Brewery day trip: Drive to nearby Salem to visit globally inspired Santiam, locally driven Salem Ale Works, and the innovative Gilgamesh.
Calistoga Inn4/10The Wine-Country Escape: Calistoga Inn, California
Nearly 30 years ago, there were no breweries in Napa County. That changed in 1987, when the owners of California’s Calistoga Inn opened the Napa Valley Brewing Company. Today, numerous breweries now call the region home, and the Calistoga serves as an ideal launchpad for a NorCal beer-cation. After getting settled in to the bright, comfortable, and decidedly non-kitschy rooms—no beer trays on the walls—head to the beer garden to grab a picnic table. It’s a relaxing perch to spend an eve working your way through the well-crafted lineup of classic pilsners, red ales, porters, and stouts.
Must-drink: The refreshing Calistoga Wheat Ale.
Water, water everywhere: The brewery is located in the property’s old water tower.
Drinking day trip: Thirty minutes away you’ll find Russian River Brewing, which makes some of the country’s finest IPAs and sour ales.
Liz Devine5/10The Quirky: McMenamins Kennedy School, Oregon
Few companies have embraced the beer-hotel concept quite like McMenamins. Its chain of 24 Pacific Northwest breweries counts nine with lodgings, including the Kennedy School in Portland, Oregon. Built inside a circa-1915 elementary school, Kennedy features guest rooms equipped with chalkboards, an auditorium turned movie theater, and a boiler room repurposed as a multilevel bar. Rack up the pool table, then order a few ales crafted at the on-site Concordia brewery.
Must-drink: The piney Hammerhead Ale.
Drinking day trip: Sour-beer lovers should hit Cascade Brewing Barrel House, while Breakside crafts lovely IPAs, pilsners, and culinary-inspired stouts.
Beer-hotel backup: Rooms booked? Twenty minutes from Portland sits Edgefield, a former farmstead that McMenamins turned into a massive drinking and entertainment hotel complex that includes both 12-hole and 20-hole golf courses.
Fredericksburg Brewing6/10The Old-Timey Hotel: Fredericksburg Brewing Company Bed & Brew, Texas
Head 90 minutes due west of Austin and you’ll hit Fredericksburg, home to the state’s oldest brewpub. Housed in a historic 1890s building in the heart of downtown, the complex includes a sprawling biergarten, a restaurant slinging schnitzel and bratwurst, German-style ales and lagers on tap, and a dozen rustic guest rooms with themes like “cowboy,†“hunters,†and “bordello.â€
Must-drink: The German-style Hauptstrasse Helles, which garnered a gold medal at 2008’s Great American Beer Festival.
Best beer perk: Guests receive a free four-beer sampler every night of their stay.
Brewery day trip: An hour east you’ll find Jester King, which concocts some of the best farmhouse-style beers in Texas—and the country.
Brewhouse7/10The History-Buff Haven: Brewhouse Inn and Suites, Wisconsin
For more than 150 years, the downtown Milwaukee brewery cranked out Pabst Blue Ribbon. But after the plant shuttered in 1996, the once-majestic structure was allowed to crumble and rust, its future uncertain. Instead of demolition, developer Gorman & Company converted the brewery into a 90-room boutique hotel, which opened last year. Yes, rooms contain PBR ice pitchers and copper brewing kettles adorn the atrium, but the vibe is more modern steampunk than Cheers.
Best use of beer paraphernalia: The massive stained-glass window featuring the jolly patron saint of beer, King Gambrinus.
Best brewery day trip: Visit Lakefront Brewery, which has anchored the riverfront since 1987.
Must-drink: PBR, of course.
Woodstock Inn8/10The Wannabe-Brewer Paradise: Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery, N.H.
Sure, you can buy a couple of pots and try to brew at home, but it’s far more fun to learn from the pros at this New Hampshire brewery-hotel headquartered in the White Mountains. During one of Woodstock’s frequent Brewer’s Weekends, you’ll receive hands-on brewing instructions from Woodstock’s brewing crew, capped by a celebratory dinner. Feast to your heart’s content. Your Victorian-style room is just steps away. ____
Must-drink: The nutty Pig’s Ear Brown Ale.
Dining must-do: In nearby South Royalton, Vermont, you’ll find Worthy Burger, which serves hardwood-grilled hamburgers alongside sought-after beers from cultish Vermont breweries including Lawson’s Finest Liquids and Hill Farmstead.
Winter wonderland: The Woodstock Inn is a popular jumping-off point for the local ski resorts.
Trapp Family Lodge9/10The Kid-Friendly Resort: Trapp Family Lodge, Vermont
A few years back, I found myself at Vermont’s Austrian-inspired Trapp Family Lodge (that’d be The Sound of Music’s famous family). While my wife snowshoed, I spent a pleasant afternoon drinking the resort’s European-inspired lagers. “Don’t you want to come along?†she asked. “I’m quite fine,†I said, ordering another darkly refreshing Dunkel Lager. Something for her. Something for me. My advice: Ask for a mountain-view room. During the summer, scenic hikes will keep outdoor fans content, while kids can fly kites, go on scavenger hunts, and fish.
Must-drink: The amber Vienna Lager packs a subtle bitterness.
Must-get gift: Made in Germany, the half-liter ceramic beer stein is a sturdy as it is handsome.
Dining must-do: First-rate barbecue and craft brews are on offer at close-by Waterbury’s Prohibition Pig. Order one of the world’s greatest double IPAs, the Alchemist’s Heady Topper, on tap.____
Rare Brick10/10The New England Knockout: Ale House Inn, N.H.
Here’s what I love about Portsmouth’s Ale House Inn: Upon checking in, you’re given a welcome beer from local brewery Smuttynose. What else would you expect from a hotel housed in a brick warehouse where the departed Portsmouth Brewing Company once stored its kegs? While the vibe veers nautical (etched-glass anchors, oars, and coiled rope adorn the lobby), the hotel does not forget its historical roots: You can order six-packs of beer delivered to your fridge. P.S. The excellent Portsmouth Brewery is a short stroll away.
Must-drink: Smuttynose Bouncy House, the brewery’s new low-alcohol IPA.
Brewery road trip: Some of Portsmouth’s weirdest and most wonderful beer is found at Earth Eagle Brewings. Try the hop-free gruits.
Dining must-do: Right across the bridge in Kittery, Maine, you’ll find Black Birch, which partners hearty fare (hello, deep-fried short rib) with well-curated craft beer. Try anything from Maine Beer or Oxbow.