This was by far the longest trip of my life, both in time and in driving distance. I spent almost a year planning it. It would have been great to just "wing it", showing up at places whenever I got there. Unfortunately this is not possible when visiting breweries, because each one is open only at certain times. Some are open 7 days a week, but others as few as 3 days. Some open in the morning every day, while others might open early on weekends but not until late afternoon during the week. That's why this trip took lots of detailed planning.

Even after I'd planned everything out, I had to keep checking my preferred breweries' websites in the ensuing months to make sure things hadn't changed. Sure enough, at least 3 of them closed, one changed which days it was open, and another changed location. The closings were not surprising since the craft brewery market had reached its saturation point and many breweries were closing. After the number of craft breweries skyrocketed from about 1500 in 2010 to well over 9500 in early 2024, more breweries closed than opened throughout 2024 for the first time since 2005, and the trend was continuing into 2025.

I traveled in the spring because some of the national parks I would be visiting get very busy in summer, not to mention hot.

Tuesday April 1. First stop: Aslin Beer Company in Herndon VA (they have 4 other locations in Virginia, DC, and Pittsburgh).

Next was Ocelot Brewing.

After that it was on to Adroit Theory.

Then I visited my friends Roger and Karin in The Plains VA.

Wednesday April 2. Drove to Knoxville Tennessee and checked into a Super 8 by Wyndham. Walked to Austin's Steak and Homestyle Buffet for a buffet lunch. You know, to lay a base for the beer. Then I Ubered to Pretentious Beer Company.

Walked to Xul Beer Company, which has two locations. I was at the one on 5^th Ave.

Around the corner is Crafty Bastard Brewery, which has two locations. I was at the one on Emory Place.

Less than two blocks away is Next Level Brewing.

Walked to Abridged Beer Company's Oak Room.

Ubered back to the motel.

Thursday April 3. Drove to Abridged Beer Company's Cedar Bluff Headquarters.

Next stop: Orange Hat Brewing's Hardin Valley Road location.

Then I went to Southern Grist Brewing's East Nashville location (there is another location in town called Nations).

Checked in at the Knights Inn and walked to Monday Night Brewing.

A few blocks away is Bearded Iris Brewing's Germantown location (there is another location in town called Sylvan Supply).

My final brewery of the day was Barrique Brewing & Blending.

Walked back to the hotel

Friday April 4. Traveled westward for 9 hours, the longest single drive of the trip, because when I was mapping out my journey I couldn't find any places of interest in Arkansas, so I skipped that state. Checked into the OYO Hotel in Tulsa Oklahoma and Ubered to Heirloom Rustic Ales.

Walked to Nothing's Left Brewing.

Walked to American Solera Brewery's Tulsa location. I had visited this brewery in 2019 when it was located in another part of Tulsa and been very impressed with it.

Ubered back to the hotel.

Saturday April 5. Drove to Stillwater to visit the National Wrestling Hall of Fame because I was an avid wrestler for more than 30 years, plus it's near a brewpub.

A little over a mile away is Stonecloud Brewing's Stillwater location.

Went to American Solera Brewery's Edmond location.

Then I visited Will Rogers Park and Horticultural Gardens in Oklahoma City.

Blarney Inn in Shamrock Texas. Mesquite Canyon Steakhouse.

Sunday April 6. Went to Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

Then I stopped at Slug Bug Ranch, which has a bunch of Volkswagen Beetles sticking in the ground.

Then it was on to Cadillac Ranch, which has - you guessed it - a bunch of Cadillacs sticking in the ground.

Then I crossed into New Mexico and stopped at the World's Largest Flip Flop.

Drove to Moriarty and checked in at a Motel 6.

Monday April 7. Went to the Sandia Peak Tramway.

Went into Albuquerque and had a buffet lunch at Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse, which has over 100 locations in North America, South America, and the Middle East.

Then I went over to La Cumbre Brewing.

After that I continued westward to the Route 66 Neon Drive-Thru Sign.

Stopped at Junkyard on 66 Brewery, whose rating is average.

Checked in at another Motel 6 and walked to Elkins Brewing, which has a low Untappd rating, but I was in the middle of nowhere so what could I expect?

Walked back to the motel.

Tuesday April 8. Drove to El Malpais National Monument and hiked in the El Calderon area.

About 6 miles away is Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano.

It was 2½ hours to Petrified Forest National Park, but since Arizona does not recognize daylight saving time, it was only 1½ hours schedule-wise. Did a short hike from the Blue Mesa Trailhead.

Arrived in Winslow, checked into Earl's Route 66 Motor Court, and walked to the Tiny Church of the Mother Road (which is sometimes referred to as The World's Smallest Church, but that is a dubious claim since other churches claim to be smaller, e.g., Cross Island Chapel and Our Lady of the Pines).

Just down the street is Standin' on the Corner Park, a monument to the Eagles song Take it Easy, which mentions Winslow Arizona. The park has a flatbed Ford, which is also mentioned in the song.

Across the street is RelicRoad Brewing.

Walked back to the motel and crashed.

Wednesday April 9. About 20 minutes north of Winslow is Little Painted Desert County Park.

Just north of Winslow is Homolovi State Park.

About 20 minutes west of Winslow is Meteor Crater, also known as Barringer Crater because it's privately owned by the Barringer family. The best preserved meteorite crater on Earth, it is about 3900 feet in diameter, 560 feet deep, and surrounded by a rim that rises 148 feet above the surrounding plain.

A little over half an hour west of there is Walnut Canyon National Monument. Hiked the Island Trail and the Rim Trail.

Got to Flagstaff at X:00, checked in at the ?? Rodeway Inn, and visited some breweries. There were 5 in town, and since I would be staying here for two nights, I visited only 3 of them. None of them had a great Untappd rating, but it's not like I had better options. Mother Road Brewing.

Dark Sky Brewing.

Lumberyard Brewing.

Historic Brewing, which has 3 locations. I was at their Flagstaff barrel house.

Beaver Street Brewery, the lowest rated brewery in town.

Walked back to the motel.

Thursday April 10. About 20 minutes south of Flagstaff is Oak Creek Vista.

A little further south is West Fork of Oak Creek. There is a flat trail that is a little under 7 miles out-and-back.

Then I drove north, past Flagstaff, to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.

Not far away is Wupatki National Monument.

Drove back to Flagstaff, dropped my vehicle at the motel, and walked to

Friday April 11. Drove an hour and a half north to Grand Canyon National Park.

Wren House Brewing, which has 3 locations. I was at their Prairie Patio, which as of this writing is open only Friday to Sunday, 12:00-5:00 each day. This is the sort of place that makes planning trips difficult.

A bit south from there is Watson Lake.

Drove to Kingman and checked in at a Days Inn.

Saturday April 12. Left early and went to Shaffer Fish Bowl Spring.

Then I went down to SARA Park in Lake Havasu City and hiked the Crack in the Mountain Trail.

After that I drove to Twentynine Palms CA, checked into a Motel 6, and headed down to Joshua Tree National Park. (I could have camped in the park, but I wanted wifi.) This park's most popular months are March and April due to warm temperatures, clear skies, blooming wildflowers, and spring break.

Came back to the motel and crashed.

Sunday April 13. Left early for Joshua Tree.

I could have stayed another night in the motel, but there is a very highly rated brewery 2½ hours away that is open only Friday to Sunday (plus two other breweries walking distance from it, one of which is closed on Mondays), and since it was Sunday, I had to go. I checked into the La Quinta Inn in nearby Temecula, which is less than a mile from these breweries, and walked there. My friend Tony and his girlfriend Elisabeth met me. Tony and I have been friends since the 1980s and Elisabeth lived in Los Angeles.

Electric Brewing in Murrieta CA has no website, no phone number, and no email address. There is a Facebook enthusiasts page, but it's not run by the brewery. The only way to get up-to-date information is on its Instagram page.

A tenth of a mile away is Solaris Beer & Blending.

8Bit Brewing is a half mile away.

back to the La Quinta Inn

Monday April 14. In most states, a lot of breweries are closed on Mondays. Fortunately, California is not one of them. While some California breweries are closed on Mondays, most are open 7 days a week, so we were able to visit several today.

Societe Brewing has two locations. I arrived at their Kearny Mesa location when it opened at 11:00.

Next stop: Modern Times Beer, which has three locations (one is for private events only). I was at their North Park Flavordome.

Then we went to AleSmith Brewing.

A few minutes away is Ballast Point, which has 5 locations. I was at the one in Miramar, where the production facility had been until it was shut down a year earlier. As of this writing their beer is contract brewed.

Also a few minutes away is Pure Project's Miramar location (there are 6).

Checked in at an Motel 6 in Escondido and walked to Black Plague Brewing, the only brewery of the day that I'd never been to before. I had visited their location in Oceanside in 2018. Today I was at their Purgatory Lounge (they have a third location in North Park).

Walked back to the Econo Lodge

Tuesday April 15. Drove northward to Green Cheek Beer Company, which has 4 locations. I'd been to their location in Orange in 2023. Today I visited their location in Costa Mesa.

Then I went to a brewery called everywhere (yes, it begins with a lowercase letter).

I went up to Anaheim to Monkish Brewing's Beer Garden (their main location is in Torrance.

Went over to Bottle Logic, which I'd been to twice before and is one of my favorite breweries.

A few minutes away is The Bruery, which has another location in Idaho. I was at the one in Placentia.

Went up to Los Angeles, checked in at the XXX, and walked to Highland Park Brewery, which is just outside Dodger Stadium.

Down the street is Homage Brewing (which has another location in Pomona).

We then went to Elisabeth's place for the evening.

Wednesday April 16. Drove about 6 hours to Fieldwork Brewing, which has about 10 locations. I was at the one in Berkeley, which I had visited in 2018.

A few minutes away is Great Notion Brewing, which has 8 locations in California, Oregon, and Washington. I'd been to their location in Seattle in 2024. Today I was at the one in Berkeley.

Next was Ghost Town Brewing, which has two locations in Oakland: one in West Oakland (where I was) and one in the Laurel District.

Went to Almanac Beer Company in Alameda (I had been to their San Francisco location in 2018, which closed the following year).

About a quarter mile away is Humble Sea Brewing, which as of this writing has 5 locations with another in the works.

Went back to Oakland, checked into the Jack London Inn, and walked to Cellarmaker Brewing, which has 3 locations and is known for its pizza.

Walked to Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, which has 3 locations. This one is called The Arbor. (I had been to their Capitola location in 2018).

Walked back to the hotel.

Thursday April 17. Drove to HenHouse Brewing, which has 3 locations. I was at their Palace of Barrels.

Across the street is Lagunitas Brewing.

Left my vehicle at Rodeway Inn Wine Country in Rohnert Park, where I would be staying that night. I had originally planned to drive to Santa Rosa and stay there, but the hotels were expensive. Even though I would now have to Uber there and back, it was still cheaper to stay in Rohnert Park.

Ubered to HenHouse Brewing's tasting room in Santa Rosa.

Ubered to downtown Santa Rosa, which has several breweries walking distance from each other. I visited the ones with the highest Untappd ratings. The first one was Russian River Brewing's Santa Rosa location (it also has a location in Windsor).

Next was Cooperage Brewing. It has two locations in town. The Craft Brewery & Beer Garden is a 9-minute drive north. I was at the Downtown location.

Walked past 3 Disciples Brewing, which didn't have a taproom yet, to Shady Oak Barrel House.

Ubered to Parliament Brewing, which is walking distance from the Rodeway Inn.

Walked to the Rodeway Inn, checked in, and crashed.

Friday April 18. Drove to Calistoga, down through the Napa Valley, and over to the Jelly Belly store and visitor center in Fairfield. I had visited it about 30 years earlier.

Then I went to Fieldwork Brewing's Sacramento location.

Next I went to Moksa Brewing.

Then I stopped at Moksa Barrel House, which is a restaurant that serves Moksa beers.

Next stop: Slice Beer Company.

Checked into the Super 8 by Wyndham Auburn, then went to Moonraker Brewing's Auburn location (they have another one in Cameron Park.

Returned to the motel

Saturday April 19. Went to FiftyFifty Brewing.

Went to Reno NV and visited 3 breweries. Revision Brewing is known for their hoppy beers.

IMBĪB has a second location a few miles away in Sparks. I was at the one in Reno.

My final brewery of the day was Lead Dog Brewing, whose beers are brewed at Revision.

My girlfriend Melissa flies to Reno to visit her daughter Madison around Earth Day each year. I timed my trip to coincide with hers. I met them at Madison's home, where she lives with her boyfriend Jason.

Madison and Jason don't have a spare bedroom, so Melissa and I stayed at Circus Circus Reno.

Sunday April 20. Sand Harbor State Park, which is on Lake Tahoe.

Went back to the hotel.

Monday April 21. Left early and drove 7½ hours to Salt Lake City. Lost an hour due to the timezone change so it effectively took 8½ hours. Stopped at Beer Zombies, which has 4 locations. I'd been to one of their Las Vegas locations in 2023 but apparently that one has closed. The one in Salt Lake City has mostly guest beers, the majority from Utah breweries.

Epic Brewing has a "tapless taproom", where everything is poured from a can or bottle, and it is Salt Lake City's smallest bar.

Less than a mile away is Templin Family Brewing.

Checked into a Quality Inn in nearby Midvale and walked to .

Walked back to the motel and crashed

Tuesday April 22. Drove to Canyonlands National Park

Wednesday April 23. Visited Arches National Park.

Crossed into Colorado and went to Casey Brewing & Blending, a highly rated brewery that specializes in sours.

Then I went to Outer Range Brewing.

My cousin Bob, who I hadn't seen in 40+ years, lives in nearby Breckenridge.

Thursday April 24. Went to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre.

Drove to New Image Brewing, which has two taprooms just outside Denver. The one in Wheat Ridge opened an hour earlier so I went there.

Went into Denver and stopped at Crooked Stave Brewing, which I'd visited in 2018 when it was at a food hall called The Source. It left there at the end of 2019 and moved to its original taproom a few weeks later.

Next I went to Cerebral Brewing, which has two locations with another to open sometime this year (2025). I went to the one in Congress Park because the other wouldn't open until 2:00.

Then I went to Cerebral Brewing's Aurora Arts location, which has more beers on tap than its other taproom.

Went to Burns Family Artisan Ales, which used to have another location called the BarrelHouse until it closed in September 2024.

Went to the River North Arts District, where there are several breweries walking distance from each other. Hotels there are expensive, so I stayed at an Airbnb, which was about half the price of the hotels, but still pricey: $162, the most I paid to stay anywhere on this trip, and by far the most I have ever paid for an Airbnb.

Walked to what used to be Dewey Beer Company. It was changed to a bar called City Wide Tavern.

A stone's throw away is Great Divide Brewing's RiNo Barrel Bar & Cellar, which I'd been to in 2018. As of this writing Great Divide has 4 other locations with another on the way.

Walked to Odell Brewing, which I'd also been to in 2018. It has a taproom in Fort Collins (where it was founded) and two in Denver. It also has a winery in Fort Collins. I was at the Five Points Brewhouse.

Then I went to Ratio Beerworks, which has two taprooms in Denver. I was at the RiNo location.

My final brewery of the day was River North Brewery, which also has two taprooms in Denver. I was at the Blake Street location.

Stumbled back to the Airbnb

Friday April 25. Drove up to Avery Brewing, which I'd visited in 2018.

Went out of my way to visit a highly rated brewery called Knotted Root Brewing.

Next stop was Odd13 Brewing, whose Intergalactic Juice Hunter was my favorite beer at the 2018 GABF.

Then I went to Oskar Blues Brewery, which has two locations, both of which I'd been to. I was at their taproom in Longmont.

Went up to Greeley, checked into the Rainbow Motel, and walked to two breweries, both of which I'd visited in 2018. First I went to Wiley Roots Brewing.

Then I visited WeldWerks Brewing.

Walked back to the motel

Saturday April 26. Drove almost 5 hours up to South Dakota (a state I'd never been to before) to visit Jewel Cave National Monument.

Then it was on to Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Went to Zymurcracy Beer Company in Rapid City.

Then I visited Woodland Republic Brewing & Blending.

Checked into a Days Inn and walked to , which has two locations. I was at the one in Rapid City.

A tenth of a mile away is Dakota Point Brewing.

Walked back to the motel

Sunday April 27. Drove to

It was 4 hours (effectively 5 hours due to the time zone change) to Sioux Falls, where I would spend the rest of the day. Hotels in town were a bit pricey (though not nearly as expensive as Denver) so I checked into an Airbnb about a mile from the breweries I'd be visiting.

Walked to WoodGrain Brewing.

I was hoping to visit Covert Artisan Ales, the highest rated brewery in Sioux Falls, but the taproom was closed and a new one was supposed to open in the summer.

Walked to Remedy Brewing.

Returned to the motel

Monday April 28. Drove almost 4 hours to the Bloomington/Minneapolis area. Most of the breweries I wanted to visit are closed on Mondays, so I used this as an excuse to have a relaxing day. Visited the Mall of America in Bloomington MN.

Went to a nearby brewery called Wild Mind Ales.

Stayed at a local Super 8.

Tuesday April 29. Went to Back Channel Brewing.

Next I visited BlackStack Brewing.

Then it was on to Falling Knife Brewing.

Went to Surly Brewing, which I'd visited in 2017.

Checked in at an Airbnb and walked to Barrel Theory Beer Company.

Yoerg Brewing is an average-rated brewery, but since it was near the Airbnb I figured why not?

Walked back to the Airbnb

Wednesday April 30. Went southward to Forager Brewery

Continued southward to Decorah Iowa, where I'd been in , and visited the same two breweries I'd visited there back then. First I went to Pulpit Rock Brewing.

Checked in at a Super 8 and Ubered to Toppling Goliath Brewing.

Ubered back to the motel

Thursday May 1. Drove into Wisconsin to New Glarus Brewing, which I'd visited in 2019. The facility was undergoing a two-year, $55 million construction project. In the meantime, they were taking visitors at an old location of theirs a mile and a half away.

I'd considered spending a day visiting Milwaukee breweries, but that would have added an extra day, which would have made it impossible to get to some highly rated breweries in Ohio by Sunday that are closed early in the week and don't open until Wednesday or Thursday, causing me to either miss them or extend my trip by 4 days. (This is exactly the sort of thing that make planning brewery trips challenging.) So I skipped Milwaukee and headed toward Chicago.

The first brewery I visited after entering Illinois was More Brewing, which has 3 locations. I was at their Huntley Brewery & Restaurant.

Next was Mikerphone Brewing.

Then it was on to Half Acre Beer Company.

Checked into an OYO Hotel and walked to Une Année / Hubbard's Cave.

Walked back to the motel

Friday May 2. Started my day at Hop Butcher for the World, arriving when it opened at 11:00.

Next I went to Phase Three Brewing, which has two locations. I was at the one in Elmhurst.

There had been a highly rated brewery on my route called Afterthought Brewing that I'd put on my itinerary while planning this trip in 2024, but it closed at the end of that year. Bummer. Instead I went to More Brewing">'s Villa Park Brewpub.

Headed to the West Chicago area and visited Riverlands Brewing.

Went down to North Aurora and checked into My Place Hotel, then Ubered to a highly rated place called Energy City Brewing, which is open only Friday-Sunday, and even on Friday it doesn't open until 5:00. This brewery was the reason that I did a convoluted driving route.

Ubered back to the motel

Saturday May 3. Drove southward to Hailstorm Brewing.

A few minutes away is Brothership Brewing.

Crossed into Indiana and visited Gnosis Brewing, which is open 4 days a week.

Continued into the Eastern Time Zone (losing an hour) and headed for a brewery in Middlebury, where all the hotels and Airbnbs were expensive, so I checked into an Airbnb in Bristol and Ubered.

Wedgewood Brewing

Sunday May 4. Drove 4 hours to eastern Ohio. I wanted to visit a highly rated brewery called Crooked Pecker Brewing, but unfortunately it's closed on Sundays most of the year. It's open on Sundays only from Mother's Day to the Sunday before Labor Day, so I missed it by one week. Oh well. I went to Magic City Brewing.

A few minutes away is Hoppin' Frog Brewery.

Went an hour east to my final brewery of the trip: Ill Will Brewing, which is open only Friday-Sunday.

Went back to the hotel

Monday May 5. Cushwa? Williamsport 12:00, Columbia 11:00 I've compiled some statistics from the trip, which you might or might not find interesting:

Miles driven:
States visited:
Breweries visited:
Beers sampled:
National parks visited:
State parks visited:
Average lodging price, including tax (does not include free stays with friends/relatives): $83