Fall is the perfect time of year for a road trip. Being in the car for an extended period of time is the perfect respite from the dismal weather outside. But, choosing the right destination for your autumnal journey isn’t easy. Just kidding. Of course it is. A craft brewery is the only place you want to be in this gloomy, godforsaken season. Get some beer in you already and forget that winter is coming. We’ve ranked our favorite breweries to visit this fall to save you any trip-planning headaches (blame the hangover for those). Check out our picks below and go get your beer flight on all autumn long.
Photo: GeorgeRudy (Getty Images)
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Best Breweries To Visit This Fall
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Surly Brewing (Minneapolis)
If you’ve never heard of Surly, you’re really missing out. If you can’t find their beer at your local grocery store, you might as well hop in your car and drive to their 50,000 square-foot facility located between Minneapolis and St. Paul. The brewery is known for its envelope-pushing beers. We prefer Coffee Bender, the brewery’s coffee-infused brown ale.
Photo: Surly Brewing
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Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, New York)
If you’re anywhere near central New York, you’d be remiss if you didn’t stop by historic Cooperstown (home of the MLB Hall of Fame) and nearby Brewery Ommegang. After you spend a day buying novelty baseball T-shirts and looking at plaques and Curt Schilling’s bloody sock, take a short drive to Ommegang for delicious Belgian-style beers and a unique brewery that will make you think you’re in Europe instead of upstate New York.
Photo: Brewery Ommegang
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Dogfish Head (Milton, Delaware)
If you’re planning a fall craft beer road trip, you definitely need to add Dogfish Head to your itinerary. Plus, this beach town won’t be quite as saturated with tourists in the fall (it’s the offseason, baby). That means more 60, 90, and 120 minute IPAs for you. Plus, you can stay in the brewery’s Dogfish Inn or check out the rad on-site tree house.
Photo: Dogfish Head
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Stone Brewing (Escondido, California)
No craft beer trip to Southern California is complete without a stop at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens. The beer garden is huge and spectacular and there’s a reason Stone is one of the most well-respected breweries in the country: the beers is really good.
Photo: Stone Brewing
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Other Half (Brooklyn, New York)
If you’re planning a fall trip to New York City, you need to stop in to Brooklyn’s Other Half. One of the most popular breweries in the country, Other Half is known for its hop-forward beers in artistic, almost collectible cans. If you don’t want to potentially wait in line to get in, you can stop by the location (six hours away) in western New York. Other Half opened a second brewery in Bloomfield, New York (near Rochester).
Photo: Other Half
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Russia River (Santa Rosa, California)
If you only take one craft beer road trip, make it a trip to Russian River in Northern California. The makers of Supplication and Pliny The Elder are a destination every craft beer fan needs to visit at least once in their lives.
Photo: Russian River
