Beer Run

Late this afternoon we took a drive to Monson, a neighboring town just over the mountain. We have a birthday coming up and I had an idea for a unique gift.

Our local paper had just run an article about a craft brewery in Monson and included the fact that its product is rated among the top 250 beers in the country.

“Just the thing!” I thought.

I rounded up my long-suffering husband and off we went.

The location is idyllic, on top of Monson mountain (really a very large hill) on a stretch of plateau that looks over the Pioneer Valley here in Massachusetts.

We arrived at what I thought was the beginning of the hours they’re open to the public, but there were already people waiting there. People who looked like they’d been there for a while already.

But everyone outside seemed philosophically settled in for the duration.

Inside the owners leave their guitars hanging on the wall for anyone who might want to jam for a bit.

Turns out the beer is filled one bottle at a time while you wait. We were obviously the newbies. People arrived with coolers for transport and lawn chairs for waiting.

I struck up a conversation with the mother of one of the brewers. 

She runs a farm stand and gift shop next door, not to mention the 100 year old farm where the brewery is housed. 

She said people arrive hours before the store even opens, and when the wait goes longer than three hours her son has been known to order pizza delivered for his customers.

The process:

You determine which of the brews on tap that day you wish to purchase.

You fill out a card indicating your choice(s).

You submit your card and you wait.

And wait.

And wait.

We stood around.

We went down the road to a creamery for ice cream.

We returned and learned it would be another half hour.

We wandered around the neighboring gift shop and looked at candles, jewelry, and knick knacks.

We returned to learn it would be another half hour.

We went for a drive through the town’s back roads.

We returned and

Safely at home in our fridge.

Success!

And it only took two and a half hours.