The Craft Beer Travelers Top 5 of 2018

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RAIF Ken April bikes Buffalo Creek June 2018

craft beer travelers top 5 of 2018
Buffalo Creek June 2018

Starting our full time RV life as craft beer travelers in May of 2018, by the end of the year we will have been on the road for almost seven months. And what an adventure we’ve had! So much so, that we want to share our top 5 of 2018 with you.

After hours upon hours of debates and discussions (uh…no…too many places to go to spend that much time on this), we finally agreed upon the following for our top 5 of 2018 (in no particular order – that would be too difficult and cause our brains to explode). Disclaimer, if you ask us in person on a different day, these could change. We can’t help it; there were so many favorites!

Top 5 Favorite Stats of 2018

  • 9500 miles and $2700 gas – Wow!
  • 210 days – And so many more to come!
  • 200 different beers and 60 different breweries and tap rooms – That’s it? (I think?!?!?)
  • 55 different camp spots – Most of them free – we love boondocking!
  • 30 states – That’s insane, but we haven’t hit ’em all yet!

Top 5 Favorite Cities of 2018

craft beer travelers top 5 of 2018
Lubec, Maine
  • Bar Harbor/Acadia Area, Maine – We spent two weeks in Maine and half of that was with friends from the Tiny Ark. With gorgeous scenery, oceanside lobster dinners, and friends by the campfire, this choice was a no brainer.
  • Silverton/Ouray Area, Colorado – We spent the first two months of RV living wandering the mountains of Colorado and the San Juan area of our home state is absolutely stunning. Spending our time hiking, mountain biking, and meeting new friends, we will definitely find our way back here again.
  • Austin, Texas – We ate and drank our way through this vibrant city for four days, and didn’t even come close to seeing it all. Hanging out with our friends from the Tiny Ark again made it even more memorable.
  • Savannah, Georgia – Seeing Michael Franti & Spearhead here definitely had a part of making this one of our favorite stops, but also hanging out on the coast at a local brewfest surrounded by ornately designed architecture, this East Coast city is one not to miss.
  • Asheville, North Carolina – Being the 3rd US city with the largest amount of microbreweries per capita and a well-known outdoor playground, we couldn’t pass up Asheville. We sampled a lot of beer and food here and still managed to find time for a challenging, yet fun mountain bike ride.

Top 5 Favorite Camp Spots

craft beer travelers top 5 of 2018
Silverton, Colorado
  • Maine – McClellan Park Milbridge Campground – located less than 90 minutes NE of Bar Harbor, this hidden gem offers exactly what you think of when camping in Maine – forest meets ocean. Although it cannot accommodate large rigs and does not have hookups, at $10 a night, this small campground will always be one of our favorites.
  • Colorado – Kendall Camping – Silverton – Located about three miles from Silverton and surrounded by the San Juan Mountains, this is one of the best and most beautiful camping spots ever! One of many free spots along this area and open to big rigs, boondocking in Colorado doesn’t get much better than this.
  • Florida – Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park – Jacksonville – With full hookups, the beach, a lake, and biking trails all within walking distance from our camp spot, and several breweries only three miles away, why would we ever want to leave?
  • Georgia – Barrington County Park – Less than two hours from Savannah, this middle-of-nowhere free county park was absolutely gorgeous. Camped within a few feet from the river, surrounded by southern live oaks and bald cypress trees, it was easy to lose ourselves here in the beauty of Mother Nature.
  • Chicago – McCormick Place Lot B – The hardest part of this spot is getting there. But once there, you are in the middle of it all. Although this spot does cost money for no hookups, and you are parked in a concrete jungle, the proximity to Chicago central is worth it. Hop on your bike and within minutes you are lakeside on Lakefront Trail, enjoying Chicago without the traffic.

Top 5 Favorite Stout Life Stories

craft beer travelers top 5 of 2018
Omaha Brewing

Top 5 Favorite Breweries

Ken and friend BrewDog AGM 2018 IMG_3827
craft beer travelers top 5 of 2018
At BrewDog playing in the mud
  • Pro Re Nata Farm Brewery (Crozet, Virginia) – Not only was this place a Harvest Host, but hanging with the band, A Place Called Home, around the campfire made this a truly memorable brewery.
  • Father John’s (Bryan, Ohio) – Good beer, of course, but the people met here, drinking from a skull, a brewery and a church…this was a given top five!
  • Omaha Brewing (Omaha, Georgia) – Sampling special beers, being treated like family, and seeing how hard the Lee family works to revitalize a community, this place earned a special place in our hearts.
  • Jester King (Austin, Texas) – Spending time here with friends, touring the exclusive cool ship, sampling innovative beers, all on a farm just outside of Austin…there’s no other brewery quite like Jester King.
  • BrewDog (Columbus, Ohio) – First visiting this brewery in Scotland, then again in Columbus for its AGM (Annual General Mayhem), playing in the mud while rocking out to live music, meeting new friends, and drinking unique brews, this is a must-visit brewery.

And we’re not even close to done. 2019 is going to be STOUT!

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