5 Reasons to Visit a Brewery in 2014

Not all New Year's resolutions are created equal. Some of us aim high, setting ambitious goals that focus on self improvement: I'm finally going to train for that marathon this year. We like to challenge ourselves to be better, or do more, knowing all along that it will take a fair amount of effort. Others, knowing their limitations, prefer to pick a resolution that's easier to achieve: Maybe this is the year I remember to put the toilet seat down?

Personally, I'm of the opinion that a worthwhile resolution ought to involve a certain amount of fun, or, at the very least, a series of small rewards. Surely we've all learned by now that a little encouragement can go a long way. So with that in mind, I'd like to offer a recommendation. Instead of (or, better yet, in addition to) getting in shape to run a race or remembering to be more courteous in the bathroom, why not make visiting a brewery part of your 2014 game plan?

According to the Brewers Association, a professional organization founded "to promote and protect small and independent American brewers," the U.S. currently contains more than 2,500 breweries. And while Vermont, Oregon, Montana, Alaska, and Colorado have the most per capita, no state is devoid of locally-brewed beer. In fact, there's a good chance you have one or two in your proverbial backyard—probably no more than a 20 or 30 minute drive. If you need suggestions and live somewhere between Washington, D.C. and Maine, just pick up a copy of my new book, The Great Northeast Brewery Tour. But if that's not enough to convince you to go, here are my five reasons to visit a brewery in 2014.

Beer Travel Talk at the New York Travel Festival

On Saturday, April 20th, I'll be moderating a panel discussion on beer travel at the inaugural New York Travel Festival (NYTF). Covering recent trends, brewery tours, and ale trails in New York and New Jersey, my session is one of dozens taking place at the Bohemian National Hall on East 73rd Street and will run from 11:20am until noon, with a beer tasting to follow. Panelists include: 

• Josh Bernstein, author of Brewed Awakening and the app Craft Beer New York
• Jeremy Cowan, founder of Schmaltz Brewing (NY) and president of the New York City Brewers Guild
• Gene Muller, founder of Flying Fish Brewing (NJ) and vice president of the Garden State Craft Brewers Guild
• David Naczycz, co-founder of Urban Oyster

Join us in the first floor cinema and bring questions! Then stick around to sample several beers, including Hop Manna IPA. Single day and package tickets (which include lunch and a Sunday tour) are still available: bitly.com/NYTF2013.

How to Get Lost

Wayfinding. A strange and arcane skill that seems antithetical to the very essence of exploration and adventure. With increasingly sophisticated GPS units, steady improvements to map databases online, and a growing number of apps designed for hikers, it would appear that the halcyon days of blindly wandering into the wilderness are numbered. Sure, older generations will continue to remember the profound pleasures of getting truly, completely lost, but in a matter of years, their grandchildren likely won't understand. Technology will render the experience obsolete. 

Fortunately for the nostalgic hiker who longs to feel that pit in the stomach that forms upon realizing you're definitely off course and probably won't be able to successfully reorient yourself, there are a few easy tricks for losing the way. Better yet, there's a good chance you've already done one of more of the following, so remembering all five should be relatively easy to accomplish. Even if you don't though, it's still possible to confuse yourself enough to increase the odds of stumbling through miles of underbrush, hoping to somehow get your bearings again.

1. Don't Bring a Map. In fact, don’t even look at one before you leave home. Assume your smartphone will suffice and will hold its charge long enough to get you into the woods and back out again. Think twice before packing a bulky guidebook or wasting money on an expensive plastic compass. 
2. Ignore Trail Blazes. Count on well worn paths to lead you straight to your destination and bank on the smaller side trails being shortcuts when you get tired. Tell yourself you’ll definitely remember all of the turns and intersections when as you retrace your route in the opposite direction at the end of the day. Trust that markers will be easy to spot and a breeze to follow on your first try.
3. Go Easy on the Water. Let’s face it, you probably won’t get that thirsty on a short day hike. Plus, water bottles and hydration packs weigh a ton and will just slow you down. Few, if any poor decisions ever result from heat exhaustion or dehydration.
4. Keep Moving Forward. If you’re uncertain about that last turn or bend in the trail, don’t turn around, push on. You’ll definitely bump into other hikers who will be able to redirect you. The worst thing you can do is stay put. Besides, you’ll probably cross a few big roads on any hike lasting more than a few hours. Bailing out is for quitters—you’ve got peaks to bag and you need the photos to prove it.
5. Leave No Trace. Don’t worry about telling anyone where you’re going, you’ll be back before they even notice you’re gone. Leaving a note for a loved one or a roommate seems silly when you’re planning to be back for dinner anyway. And don't forget: rangers ruthlessly mock hikers who check in at a park office or visitor center.

Summer Hiking: 5 Reasons to Go Now

Another summer is almost upon us. And as warmer temperatures and longer days begin to knock on doors across the country, people from Seattle to Sarasota will once again plan weekends and vacations around national parks and outdoor activities. Of the numerous options available, hiking remains popular from year to year. By their own estimate, the American Hiking Society, an advocacy organization that focuses on trail building, trail funding, and legislative issues that affect hiking, reports that roughly 330,000 people participated in one of 2,063 National Trails Day^® events in 2011. This year's celebration (or trailgating party if you prefer) takes place on Saturday, June 2nd. If you haven't signed up for an event near you, it's not too late. Plus, here are a few other good reasons to grab your trekking poles, fill up your hydration pack, and lace up your boots this summer:

1. It Makes You Smarter. According to a recent article in Backpacker magazine, "lab studies prove that even 30 minutes of nature make a difference in cognitive test scores; [Dr. David] Strayer’s hunch is that those benefits accumulate. And that makes backpackers uniquely positioned to reap the rewards." In fact, the results of a University of Michigan study showed that participants boosted their cognitive test scores by 20 percent after spending 50 minutes walking through an arboretum.
2. You'll Probably Learn Something. Expanding on the point above, it's worth noting that spending time in the woods or the mountains gives you the chance to hone skills that you might not use as much in your day job. Like compass reading. Or flora and fauna identification. For instance, when made into a tisane or tea, a handful of needles from the Eastern white pine act as a great source of Vitamins A and C and serve as an effective decongestant.
3. Exercise Is Good For You. This won't be surprising, but exercise burns more calories than sitting still. It's often more fun, too. Depending on your weight, hiking for an hour burns 430-650 calories, while a backpacking can expend as much as 760 calories in the same amount of time. Bonus: more exercise equals more chocolate (see below).
4. You Could Make a Friend. Hiking is often safer—and usually more fun—in small groups. Fortunately, there are plenty of clubs and companies that organize outings lasting anywhere from a single day to more than a week. Determine your fitness level, find a blank space on your social calendar, and plan your trip. On the East Coast, local groups like the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference offer ways to meet other hikers, while out west, the Pacific Crest Trail Association is a good resource.
5. Packing Chocolate Is Encouraged. I don't have any statistics to back this up, but I'm willing to bet nine out of ten hikers are chocolate lovers. Or at least fans of the occasional chocolate beer. When I'm leading groups with Discover Outdoors, I make sure I always have a few Dagoba tasting squares (preferably Xocolatl) in my pack. You know, for emergencies.

Holidays for Beer Lovers

Happy American Craft Beer Week—that special, seven-day stretch just before summer when brewers, drinkers, and retailers get together to, in the words of the Brewers Association, "celebrate the ever advancing beer culture here in the U.S." If you haven't done any of the following before, the next few days are filled with opportunities to tour local breweries, attend tastings or beer dinners, or order a pint of craft beer instead of your usual macrobrew. If you're in the Midwest, you could even spend an afternoon at Potosi, Wisconsin's National Brewery Museum. The important (and simple) thing to remember is to broaden your beverage horizons. And so, in that convivial spirit, here's to finding that foxy red, smoky brunette, or Hot Blonde that you didn't realize you'd been searching for all these years.

The Truth About Elephant Trekking

Few experiences can compare with meeting one of the world’s largest vegetarians. Up to ten feet tall at the shoulder, Elephas maximus, better known as the Asian elephant, is the very definition of a gentle giant, happy to accept a spiny pineapple or a bunch of ripe bananas from an awestruck two-legged visitor. According to biologists, perhaps as many as 100,000 members of this species occupied Southeast Asia in the early 1900s, but in the century since, these animals have seen their range steadily shrink as logging, slash and burn agriculture, and a growing human population encroach on the tropical and subtropical forests pachyderms depend on for survival. Poaching and habitat fragmentation further threaten the small numbers that exist in the wild in Thailand today, now largely limited to national parks such as Khao Yai and Khao Cha Mao, as well as isolated tracts of land along the Cambodian, Laotian, and Myanmar borders.

While their numbers in the wild have decreased, their popularity as a tourist attraction has only grown, due in part to the government ban on logging that effectively put many domesticated elephants out of work. At present, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) lists nearly four dozen tour operators that offer short rides or longer treks. Clearly elephants are big business. But what kind of business exactly? These highly social animals require lots of fresh water and about 330 pounds (150 kg) of food per day, not to mention quite a bit of space. So how are they trained and cared for? A phrase on the TAT website offers a telling if disappointing clue: “the treatment of Thai elephants varies from elephant camp to elephant camp, some using more humane methods to look after their elephants than others.”

According to Timothy Gorski, director of the documentary How I Became an Elephant, the boom in elephant tourism began in the 1980s and has risen with "the so-called ‘eco-tourism’ phenomenon. Elephant treks are being marketed as eco-friendly conservation tours.” Problematically though, the definition of eco-tourism often differs from company to company, and training methods—rarely witnessed but captured in Gorski’s documentary—are often cruel. The pajaan, a practice that involves caging a young elephant and depriving it of food, sleep, and even contact with its mother, is one such method. In addition, some say that health and safety regulations are minimal and inadequately enforced. As a result, Catherine Bodry, co-author of the last edition of Lonely Planet Thailand, maintains that the long-term well being of elephants in Thailand is largely up to tourists and the general public. But if the future of the Asian elephant depends on public awareness and action, education must be a part of any trek. Unfortunately, this isn’t something that every camp provides.

13 Frighteningly Good Halloween Beers

October can be a strange time for beer drinkers. Alongside any number of Oktoberfest lagers, you'll occasionally find a saison or a summer ale if the month starts off warmly, only to be replaced by a variety of pumpkin beers, redolent with pie spices and the flavors of fall. By the last week or two though, darker porters and stouts begin to creep into most draft lineups, signaling colder nights ahead. And of course October also brings Mischief Night and Halloween, two excellent opportunities for brewers to tap into their spooky side by giving their products creepy names and labels. With that spirit (pun intended) in mind, I've chosen to list some of my favorites:

1. Vampire Ale—City Steam Brewery Cafe, Hartford, CT
   
2. Dark o' the Moon—Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle, WA
3. Evil Twin—Heretic Brewing Company, Pittsburg, CA
4. Voo Doo American Stout—Left Coast Brewing Company, San Clemente, CA
5. Certified Evil—Lucky Bucket Brewing Company, La Vista, NA
6. Pendle Witches Brew—Moorhouse's Brewery, Burnley, UK
7. Rosemary's Baby—The Peekskill Brewery, Peekskill, NY
8. Three Skulls Poison—Pillager's Pub, Seattle, WA
9. Black Cat Stout—The Portsmouth Brewery, Portsmouth, NH
10. Zombie Dust—Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, IN
11. Redrum Imperial Red Ale—Trinity Brewhouse, Providence, RI
12. Hop Zombie—Uncle Billy's Brew & Que, Austin, TX
13. Hobgoblin—Wychwood Brewery, Witney, UK

Southeast Asia's Little Italy

Last Sunday was a strange day. Following an afternoon spent puttering around the oldest national park in Thailand, I ended up eating dinner at one of the country's newest attractions: Palio Khao Yai, a "walking street shopping center in Italian-style village mall." Got that? A personal recommendation had led my friends and I to hunt for a burger joint south of the town of Pak Chong, and after mistakenly driving past a vaguely European complex, we found ourselves paying 20 baht each to enter this warren of terracotta-colored buildings. Call it the Little Italy of Southeast Asia.

As out of place as it seemed architecturally, what struck me about Palio was its obvious allure to amateur Thai photographers. While we were there, dozens of people streamed through the gate, usually in couples, and always with cameras. I smirked as they posed in front of the fountain in the piazza, and shook my head in disbelief as they led tiny dogs in sweaters down faux-cobblestone streets. Apparently the ability to shoot portraits against a "Tuscan" backdrop trumped the appeal of creatively-named cafes like Fries Me To The Moon.

It seemed silly to me at the time, but when I thought about it later, I realized that I'd misjudged things. After all, whether or not it's international, a big part of travel is making memories, and for most of us, taking pictures is part of that process. Did I really think that my images of waterfalls and wildlife somehow showed a more authentic side of Thailand? True, I'm the kind of person who prefers hiking to shopping, but a park is a tourist attraction too, and in the end, they're all competing for visitors. In that sense, maybe Palio Khao Yai isn't such a strange place to spend a Sunday.

The 5 Best-Kept Secrets About Ko Phi Phi

One of the most popular destinations in Thailand, Ko Phi Phi Don might also be one of world’s best-known islands. Every day ferries deposit scores of sun-worshippers and partygoers on the shores of this limestone landmass in the Andaman Sea. I made my own trip there with some friends a few years ago, and plan to go back before 2011 is over. It really deserves the hype. And although you don't have to stay long to appreciate its appeal, Phi Phi also has a few secrets to reveal to those who come looking. 

1. The Soundtrack. Forget the beach—well, not entirely—and acquaint yourself with the marine life inhabiting the lagoons of Ko Phi Phi Leh, Phi Phi Don’s little brother next door. While tour groups crowd the strip of sugary white sand seen in The Beach, grab fins and a snorkel to hear one of the most remarkable sounds beneath the waves: hundreds of blue parrotfish munching and crunching on coral.
2. The View. Sure, cocktails and camaraderie are great for a while, but don’t fall into the trap of spending all your time in Ton Sai Village. Swap out your flip flops for sturdier footwear and head uphill for stunning views above Ao Loh Dalum and Ao Ton Sai. The walk to the top is no more than 25 minutes and adventurous visitors can descend the east side of the island to reach a trio of secluded beaches. 
3. The Scenery. Sunbathing and swimming definitely have their merits, and Phi Phi doesn’t lack for nightlife. Yet with its tranquil coves, busy docks, plentiful sea birds, and favorable lighting, it’s also a photographer’s dream. Do some scouting when you arrive, and then wake up early the next morning for an hour or two of shooting.  
4. Peace and Quiet. Given the crowds, Phi Phi might not seem like a place to get away from it all. But many day-trippers and overnighters stick to the sandbar connecting the cliffs of Ko Nok with those of Ko Nai. For a more relaxed environment, hire a longboat to Laem Tong at the north end of the island, where the accommodations offer a refreshing alternative to the busy bungalows in the south. 
5. Its History. Not far from Laem Tong a community of chao ley, or sea gypsies, have established a small village just beyond the hotels. For several hundred years these nomadic people have made a living fishing, collecting shells, and bird-nesting in the waters of the Andaman. The chao ley retain a distinct language and culture in spite of efforts by the Thai government to promote assimilation.

Serving Up Change, Peacefully

Of course I found my favorite place in Siem Reap during my last few hours there. After three full days of touring Angkor Wat, clambering over ancient piles of brick and sandstone, my friends and I needed to refuel before making the eight hour land journey back to Bangkok. So, avoiding the Old Market's tourist-clogged streets and alleys, we crossed over to the eastern side of the Siem Reap River and followed Wat Bo Road to Peace Cafe.

Seconds after stepping into the shaded garden we knew we'd made the right choice. The vegetarian menu was excellent (I ordered an extra thick peanut butter shake and a panini with roasted red pepper and hummus) as well as affordable. Nothing was more than $4 and most dishes were in the $2 range. And while I decided against alcohol with lunch, I couldn't help noticing that they served beer, too. What impressed us most of all though, was their dedication to education and sustainable social enterprise.

Besides preparing healthy food, Peace Cafe runs Khmer cooking courses using fresh herbs grown in their garden. Khmer language lessons and yoga are offered five days a week and Pilates classes are held on Tuesdays and Fridays. Monk Chats on Wednesday and Saturday evenings serve as an informal (and free) introduction to Buddhism. Plus, anyone looking to leave with a Cambodian souvenir—edible or otherwise—will be happy to know about Peace Cafe's bakery and Fair Trade Shop. I would've stayed longer, but we had to catch a taxi to the Thai border. I do plan to make it back however. For more vegetarian dining suggestions in Siem Reap and elsewhere, visit HappyCow.

Selected Works by the Travel Writer Laureate

Even though I'm not always such a fan of list-making, I have to admit, sometimes they can be a lot of fun to compose. Today's list is inspired by National Poetry Month, which begins on Thursday, April 1, 2010.

1. Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening for a Romantic Winter Getaway in Maine
2. To Autumn, the Perfect Season to Experience the Hudson Valley's Fall Foliage
3. Ode to the West Wind, and the Gorgeous White Sand Beaches of Florida's Keys
4. To Brooklyn Bridge, Voted America's Favorite Water Crossing for the 127th Time
5. I Heard A Fly Buzz on a Fishing Trip to Montana's Breathtaking Big Sky Country
6. The Ballad of the Oysterman, Your Cheerful Local Guide to Tidewater Maryland
7. After Apple-Picking, Spend the Weekend at a Cozy B&B in Lancaster County
8. The Red Wheelbarrow, Another Charming Example of Appalachian Folk Art
9. I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud Floating Over Utah's Stunning Rock Formations
10. Once I Pass'd Through A Populous City Called Nashville, the Athens of the South

Five Reasons I'm Tired of Lists

Late last year, as I was negotiating the details of a story assignment with an editor over email, he lamented to me about the difficulty of reconciling meaningful content with the tendency of web audiences to scan. While I don't deny that the proliferation of news and entertainment online has changed (and is changing) our reading habits, I will say that I recognize the utility of ordered information.

Lists can be a quick, handy way to gain some understanding of an unfamiliar subject, and occasionally lead to serendipitous discoveries. For writers, they can encourage careful thinking and considered selectivity. And although they aren't a form of expression I particularly enjoy, I am guilty of list-making myself. But lately it seems like every other article is trying to tout the Top Five Ways to Brush Your Teeth or the World's Best Places for Cold Cereal.

I find this trend somewhat disappointing, especially when it comes to travel writing. So, in the hopes of attracting people with a surfeit of time and yet lack anything resembling an attention span, I decided to outline my thoughts in a easy-to-skim format.

1. Travel Writing Should Inspire Curiosity. Some of my favorite—and arguably the best—examples of this genre are long, thoughtful ruminations that don't include a single recommendation. The writer transports you to a place and then pulls back the curtain on a peculiar aspect of it that they alone have investigated. You think to yourself: I wonder what I would say to a magical penis thief if I met one?
   
2. Every Experience Doesn't Need a Ranking. If you're going to bother leaving your routines at home, go ahead and forget about what you think you're supposed to do when you reach your destination too. Do something for the hell of it. Try something you might not like. Believe it or not, misadventures often make for fond memories.
   
3. Lists Value Templates Over Talent. As another writer I admire once said at a reading series I enjoy attending: Ideas are easy. Stories are hard. Call me old-fashioned, but I think there's something to be said for accepting a challenge every now and then.
   
4. Experts Are a Dime a Dozen. Let's say you spent a long weekend in Baltimore. You caught an Orioles game, checked out the National Aquarium, feasted on crabs at Phillips, and wandered over to Little Italy for cannoli after dinner. Wonderful. Tell your friends and family about the great time you had in Charm City, but please don't call yourself an insider.
   
5. Itemization Begets Impatient Readers. I'll be slightly impressed if you make it this far into my post.