Eric and I took a day trip along Seneca Lake this past 4th of July Weekend. We are big fans of craft breweries as Eric has been brewing his own beer for the past 2 years now. We enjoy going to the local breweries to try all their beers on tap and compare them as we go along. This trip we went to Climbing Bines Brewery for the first time. When we pulled up it was filled with friendly faces out walking around the hop yard and around the picnic tables outside. When you walk into the tasting room they have three bars to choose from. We walked to smiley face ready to pour our flight. You can choose to taste 4 beers, 6 beers or all 10 beers on tap. They had a large variety of styles to try from. We choose to pick our own 4 beers to try. I picked the Blonde, Pale Ale, Amber and a Session IPA. I like to try these styles most places that I go as they are always different between breweries. Not only was the beer great, but the bar keepers were efficient and always filling up our next tasting glass as soon as one of us was done. This is something that we don’t often experience. In some places we could be standing there for minutes before being noticed.
The flight was good with many unique features that we have only tasted there. We got a pint of beer to take with us as we walked around the hop yard. Eric is always interested in all the different ways that breweries string and grow their hops as he has a true passion to own and operate his own yard. As we walked around the yard I was so impressed by all the knowledge that Eric has about these plants that he has learned in a just few years!
You can walk to the end of the hop yard to a beautiful view of farm land and a small sliver of Seneca Lake. Climbing Bines is at the top of my list of best breweries around this area. If you haven’t already I would recommend heading to Climbing Bines for a flight or pint, you won’t be disappointed!
After some refreshing beers we headed down the road to Finger Lakes Wienery. Here they feature hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages and french fries, great for a casual dinner. As soon as we walked over to the menu board we were greeted by a lady who told us all about the menu. They had taken an old window frame and wrote all the menu options on it. It was a great and fun way to add to the atmosphere and character of the restaurant. We both ordered cheeseburgers and split an order of spicy onion rings that came in a flower pot!
Not only did we eat with our eyes but we ate with our stomach! The food was hot, cooked perfectly and tasted amazing. We had a great time sitting on the old wooden benches inside admiring the décor and indulging in our meal.
This was just another perfect day trip around the Finger Lakes. Eric and I are always big supporters of eating and drinking local. This is such an amazing area to live in it would be hard not to!
Thank you to Climbing Bines and FLX Wienery for letting us share our Saturday with you!
