Quick Trips: Gloucester & the Cape Ann Coastline

The Fisherman’s Memorial Statue, 1925.

Gloucester is a small, coastal town that I immediately felt a connection with the first time I visited. It is one of our favorite “quick trips” within New England, and we make sure we stop there every time we are in the Boston area. Located about a 40 minute drive north of Boston, Gloucester has both sandy, pristine beaches and rocky, wavy beaches. In and around Gloucester, you can also explore six different lighthouses and hang out at one of my favorite brew pubs.

Although part of the fun of visiting coastal Massachusetts is finding different beaches on your own, one of my favorite beaches is Wingaersheek Beach. I only recommend it in the off season, however, as it gets extremely crowded and can cost a pretty penny for parking. My favorite time to visit is in the off season, when it is freely open to everyone, and most of the visitors are locals and dogs. It can be too cold for swimming at this time, but you have the whole beach to play on, including exploring every little nook and cranny. You can’t beat the views from this beach, also, including one of Gloucester’s many lighthouses.

All over town you are likely to see the town’s logo, a captain steering a boat.

My favorite lighthouses to visit are the  Twin Lighthouses located on Thacher Island. They are also referred to as Cape Ann Light Station which is where Cape Ann Brewing (mentioned below) gets its name and logo from. Not only are these two lighthouses among some of America’s oldest (erected in 1789), but they point true North when a ship sites on both towers.

Cape Ann Brewing is the local brewpub right in town. They actually grow some of their hops on Thacher Island where the Twin Lighthouses reside. They offer a relaxing atmosphere complete with shuffle board and a deck right on the water. They also always have at least 6 beers on tap. If they happen to have their Tea Party beer on tap, make sure to check it out. It incorporates all of the teas from the Boston Tea Party that were destroyed. I’ll also personally recommend both the fish sandwich and fish tacos, but only after a game of shuffle board and a beer.

Wingaersheek Beach with a lighthouse in the distance.

Lastly, Gloucester is well known for its lobster and fishing history. If you are only able to visit Gloucester once, make sure to do you research the area so that you can experience both the history of the town and the seafood. I’d recommend this site to make sure you don’t miss out on anything. If you are lucky enough to live in New England (like me!), Gloucester is the perfect reoccurring quick trip.

New England Real Ale Exhibition – Somerville, MA

NERAX Cask Ale Festival

Not everyone has heard of cask beer or real ale. For those of you who have not, real ale is different from your everyday beer because it completes its secondary fermentation in the same container from which it’s served. So, in the case of cask beer, the top fermented beer completes its secondary fermentation in the cask and then is manually pumped out of that cask without the use of any type of gas. What you get is a less carbonated beer, with more flavor and even more texture. Surprising to many, cask beer is served at a cellar temperature of 55 degrees.

One of the many reasons I enjoy living in New England is because of the diverse options that exist when it comes to beer. Each state has its own thing going when it comes to beer and, as a beer lover in New England, you can never go bored. This weekend, the New England Real Ale Exhibition held their  16th cask festival. So, on Saturday morning, Anth, Pup, and I made our way down to Somerville, MA to check out what a 100 cask beers on tap in one room looks, smells, and tastes like.

The cask conditioned ales waiting to be tapped

Somerville is located right outside of Boston and is about four hours from our home in Elmore, Vermont. Four hours is an easy weekend drive for us, so we left Saturday morning, meeting for lunch with our friend at the Yard House, before heading to the festival’s night session. What struck me most about this festival in particular was how organized and relaxed it was. Many beer festivals can be quite chaotic, with large lines and loud music. The NERAX cask festival was much more about enjoying cask beer with other cask-minded individuals. I was also impressed with how they chose their tap list. They had two categories of beer: beer from the U.S. and beer from the U.K.. However, the beer from the U.S. was all from New England! Yes, all 50 U.S. beers hailed from the six most Northeastern States.

My favorite cask conditioned drink was actually not a beer at all, but a fermented cider. It was called the Take Two Dry Cidah and hailed from Portland, Maine. The cider actually takes reactivated cider yeast, and instead of adding carbonation to feed the yeast, they add raw Maine wildflower honey and then cask condition it. The company behind this madness is the Urban Farm Fermentory. They are doing a lot of cool stuff in and out of the cider world including fermented vegetables.

The NERAX Cask Ale Festival lived up to its expectations and offered something different in the New England beer scene. I think we will definitely be heading back for future sessions. On our way home Sunday, we made a detour in Gloucestor, MA, one of my favorite coastal New England towns, to visit the beach and local brewery. It was the perfect ending to the weekend, but that’s an entirely different post!

Graupeling in Vermont

Vermonters call it graupel. It is falling outside my window at work, bouncing like miniature ping pong balls as it hits the asphalt. It looks like a mix between snow and hail, and accumulates quickly as it falls more like rain than flurries. It is only November 5, so I stare out at it in awe, quietly excited about the quick change in seasons.

Then, just like that, the graupel has stopped, the sun is shining, and the asphalt’s warmth consumes the tiny ice pellets.

Block Island’s Southeast Light

Block Island is located about 13 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. Only accessible by boat or plane, the easiest way to get there is by ferry from Point Judith, Rhode Island. From there, the ferry crosses the Block Island Sound. Once you reach the island, it is easy to forget you are still in New England. The milky blue salt water slides effortlessly over the snowy white sand unlike that of the somewhat chaotic waves that crash along much of the rest of New England’s rocky coast.

A short, though up-hill, bike ride from the ferry port will lead you to one of two of Block Island’s lighthouses. The Southeast Light (in the photo above) was erected in 1975 and was home to the same keeper family for the first 55 years. Though deactivated in 1990, by the early 90’s it was dangerously only 50 feet from the edge of one of Block Island’s most treacherous bluffs. The Block Island Southeast Lighthouse Foundation was able to raise enough money ($2 million) to move the lighthouse 300 feet away to where it stands today. A trip to this lighthouse is not complete without walking down to the ocean from the top of the bluff. Though quite a hike back up, the views are worth it.

New England Photo of the Day: Warren Falls Swimming Hole

The Mad River Valley is a magical area of Vermont. Located in the Northern Central portion of Vermont, the Mad River Valley has some of the more scenic drives, best wineries, and best small towns. Warren Falls is one of the best swimming holes in this part of Vermont. The falls offers aqua hued water that is clear in even the deepest spots. There are also boulders to jump from and even natural slides. I’ve never witnessed a more beautiful swimming hole. Head into Warren, Vermont and from the intersection of rt 100 and rt 17, go outh on rt 100 for about 8 miles. You will see parking alongside the road in front of Forest Service gate. A short path leads to the falls. If it is swimming season (August in Vermont!), you will most likely be able to follow the crowd.

New England Photo of the Day: Portland Observatory

The Portland Observatory was built in 1807 as a way to communicate with ships coming in to the Portland harbor. In some ways, it is the opposite of a lighthouse which is a guide for ships; the Portland Observatory was a guide for those on shore to see the ships. It is the only observatory left of its kind and tourists can still climb its wooden stairs to the top.

New England Photo of the Day: Worcester Range

View of the Worcester Mountain Range from the top of Mount Elmore, Vermont

If you head to Lake Elmore State Park (about 20 miles north of Montpelier), you can take the Elmore Mountain Trail to the summit of Mt. Elmore. At Elmore’s 2608 foot high summit lies one of Vermont’s few remaining fire towers. The hike to the top is approximately 1.25 miles with views of the Worcester Range (shown here and includes Mt. Hunger), Mt. Mansfield, and into New Hampshire. If you do not have a fear of heights, you can still climb the 60 foot high fire tower for the best views. The photo above is taken from the top of the fire tower on a cool, August afternoon.

New England Photo of the Day

Crisp Vermont water in Bennington, VT

Heading North: the Eastern Townships

Daytime Fireworks

Fall swept through Central Vermont early this year. We started seeing the first trees changing colors around the second week of September and most of the fun was over by the first week of October. Driving to and from work at that time was like watching a fireworks show during the day. Bursts of auburn, neon yellow, and bright orange illuminated the skyline with rich evergreens glaring from the highest of the mountain tops. Towards the end of September, however, we decided to head more north for the day to the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Though southern by Canadian standards, the Eastern Townships sit just north of Vermont not far from the American/Canadian border. This French Canadian area is dotted by picturesque villages, delicious brewpubs, and more wineries and cideries than all of Vermont.

The most delicious maple beer, from Brouemont – Bromont, Quebec

We made the short day trip up to visit the towns of Dunham and Bromont in order to visit two of the best microbreweries that the area has to offer. We started in Bromont, home of the brewpub, Brouemont. This brewery lies at the base of Mount Brome which is a popular spot for skiing and snowboarding in the winter. Within minutes of sitting down, I was treated to a seasonal favorite, their maple ale. Now, I have had maple inspired beers before, but none have compared to this one. It can be compared to drinking a less viscous maple syrup minus the sticky mouth feel. After spending a year and a half in Vermont, I love the taste of maple, and so I really enjoyed this beer. Brouemont has about ten beers on tap, including their delicious honey/raspberry and the red ale, a Canadian favorite.

Brouemont Micro-Brasserie (microbrewery) – Bromont, Quebec

After my fill of maple beer we set off for Brasserie Dunham. Brasserie Dunham is set in a beautiful part of town with outside seating and a little bar inside. I was lucky enough to have a special beer that they had just brewed which was an IPA infused with guava and tea. They brew a variety of different experimental beers which we could have easily enjoyed if we didn’t have to drive back to the States.

Anthony in front of the Brasserie Dunham truck – Dunham, Quebec

Throughout our short drive through the Eastern Townships, we saw cideries and wineries every few miles. That’s the great thing about the Northeast, there is always something to go back for.

Eastern Townships Wine Route, ‘there’s always tomorrow’.

Smelling Jerry Garcia in Northern Vermont

August 25, 2012:

“Are you ready for winter?”

“Yeah, I love the snow!”

Much of the country is still experiencing scorching temperatures at the end of August, or preparing for hurricane season. However, in Vermont, the end of August quickly brings cool weather and polka dots the hillsides with bright oranges and deep maroons, as the trees prepare for autumn.  I’m not exactly fazed by this conversation, as I have already begun dreaming of hitting the slopes this winter myself. Preparing for winter in August may not exactly make sense to the rest of the country, but it seems fitting here. It must be a bug you catch after you have lived in Vermont through all four seasons. After the first full year, you realize that the locals weren’t kidding you when they said there were only 2 months of summer here in Vermont. Yet, instead of getting bummed out, you enjoy each season to the fullest.

On Saturday we were able to make it up to the Newport area for our first time. Though we have been through Newport before, we never spent any actual time there. When we found out that Jay Peak was showcasing Jerry Garcia art and memorabilia, we figured we could head up and stop in Newport also.

Newport, Vermont is located just over the Quebec border in northeastern Vermont right on Lake Mephremagog. The highlight of this small town is walking along the boardwalk on a nice, summer day and eating at one of the restaurants that overlook the lake. We chose the Eastside Restaurant, which was not only filling, but had an outside bar on the lake and a wonderful bakery. We were also able to stop a little outside of town at the recently opened, Kingdom Brewing. This nano-brewery just opened this summer and has a tasting room located at the brewery. The brewery is definitely off the beaten path but wasn’t too hard to find with directions. We tasted all of the beers and were quite impressed with the beers that had replaced hops with spruce tips. These were unexpectedly easy to drink and delicious! We ended the day at Jay Peak Mountain resort to look at Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead’s artwork. I had no idea Jerry was such an artist (outside of music) and so the display was really interesting. I found the smell in the room to change from the smell of paper to B.O. in one corner of the room. Interestingly enough, this was where Jerry’s signature black t-shirt was on display. It’s not every day you find yourself smelling the B.O. of a past musician.