Travel is a frequent conversation-starter in The Fervent Few—we even have a dedicated channel in our Slack group where we share local knowledge, our favorite bars, and ask for recommendations when we’re on the go. But this week, GBH’s creative director Michael Kiser was thinking more about the pleasure of coming home than the enticements of the open road.
“Whenever I travel, coming home can be just as exciting as when I'm departing,” he wrote. “I get excited for all the familiar things—my bed, my cats, and often a local beer that I know is still sitting in the fridge with a couple left from the last six-pack I bought. Right now, for me, that's Cruz Blanca's Palm Shade—a tropical, punchy Pale Ale.”
He wondered if any of our members also share his excitement in sitting down after a long trip and cracking open a local beer, or returning to a familiar neighborhood spot after time spent away. Turns out they had a lot to say: read on to learn about The Fervent Few’s most cherished beer homecomings.
Eleanor Leger lives in Vermont (lucky!) and after a recent five-day trip to Virginia, all she wanted was a pizza at the Parker Pie Company and a pint of Hill Farmstead’s Edward, a dry-hopped American Pale Ale. Shannon Vinson, meanwhile, likes to hit up Halfway Crooks in Atlanta before and after trips. “I’m obsessed with their Helles, Metric (although every beer they pour is excellent). I’ve had it so many times that I was able to taste when they added hops later to the boil in one batch, which means I drink a LOT of it. The brewery is also absolutely stunning— the space has a feeling of home while at the same time transporting you to a faraway land (Belgium, in this case).”
Some crave simple pleasures. When she gets back home to London, Colleen O’Sullivan just wants to get to the pub. “I want a lovely pint of cask Bitter in a cozy London pub by the end of any of my journeys away these days.”
After a big trip, some of our members seek comfort in their area’s most iconic beers. Tim Decker finds that even after a trip to Europe spent drinking some of the world’s best sour beers, what he craves is a Bay Area classic. “I’m from Northern California and eventually I’m going to want a cold Pliny The Elder or STS Pils from Russian River.”
For his part, Matt Paonessa, who calls Massachusetts home, reaches for several classic New England beers—regardless of how dated they might be. “Say what you will about some beers being antiquated or about their regional availability, but after any decent amount of time away from home, there are always three beers I look forward to drinking when I get back to Logan: Harpoon IPA, Allagash White, and Sam Adams Boston Lager. These beers have become so sentimental that getting a draft pour of them immediately grounds me as being at home.”
Not everyone wants to go back out once they get home. Some prefer to stay in, like AJ Keirans—after work trips, he just wants to relax. “By the time I get home, I am looking forward to a shared beer with my wife. We stock the family fridge with Stouts and sours that we can share together, or that she enjoys. The beer is usually irrelevant—sitting on the couch in some comfy L.L. Bean slippers and catching up or planning lunches in the kitchen are the little things I miss most while I’m on the road, and the beer just adds to that experience of feeling good about being home.”
Finally, a few people thought fondly of the beer in places they’ve since moved away from, or only return to every now and then. Matthew Curtis has family in Fort Collins, Colorado, and he has a ritual every time he goes to visit. “When I’m there, the first beers I have are almost always the same: Zwei Pils and Odell IPA. I’ll usually have a few of those before I start raiding my Dad’s wine cabinet for juicy Washington State Pinots and Syrahs.”
Claire Bullen goes home to Philadelphia for Christmas, and she has quite the brewery near her family home. “Tired Hands is practically the closest brewery to our house, and we've been going ever since it first opened—back when it was just the Brew Café. I make a point to go back every time I'm home. I used to get more excited about the Milkshake IPAs; these days, having a pint of Saison Hands feels like home. That and the panini, of course.”
Daniel Castro Chin recently moved away from Atlanta but he wants to move back—and soon. “I love going to Hop City and having a beer while I peruse 100 more to take home. I'll sit at the bar and enjoy a few with the staff while telling old tales of how my brewery was born out of their homebrew store back when I was in college. I save The Porter for more special occasions because I'll splurge there, but hitting up Atlanta Brewing, Wrecking Bar, or Monday Night are always highlights. My significant other and I kept joking as we traveled around Korea that the return flight would be to Atlanta because that will always be home for us.”
Is there a beer that you always look forward to? Join The Fervent Few and tell us about it. As a bonus, hang out with a thriving community of fellow beer lovers, and help support all the great content Good Beer Hunting produces.
Hosted by Jim Plachy 
