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I know the title sounds a little weird for the faint of heart, but for some of us this is turning out to be a great Saturday morning Upstate s2ki activity.
Now I know for a fact sometime in late January I will be ready for a repeat performance, so if you like the sounds of this activity, keep an eye open and we will announce the date for the next beer run.
12/13/03 Breakfast and Beer Run
My day started out at about 6:45AM. Normally I don't leave this early, but with the snow and all I figured I would at least attempt to drive slow...
After a quick run down the thruway towards Geneva I get off and take Rte 14 down towards Watkins Glen. The weather this morning was spotty, some of the roads had some nasty snow, and some were rather clear.
Once in Watkins Glen I continue just down Rte 14 to Montour Falls where we meet for an amazing breakfast. I must hand it to Skip, when it comes to finding great little greasy spoons this man's talents are unsurpassed.
OH CRAP I FORGOT TO SHOOT THE DINER
After a great breakfast, and I do mean great, we head back up to Watkins Glen on our way to the Vineyard. Today however we had to make a little pit stop next to my favorite deli in town so I could get this pic for Marco. If you are ever in need of a great sub/sandwich while in Watkins Glen hit The Glen Mountain Market on Rte 14 and 2nd Street.
After leaving Watkins Glen we head up the east side of Seneca Lake to Lodi, home of Wagner Vineyards. As seen here, my two partners in crime Eric and Skip were both driving their Hondas, and carefully stood just right to block the view of my Nissan...
Wagner Vineyards is the wine part of the business, Wagner Valley is the beer part of the business, and they are both housed in this building. And let me just say, it is way bigger inside than it appears in this picture.
This morning it was a bit dark on the east side of the lake, and yet the sun was shinning on the west side. I just had to walk up onto the deck to get a few pics. This is on the main deck near the brewery area looking to the south and east. And I just love the fact that the beer area has a better deck than the wine area.
Standing in about the same spot and turning to the northeast you see the covered area of the deck. This is where we will be having an Upstate Friday Night Dinner next year. They set up a small band and serve food and drinks outside, what a great Friday night activity, I can't wait! Marco, this is where I'm taking you and Denise.
After this little exploration it was time to come inside and warm up. So once we walk in, we walk past the gift shop, we walk past the wine tasting area and go through a little door and enter a long hallway. As you walk down the hallway you become aware of the fact that for a vineyard, these people take their beer seriously. That little thing at the top of the picture is a catwalk, these brew kettles are a couple stories tall.
And so you all know, part of the purpose of this thread is to tease my poor friend Marco, who has been salivating over the thought of a Sled Dog, and as of yet, this is about as close as he has gotten... After walking past those monsters you eventually get to the end of the hallway and see another little doorway. Ahhh yes, our destination.
Once inside you are greeted by a server who knows all the beers and has a ton of information to share. They have a sheet on the counter and all the beers are listed from light to dark with the special seasonal brews on the bottom. For one lousy little buck you get served a good size taste of all their beers. Skip, Eric and myself should be on a first name basis, and I suspect it must be Skip's fault we don't know this guys name, or is it the Tripplebock's fault?
And that my friends is an Upstate Breakfast and Beer Run. Because I was in a rush today the only other thing I had time for was the long drive home, in the snow.
I strongly suggest you put this into your plans for sometime in late January. And believe me, if we want to make a day out of it, we can always head on over to Ithaca, because the last time out we went through Ithaca Beer company and I think we need to do that again because the two are so funny in contrast. Also, Eric has another idea tucked up his sleeve, but we can talk about that at another time.
Marco, the town is having a painter go through and add those murals to several of the buildings. I think they have three of them now. I should get pics of the others when I'm down the next time. Not only do I love this one because of the Ferrari, but as you come into Watkins Glen going south on Rte 14 this is one of the first things you see, and for a town rich in automotive racing history it is just perfect!
After walking past those monsters you eventually get to the end of the hallway and see another little doorway. Ahhh yes, our destination. 
Damn I do nice work... I mean refinishing the floors not drinking the beer...
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