2022 was tough. Russia invaded Ukraine; Roe v Wade was struck down; there were 705 US mass shootings; Queen Elizabeth died; inflation reared its ugly head; a third of Pakistan was flooded; and, of course, Covid continued to kill Americans with 250,000 deaths. One casualty was Warren’s Beer Adventures, which was idle for the entire 2022 year. Like the phoenix rebirth, I’ll restart this blog with some highlights from last year and a 2023 goal of regularly posting. Wish me luck.

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Mrs. Adventures and I paid our annual visit to Big Meadows, our favorite campground in the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. We love the lodge with its spectacular views, delicious food, and a place to escape from the elements. I enjoyed the locally brewed Bearfence DIPA while enjoying the Appalachian view.

We discovered that West Virginia is full of charming places and craft beers. We stayed in a “rustic” log cabin in Watoga State Park. We were surprised that “rustic” included A/C, heat, a modern kitchen, and a complete bathroom. Watoga is a wonderful hidden gem near the amazing 70+ mile Greenbrier River Trail.

After Watoga, we stayed in the walkable and prosperous small town of Lewisburg with three colleges plus plenty of fun shops and restaurants. We spent a wonderful afternoon outside at the Briergarten, a beer garden, enjoying flights of beer. Lewisburg was just one of WV’s little-known secrets.

We explored the Washington and Old Dominion Bike (W&OD) Railroad Trail in Virginia by bike. This 45-mile trail runs from Purcellville to Alexandria. We spent two days commuting, first to Purcellville, then Leesburg, riding bikes for 10 – 15 miles each day. The trail was well-maintained and relatively scenic. The highlights were the 2 craft beer stops( both with nice outdoor seating): Delirium Cafe – Leesburg and the Beltway Brewing Company in Sterling. Beltway Brewing had yummy empanadas and a nice sour beer collection. Delirium is the only US spot with this international brand. With over 400 beers available, and amazing food, we chose to dine twice at this gem on both our visits to the W&OD. I highly recommend the Delirium Cafe.

For the fifth year, we held the Columbia Pub Crawl. This annual event was held on Black Friday this year. Our journey began at the Columbia Ale House, then Pub Dog of Columbia, Reckless Shepherd Brewing (the recently relocated Frisco Tap House), Black Flag Brewing, and Hysteria.

The pub crawlers started at noon and walked 3 miles, staying 45 minutes at each of the five locations. It was a beautiful day, with about 25 participants. Some arrived early at the Ale House for lunch. The crawl was similar to last year’s crawl. Pub Dog still offers 2 drinks per pour but was sadly missing their shuffleboard table. Reckless at their new location was the big change. There are using exclusive QR codes on the tables, enormous TVs, and an outside porch with 2 firepits. Plus, their beer is mostly the in-house Reckless beer. Black Flag has stepped up its beer game, offering some very tasty pours. And the back room is a nice escape from the crowd in the front room. Hysteria is still a cozy brewery with some delicious beers.

In the world of Warren, the absolute highlight of 2022 was my son’s wedding. In the middle of summer, Paul married his long-time sweetheart, Jen, in Nagshead, North Carolina, on the beach at Jeannette’s Pier. It was beautiful and so much fun; plus, thanks to DBear, we made a delicious wedding beer, “It Takes Two to Mango,” a mango IPA. It was a huge success.

Happy New Year!

Warren