It's hard not to love a good BBQ and Brews festival. It's two of my favorite food groups. Throw in some live music of the Blues genre and you have the ideal pairing for a weekend afternoon. Correction...make that the perfect pairing for any afternoon. Seriously, who doesn't love this combination? They make life worth living. These three B's also happens to be the meat in the Labor Day weekend sandwich (pun intended) that Stratton Mountain will be serving its patrons as they close out the summer with their first ever Blues, Brews and BBQ Festival.
Pack up the SUV, head up to Stratton Mountain this Saturday, September 1 and get your drink on as you enjoy some of Vermont's finest craft beers and ciders. The line-up includes Fiddlehead, Long Trail, Harpoon, Citizen Cider, Stormalong Cider, Stowe Cider and a dozen more Vermont and other craft purveyors. Tickets are $38 and include a commemorative tasting glass and 10 sample tickets. That's some serious bang for your buck.
Beer will be pouring until 5 p.m. giving you ample time to enjoy your thirst quenching craft beers while working up the perfect pairing with the delicious food that local barbecue and food trucks will be serving up for you on site.
As if this isn't enough, the free live music will be jamming all day, starting at 11:30 a.m. with Long Road Home, followed by Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers at 1 p.m. and the Dave Keller Band at 3:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time online or at guest services in the main base lodge.
If you're like me, you'll want to earn it before you après all day. So get up and get after it early with the Summit Assault race. This six-mile test with 2,003 feet of elevation gain can be grueling, and will absolute test your mettle. But at least you'll have earned the brews and BBQ that you'll be craving and getting to the top rewards you with a free beer ticket and gondola ride to the bottom so you can immediately get your drink on. Registration is online and available now.
The stress of 6 mile run uphill followed by a day of eating and drinking can really leave you dragging..so don't skip the cool down. Be sure to join the Lole White Tour On the Road as they hit Stratton on Sept. 2. Head over to the Stratton Lake House and join Lole ambassador Kaitlyn Zwagerman as she leads you through a yoga session set to the tune of live music and amazing panoramic mountain views.
This will be the perfect cap to an incredible summer and is sure to have you energized and ready for the week to come.
For more information and tickets, visit www.stratton.com.
