You know when your drive up to Vermont manages to include stops at three separate breweries, you are in for a good weekend. That was exactly the case for us on our annual "adults only" trip that, this year, fell on St. Patrick's Day weekend. Sure the Taconic is slightly out of the way but when that route include beers as tasty as Peekskill Brewery's Eastern Standard IPA and Chatham Brewing's Farmer's Daughter, combined with the delicious Poutine topped with a fried egg that we had at Peekskill Brewery, that extra distance instantly became irrelevant. The fact that the ride culminated at Brown's Brewing Company's Walloomsac Taproom with their award winning Oatmeal Stout and, quite possibly, the most satiating Turkey Sandwich ever, was the cherry on top of an incredible ride. Okay, maybe that was the whipped cream. The cherry was the 60+ inches of pow that Mount Snow had received over the last three weeks ready and waiting for us that weekend.
The Snow was Too Good to Après All St. Paddy's Day
Saturday and St. Patrick's Day at a ski resort...normally that is grounds to après all day. However, with so much fresh cheddar out there to shred we needed to put our green beer on layaway for a bit and head out to the white room. This was totally worth it. Having had a couple of rainy weekends while visiting there in January and February, this was the first time that I was able to ski Mount Snow this season to its fullest extent. It was spectacular! I was surprised to learn just how many sweet gladed runs Mount Snow has. Due to my crappy early season luck, these were not open but with all of their recent snow, they were glorious. From the TD trees to Swamp Donkey to the ones off Olympic, it was wall to wall tree skiing until my quads just couldn't take it anymore.
"Let's Do a Mount Snow Bar Crawl."
Right around the time that we were drinking our Bloody Mary lunch at The Bullwheel, I looked at the group and said, "Let's do a Mount Snow bar crawl." No arms needed to be twisted here as this group of après ski team regulars were all in. So what began as a, "I'm drinking a bloody, let me throw this out there" notion, turned into our biggest après ski adventure of the season. A few more runs to really feel the lactic acid in my legs and then the live music coming from below was too good to ignore. Plus we were burning daylight and needed to hit the remaining bars at the base before heading off piste.
Canned, Cuzzin's, Bruce and Fruition Were Too Good to Pass Up
Canned was the perfect second stop. With Bluegrass Rock band Fruition rocking the Cuzzin's patio, walking up to the window to order an ice cold can of Vermont Craft beer ensured that we wouldn't miss any of the action. And, there was plenty of it because not only was Fruition jamming outside, but Bruce was playing inside Cuzzin's at the same time. Simply stated, you cannot have a ski weekend at Mount Snow without stopping in Cuzzin's for a Bruce Jacques performance. That would be downright blasphemy! Needing to hit our third bar on the crawl and since the show outside was running simultaneously, getting into Cuzzins and grabbing a beer was actually manageable. Bruce was on top the tables and his St. Paddy's Day game while the crowd of professional après skiers delightfully danced and sang along. It's really quite crazy what that bar turns into as a result of his foolery, but it is impressive and oh so worth it.
The Dover Bar and Grill Is the Perfect Ending to This Perfect Day
So too was Fruition who was still playing outside and one of the best live bands that I have seen at a ski resort this season. Heading back out to see more of their show we took advantage of the bonus pop up bar on the patio. This fortuitous stroke of luck for the bar crawl participants was a welcome stop on the tour prior to finishing up on site at 1900' Burger and The Station Tap Room. The delicious burgers burgers at 1900 were met with great approval and while at The Tap Room I had the opportunity to try one of Upper Pass Brewing’s beers for the first time. Having heard so much about them, their Moove on Up Milk Stout did not disappoint. Gratified beyond belief I would have been happy to call it a day right then and there.
However, this was St. Paddy’s Day and the Gansett tall boys at the Snow Barn were calling our names. So too was a trip to the Dover Bar and Grill (aka. DBAGS). Although not technically a Mount Snow bar, DBAGS is as much a part of Mount Snow lore as any and stopping there was the captivating culmination to an epic day that we needed. Continuing to crack tall boys as we left our mark on the recently voted, best dive bar in Vermont, I looked around gratifyingly happy that I had the chance to spend this epic St. Patrick’s day together with such good friends.
