Quaint Cooperstown

First off let me start out by saying the following: Bad blogger! Bad blogger! I've let my personal life interfere with my sharing my travels and drinking experiences with the one or two folks that actully look at this site (I don't know how to track hits, I never receive any comments, boo-hoo). Never fear, my personal life didn't get in the way of my sampling of fine beer, I've just never made it a priority to write it down except in my database. I'm now committing to catch up, and put blogging AHEAD of other important activities (i.e., watching Wipeout, walking the dog, taking care of the lawn, etc.)!

My in-laws came out to visit Memorial Day weekend, and our family took the opportunity to finally go see the Baseball Hall of Fame (http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/index.jsp) in Cooperstown, NY. Cooperstown is beautiful, nestled next to a lake about 90 minutes southwest from our house. Jenn and I had been their before, but never felt that the kids were old enough to tour the museum. With Martha being such a big Red Sox fan, it was a good excuse to give it a try.

The day was picture perfect; blue sky, warm sun, and low humidity. We toured the museum when it opened, and got to see the highlights of the Red Sox victory in 2007. There were several interactive things for the kids to do, and it was fun to share with them some of my baseball memories. I got to explain to them the Philly Phanatic, and tell them the story of how my Phanatic doll catching fire when I tried to hide it from Karen on a light bulb (it was off when I hid it there, but I forgot about him). Jacob thought that was a riot. I enjoyed reminiscing about the 1980 Phillies championship with Mike Schmidt and Tug McGraw. We got to see part of a Little League game at Doubleday Field, and had a nice lunch in town. The food was good, but they didn’t have a good beer menu. I snuck away while Jenn was shopping to the Doubleday Café and was able to get an Ommegang Rare Vos on tap.

Oh yeah, this is a blog and I rarely go anywhere without beer in mind, so I took the family over to Brewery Ommegang (http://www.ommegang.com/) for a beer tour. This is a wonderful Belgian style brewery that produces great, authentic Belgian brews. It is a bit out of town, and a bit hard to find, but was definitely worth the visit. Jacob was enthralled with the machinery, and was asking me a lot of questions (I’m so proud). I hope to instill a love and appreciation for fine beer (without over indulging) in both my kids, and hope to encourage Jacob to consider a career as a brewmaster (I haven’t told Jenn this yet, so please no one share our secret). Now before you condemn me, other fathers live vicariously through their kids through sports, so why can’t I do it with beer? I was able to get a bottle of Three Philosophers (a barleywine style) that had been aged at a constant temperature in nearby Howe Caverns. It’s more of a gimmick than anything else, but is a neat idea for the locals.

We had a great day together as a family. It is always hard to find new things to do when people come into town, and it is always a treat when it works out. - 4647

"Blessed is the mother who gives birth to a brewer." – Czech Proverb