On Thursday I went to Cooperstown NY for business. and attended the Catskill Hospice fundraiser. The event in my eyes was very successful! The event took place at Brewery Ommegang. What a fantastic place for an event. They had an elegant tent set up in the back of the brewery; dinner was great as was the band REO Speedwagon.

We arrived a bit before they opened the tent so we found ourselves in the tasting room of the brewery. You taste beer of micro brews the same way you do wine and they are paired the same way too. I found myself sniffing, sipping and evaluating. I started off tasting Witte Ale. It was very light and a good summertime ale. It had refreshing flavors of orange, and lemon. Next taste was the Hennepin. I enjoyed this too. It was refreshing, but a little heavier than the Witte. Then I tasted a dark beer (unfortunately I didn’t write the name of it down) This beer is only available on tap and not sold in bottles. It had an aftertaste of cherry and was on the bitter side. I didn’t like it, however, my friend Catherine did and felt it would go well with spicy food.

No trip is complete without a stop at a winery. We came across Bear Pond Winery just before we got on I88. I really liked their logo..a bear claw. I tasted a variety of their wines. Their Cabernet Franc was very nice. They had a cranberry wine which I thought would be a great summer drink if you added some club soda to it.

No matter where you are, you should stop in and visit the local winery. You will be surprised at the regional wines you will find.