By I’ve been saying for some time now that NEPA needs to get on board with rest of the state, and start marketing some kind of beverage trail to highlight the local breweries, wineries, and distilleries that have both been popping up, but also around for a while. A couple of years ago, I even made a post with my own makeshift NEPA Ale Trail. It turns out that an official one is launching very soon, in the form of the Pocono Beverage Trail, which highlights local libations in Carbon, Monroe, and Wayne Counties.
Participants so far include Antler Ridge Winery, Barley Creek Brewing Company, Franklin Hills Vineyard Tasting Room, Mountain View Vineyard Winery and Brewery, Mountain View Distillery, ShawneeCraft Brewery, Tolino Vineyards Tasting Room, and Wallenpaupack Brewing Company. I’ve been to a few of these locales which if documented in posts here and here. As with many of these “Ale Trails” the gist is that you get a passport at any participating locale, wrack up stamps, and then get some sort of free swag upon completion. It’s a great way to market this area, and the website also does a good job of recommending places to eat (spoiler: most of them are located in a brewery/winery), as well as transportation recommendations to help do this in a safe way. I’m excited to see what the area does with this beverage trail, and I’d love to see the inclusion of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Susquehanna Counties in the future (or for these counties to create their own trails, if the Pocono Beverage Trail wishes to remain purely Poconos).
PA Weekend Fun 