Go beyond the vines in New York’s wine country with a helpful new app that makes planning a getaway for craft-beverage lovers a breeze. The Craft Your Adventure app can help you organize a trip to the stunning Southern Finger Lakes region that incorporates outdoor adventures with the finest beer, cider, and spirit tasting rooms in the area.
Since the Southern Finger Lakes are already known as a go-to spot for scenic outdoor recreation, craft-beverage enthusiasts thought of the clever idea of pairing the adventures with locally made drinks in the region. You may not know that this beautiful part of New York is also filled with brewers, distillers, and cider-makers experimenting with the cutting edge techniques.
The Craft Your Adventure Beverage Trail was born as a way to let people know about these artisan drink makers scattered around the area. In this day and age, it comes as no surprise that an app would soon follow. Divided into six tabs jam-packed with information the Craft Your Adventure app is so comprehensive that it’s all you need to plan an epic holiday.
Craft Your Adventure
At the heart of the app are, of course, the great local breweries, distilleries, and cideries featured on the Beverage Trail. The trail is set up to be a self-guided tour that highlights more than 30 tasting-room locations, meaning that even the most discriminating palates will find something to love. This opening tab gives details about the trail, the Southern Finger Lakes region, and its Passport program.
The Passport offers the opportunity to sip through the list and earn some pretty great prizes. Sign up for The Passport via the app, and you collect digital “stamps” at each location you visit. Collect 10 stamps to become an “explorer” and earn a Beverage Trail T-shirt. After 30 stops, you will reach the “adventurer” level and receive a cooler.
Tasting Rooms
The app has a section for each of the tasting rooms, giving you a snapshot of what makes each unique. You’ll learn about things like the solar-powered 19th-century barn that houses Two Goats Brewing, or how Cider Creek Hard Cider is adjacent to the Finger Lakes Trail. This section also has the essential stats for each tasting room, including the varieties of drinks that it offers, the amenities to be found onsite, directions on how to get there, contact info, and social media links. This is where you will check-in to get the stamp for the Passport as well.
Perhaps best of all, each Tasting Room tab suggests two to three adventure pairings for that location. Plan an outing around where to play and where you’ll kick back and relax afterward. To learn more about each suggested adventure, swipe over to the “Adventure Pairings” tab to gain insights into the recreational opportunities.
Remember all of your favorites by using the note-keeping function. If you love the porter at Diversion Brewing Company (and you will), make a note that it was one of your favs. When a friend recommends the bourbon at Four Fights Distilling, take notes so you don’t forget. Let’s be honest—if you’re stamping your passport at 10 locations, a little note-taking is going to be helpful.
Adventure Pairings
Complete with links to websites for more info and directions the Adventure Pairings tab is a treasure trove of helpfulness and a great way to learn about some area sights that might not already be on your radar. Not sure where to start? We’ve got a few suggestions for you here.
Getting Around
Worried about the transportation issues with sampling a wide variety of alcoholic beverages? Take advantage of the innovative “getting around” function on the app, which lets users call a driver (Uber, Lyft, Main Street Drivers) without even having to leave the app. Now everyone in your party can enjoy the tasting without worrying about getting home.
Favorites
Use the favorites section to keep track of the locations you deem worthy of returning to by keeping a list of your highlighted destinations right in the app. That way when you’re telling your friends back home about the epic Old Antics Amber Ale you had at the Brewery of Broken Dreams, there won't be any scrambling around to remember where that was. All of the names will be right at your fingertips.
Messages
Don’t miss a thing with the messages section which broadcasts upcoming events. A helpful tool for planning when to visit for maximum fun. It also creates great opportunities to collect more stamps. Maybe you’ve not considered checking out a distillery, but the live musician playing at Krooked Tusker Distillery on the Saturday night while you’re in town sounds too good to pass up.
Don’t just wing it on your next trip to the Southern Finger Lakes. Take advantage of this digital guide to find some of the best craft-beverage producers in the country. Download the Craft Your Adventure app before you go, and chances are you’ll be enjoying a new element to a Finger Lakes vacation.
Written by Lisa Collard for Matcha in partnership with Steuben County.
