Chatham Brewing

One advantage: writing a magazine food column for years: people jump in with both alligators when you say you enjoy delightful regional eats and drinks. Dragged me (smiling) thru four Memphis BBQ joints in 24 hours two years ago. Case at this point: Chatham Brewing, Chatham, NY. I showed interest. Hilary Dunne Ferrone, the wife of co-founder Mister Hilary Dunne Ferrone, brought me a "growler" of their prize-winning porter. A growler is a large bottle filled from the tap. I had an iced-down cooler in my car's trunk ("boot," English folk). For two days I rambled the buttocks of western New England, presenting workshops, while that growler floated in a melting ice storm. Today, Saturday, I drank, doing yard work in humid, unseasonal heat. GORGEOUS! A chocolate bar in every sip. And easy on the productivity. You could drink this all afternoon and still make progress.