Beverage Camps for Adults

The days of archery camps, surf camps, and regular old summer camps where games of Capture the Flag fill the hours may be long gone, but don’t despair – there are new camps for adults in town, perfect for adults interested in wine-making, distilling, and brewing.

Oenophiles have some camps that provide the ultimate wine-making experience. At Sonoma County Grape Camp in Sonoma, Calif., a three-day camp offers wine making, tasting, cooking, and dining – in short, and a full Harvest experience. Conducted by the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission and Relish Culinary School, this September camp lets attendees work in the vineyards, picking grapes and blending wine, as well as participating in wine-paired meals.

Wine Camp is also located in California, on the Central Coast. This single night experience moves to a variety of locations between Santa Barbara and Monterrey, offering tasting, dining, and insight into wine-making. The camp’s Sunday Supper Series pops up all along the coast, offering food and wine in a family-style dining setting, served along with wine-making knowledge and the ability to taste limited-production varietals.

At Maine’s Cellardoor Vineyard Camp, every October owner Bettina Doulton hosts a four-night camp where attendees can work in the vineyard and participate in all aspects of wine-making from grape-crushing to fermenting. Campers also learn how to make wine from kits, and experience fine dining, cooking classes, and local winery tours near Lincolnville and Camden, Maine.

Also on the East Coast, there’s the Long Island Wine Camp, run by North Fork of New York. Campers learn about wine-making chemistry, blending, and food pairing, as well as visiting wineries and vineyards. The four-day camp runs twice, in June and July

Beer aficionados can camp it up, too. One of the most famous beer camps is also the most difficult to get into, Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp. The idea is to bring beer buffs into the brewery to craft their beers. The three-day experience, held at Sierra Nevada’s facilities in Chico, Calif., and Mills River, N.C., allows campers to tour the facility including brewhouse and hop rooms, as well as learning about beer storage and beer crafting. However, to be accepted to these June and July camps, campers must enter and win a video contest explaining why the experience is desired.

Not a contest winner? Then try learning about all things craft-brewing at The Black Fly Craft Brewing Camp, a yearly event held at Great Camp Sagamore in New York. Learn about craft brewing, join in a home-brewery evaluation, and immerse in all things brewery related from hops to malt. The setting of this weekend program should make attendees pretty “hoppy.” Sagamore’s Main Lodge is the prototype for Disney’s Wilderness Lodge as well as many a National Park great lodge and was once owned by the Vanderbilt family.

Can’t get out of the city? The Beer Camp Classroom offers individual beer classes year round in the heart of Chicago. From making beer at home to how to brew in a bag, beginning all-grain brewing, and kegging workshops, these thirty to ninety-minute classes offer intensive primers on brewing techniques.

Longing to craft a different kind of spirit? In Louisville, Ky., Moonshine University offers a five-day-long distiller boot camp as well as single day workshops including one on bourbon-making. Produced by the Distilled Spirits Epicenter, campers here will learn to mill and cook raw corn, handle yeast, ferment, and blend botanicals. Attendees also get to taste what they’ve crafted. A variety of two-day programs are offered as well, with boot camps running from August to December.

And, in Breckenridge, Colo., Breckenridge Distillery offers a week-long, hands-on distillery immersion every October. This camp mixes practical work with knowledgeable lectures. Covered are raw material and equipment selection, mash and still preparation, and fermentation science as well as small batch whiskey blending, among other topics. From proofing to bottling, Breckenridge covers the full crafting experience.