Southern Tier Brewing

My parents and sister went to visit my other sister around Christmas time, and with our busy schedules (on both sides, where do you think I learned this busyness from???) we didn't get a chance to have our own Christmas until this past weekend.

We planned it in advance, and wouldn't you figure- we get one of our only snowstorms.  Looking out the window in the morning, the plow hadn't gotten to our road yet (which is pretty typical actual) and it was still snowing and projected to snow the entire day.  I actually considered postponing but it's already February and we still haven't even exchanged Christmas presents?  Who knows when we'd get together next.

Driving North on 79.  Yes, this is a 4 lane highway!

So the snow was coming down as we were driving- we were in the middle of the storm.  It actually wasn't a bad storm except that the road crews couldn't really keep up with it.  Total inches it wasn't too bad, we just happened to be driving in the middle of it.

And it got worse as we kept going...  I kept telling Dave that hopefully the roads would be better once we crossed into NY.  They tend to do a much better job of clearing the roads (one of the few advantages of the higher taxes).  But for whatever reason, the roads weren't really much better in NY than they were in PA.

After the somewhat stressful drive (Thanks, Dave, for driving it- I never would have gone and done that by myself.) we met my parents in Jamestown at a restaurant called Taco Hut.  It was Mexican and was pretty decent.  We exchanged presents there and I shared a chimichanga with my mom. That was perfect- not too much to eat at all.

Then we headed to Lakewood to Southern Tier Brewing.  Dave and I love this brewery.  We've been here several times, mostly on the way to either Buffalo or my parents' house.

Dave and my parents went on the tour (which is some good beer tasting and you can keep the glass- it's $8 a person).  I stayed with Allison in the bar area since you aren't even allowed to go back for the tour if you're under 21.  It was nice to catch up with her a little bit and we had some pub chips with homemade french onion dip.  Yummy!  They don't really have food there, just pulled pork sandwiches.

See any family resemblance?

I don't have any pictures of it but my mom also made my favorite cake (angel food with my grandma's frosting recipe) and we had that with beer.  It was an, er, interesting combination.  But I love both beer and cake so it's all good.