Tag Archives: airlines

Craft Beer in the Clouds

Beer / December 15, 2014 / No Comments.

suds-on-a-plane-the-9-best-craft-beers-served-in-flightYou know when you walk on an airplane, and you immediately realize you’re most likely going to burn a hole in your wallet by consuming only a few in-flight drinks? We’re familiar with the feeling, but besides being able to build your own classic cocktails (utilizing several carry-on ingredients), one airline in particular has upped the ante by adding select craft beers to their in-flight beverage menu.

Delta airlines has recently began stocking their beverage carts with a range of regional craft brews in the hope of providing a more local feel to their already existing beverage and meal options. Giving all customers on specific U.S. flight routes a craft beer option, Delta offers picks the following breweries:

  • Ballast Point Brewing Company (San Diego, CA)
  • Blue Point Brewing Company (Long Island, NY)
  • Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, NY)
  • Lagunitas Brewing Company (Petaluma, CA)
  • Newburyport Brewing Company (Newburyport, MA)
  • Samuel Adams (Boston, MA)
  • Stone Brewing Company (Escondido, CA)
  • SweetWater Brewery (Atlanta, GA)

While some brews are only available on select routes (Lagunitas and Stone beer are exclusively offered on Delta’s west coast shuttle, traveling from Los Angeles to San Francisco), some beers (i.e. Samuel Adams) are available on all flights. More importantly, craft beers on east coast shuttle flights are complimentary (yes, that’s right, free), while those on transcontinental, southeast and all other flights cost around $7.

We think Delta is ahead of the curve with this beverage initiative, and we’re sure you’re with us when we say we will praise the day other airlines hop on the craft beer bandwagon.

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Airlines With the Best In-Flight Drink Menus

Our Stories / December 28, 2012 / No Comments.

When we’re traveling, we find that most of our drinking is done in the airport bar rather than on the plane. There’s usually a way better selection in the airport but luckily, some airlines have been getting wise and made it a priority to create drink menus worth ordering from.

Southwest Airlines is known for being inexpensive, so you’d probably assume their alcoholic drink choices would be pretty dismal. False. Okay, they don’t have a huge menu, but it gets major bonus points for being affordable. For wine and beer they have chardonnay, merlot, Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Heineken, Michelob Ultra and Corona Extra. In the liquor department, they’ve got Dewar’s Scotch, Jack Daniel’s, Wild Turkey, Tanqueray Gin, Bacardi Rum, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Finlandia Vodka and Canadian Club Reserve. Not bad, as long as you don’t want to do tequila shots in flight.

Delta has fewer offerings than Southwest, but they do take it to the next level (kinda) by offering featured cocktails. The most recent menu we saw had two different choices – “Sky Quench,” which is Skyy Vodka and Fresca served over ice, and “JD Honey and Ginger,” which is Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey Whiskey and Canada Dry Ginger Ale served over ice. Not the most creative, but there’s some effort.

Virgin is known for providing an all-around great experience, so you knew their menu was going to be good. Their airport clubhouse lounge/bars are the ultimate, but obviously, those are not up in the air. We do wish they’d bring more of their amazing clubhouse drink selections into their planes, but we’re still content with what they currently have: Absolut Vodka, Bombay Sapphire Gin, Funkin Margarita Mixer, Jack Daniel’s, Bacardi Rum, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Glenlivet 12 Year Old Scotch, Sauza Hornitos Reposado Tequila, Veev Acai Spirit, 35° South Cabernet Sauvignon, 35° South Chardonnay, La Campana Sparkling Wine, Wente Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 375ml, Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 375ml, House Red 375ml by Wente Vineyards, House White 375ml by Wente Vineyards, Anchor Steam Beer, Black Star Beer, Blue Moon Beer, Bud Light, Gordon Biersch, Marzen, and Heineken.

We love the bigger drink menus, but we would also love to see the airlines get a little more creative with in-flight mixed drinks and cocktails. Oh well…baby steps. What are the best and worst experiences you’ve had?

 

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