Wherever you are, tip one back in celebration of American Craft Beer Week, which lasts from 16 to 22 May.
The Brewers Association is having a party, and the whole country’s invited.
So wherever you are, tip one back in celebration of American Craft Beer Week, which lasts from 16 to 22 May.
For the first time in the brewtopia’s six-year history, all 50 states will host official events that pay tribute to American craft brewers. Stores and bars around the country will offer discounts on craft beers and breweries across the country will be pouring something special.
Nationally renowned breweries like Milton, Delaware’s Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Boulder, Colorado’s Avery Brewing Company will offer up rare vintage beers from their personal cellars. Hood River, Oregon’s Full Sail Brewing Company will tap a special batch of Hop Pursuit on cask. Spearfish South Dakota’s Crow Peak Brewing Company is hosting a Swine and Swill event that pairs beer and bacon.
For information on events near you, visit the American Craft Beer Week events calendar.
Minnesota (13 to 22 May), Long Island (13 to 22 May), San Antonio (15 to 22 May), Chicago (19 to 27 May) and Seattle (19 to 28 May) will also host their own local beer weeks with additional tastings and pairings.
Brewers and beer enthusiasts alike have reason to enjoy a few cold ones this year – in the last six years, the craft beer industry has continued to grow in both total sales and number of breweries, from less than 1,400 US brewers in 2006 to more than 1,700 currently. For American beer drinkers that means tasty brews are likely available no matter how far you travel from home (if you’re lucky you might even find a heady pint at the airport before you leave).
The Brewer’s Association’s Declaration of Beer Independence states good beer “teaches geography” and “helps to make the world a better place”, so there’s no better time to start enriching your mind and doing your part.