Twenty craft beer lovers, all wearing the same T-shirts, walk into a bar. No, this isn’t the beginning of a joke―it describes an organized pub-crawl for charity. Across America, people are realizing that craft beer can form the impetus for switching off the TV, getting off the couch, heading out of the house and bringing people together with informative, entertaining, beer-centered activities.
Beer tourism is a hot trend these days.
It’s fun to get together at the local pub for a couple of pints and appetizers, but with a little energy and imagination, the exploration of notable beer styles can lead to exciting new places and levels of understanding and appreciation of gourmet beer. Read on for creative suggestions in making craft beer a focus in many social events outside the home.
Wisconsin's Lakefront Brewery is built on the banks of the Milwaukee River and serves as a frequent port-of-call for many a local brews cruise. (Lakefront Brewing)
The group pub-crawl idea mentioned above forms a wonderful way to connect with a variety of pubs in a town, and groups have the option of making the activity a benefit for a local charity. Pick a day for the crawl, choose a list of walkable pubs with great beer, speak with the pub managers in advance, come up with a schedule for the pub visits, invite participants and print up an inexpensive T-shirt for everyone. Work with pub managers to decide on one distinctive beer for the group to enjoy at each stop, figure out the total cost (including gratuity) of beer for the group and collect funds from the pub-crawlers in advance. If the jaunt benefits a charity, some pubs may even provide snacks or a price break on the beer. It’s helpful to have a ticket or token for each beer on the excursion.
Pittsburgh's "Fill the Mug" Charity Bar Crawl, organized by charitybarcrawl.com.
Excellent article. Beer dinners have quickly become one of my favorite events. I really like the idea of doing tapas and small bites with beer pairings.