Beer Tourism & Travel

[Hostels]

I was browsing around RateBeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com and was wondering if there is an organized beer tourism industry in countries that produce good beer.

Came across this site while searching around:
http://beertrips.com/

Do hostels in beer producing countries use beer in their marketing materials? I think students would hop over to places like Belgium and Germany for beer tours if they knew they had a cheap hostel to stay at...

[santa klaus]

Ah, of course there is!

http://www.toot-tours.com/beertour.htm

Do hostels in beer producing countries use beer in their marketing materials?

Sort of. Everybody gets a free (though smallish) beer in our hostels - the welcome beer. We used to hand out free steins to people who stayed during Oktoberfest when the checked out until we learned they confiscated these at the airport - because you can´t really buy those steins, hence they must be stolen at the Oktoberfest. WTF?

[Hostels]

I was thinking as I was in the beer section of the supermarket and looking through those beer review sites that a lot of Americans like beer. Microbrews are popular here. There are a lot of people that make their own beer at home too. If hostels in beer countries would market the "beer tourism" angle they might be able to convince more Americans to visit those countries...

[santa klaus]

Our Munich hostel sometimes gets reviews like "full of obnoxious American college kids who puke down the stairwell and obviously only came to Munich to waste themselves".

We sell about 70.000 liters of beer in our hostel bar every year - I think that´s enough!

[Hostels]

Originally Posted by santa klaus

Our Munich hostel sometimes gets reviews like "full of obnoxious American college kids who puke down the stairwell and obviously only came to Munich to waste themselves".

ok... good point

[PhillyTraveller]

Well, we're not a European city, but Philly is often regarded as one of the top three beer cities in the US (which I don't think too many people know about).

We don't have as many microbreweries as, say, Portland, but our bars and restaurants import a massive quantity and variety of Belgian and German imports. According to this website, we drink more Belgian ale than Brussels (not sure if this is an accredited fact, but I'd believe it). Not to mention that an unusually high percentage of our pubs and restaurants include a few quality local and import draught selections (and not just Bud/Miller/Crap light).

The website, by the way, is for Philly Beer Week, which happened in early March this year. I'm not sure if this is to be come an annual thing, but if it is, rest assured that my future hostel will offer some fabulous promotions in conjunction, not to mention the best advice for people interested in getting a sense of the local beer scene.

And if anyone is headed this way before then, I'd be happy to offer suggestions of where to go to enjoy the best brews/tours.

I guess I'd fall into the category of one of those Americans who would travel to other cities and be more likely to stay in a hostel promoting awesome beer, but probably not the puking all over the stairs category (at least not anymore ).

And I have to agree with Hostels that beer and brewing culture is definitely on the upswing in the States. I've worked in a microbrewery/restaurant for the past two years and watched as our beer-drinking clientele shifted from older homebrew nerds to people from all walks of life.

So I think that's an excellent idea!

[Green Mango]

Come to Green Mango Inn here in the Philippines, email us at gh_realty@yahoo.com, because international travel guides have often ranked the Philippines with having among the world's best and CHEAPEST beers... also the rhum in the Philippines are cheaper than bottled water, no kidding!

email me for a beer-drinking fun holiday in the Philippines

[johnnymac]

Mango beer? That's a new one..

[Green Mango]

great suggestion!!! that's exotic...

[Hostels]

Looks like it's possible to make good mango beer:
http://blog.robballen.com/archive/20...ango_Beer.aspx

One of my professors in college had a PhD in something like "alcoholic beverages of Mexican Indians"... he would brew up alcohol made from unusual ingredients like pineapples. Mango beer might be great...