January 2016

Beer + Travel = Awesome. Exploring the top beer destinations in the world = Epic.

The Taste Vacations team has broken down five of the most epic beer havens to add to your next trip itinerary.

Beer Destination: Prague, Czech Republic

The Czech Republic has a rich beer history that dates back over a millennium. The city of Prague is considered one of the grandfathers of brewing with one of the oldest breweries being founded in 993 at Břevnov Monastery. Additionally, pilsner was invented in the town of Pilsen, near Prague. To taste a variety of Czech beers, check out Prague’s 17-day Czech Beer Festival for traditional fare, live music, and costumed servers pouring more than 70 brands of domestic beer.

Beer Destination: Colorado

Colorado lays claim to more than 10% of the nation’s breweries but is home to only 2% of the population – impressive, right? Long time host of the Great American Beer Festival, Denver’s history has been intertwined with beer since it’s founding in 1859.  Of course, you can check out the Miller Coors Brewery, but why stop there? There are nearly 230 other breweries to check out in the great state of Colorado. If you’re looking to meet other beer lovers, join us for the Colorado Beer Tour that starts with an afternoon at the Great American Beer Festival.

Beer Destination: Belgium

Another grandfather of beer, Belgium is one of the world’s beer meccas. Since the first Crusades, the church allowed abbeys to brew and distribute beer as a fundraising method. Consequently, breweries and beer cafes now abound in Belgium! Trappist monks carry on those deep traditions now with their dark, sweet, complex ales while Belgian craft brewers create their own rich brewing history and traditions by experimenting with other beer flavors. And because there are no laws dictating how Belgians should brew their beers, Belgium enjoys one of the widest selection of beer styles in the world. It’s no wonder that we chose Belgium as our first luxury beer tour destination.  There’s still room on our Belgium Beer Tour, or you can gather your friends and book a private tour on a date of your choosing.

Beer Destination: San Diego

San Diego County boasts more than 100 breweries including top craft beer titans Stone Brewing, Ballast Point, and Karl Strauss, and even has its own IPA category. San Diego has also been host to what is largely considered the biggest and best international beer competition, the World Beer Cup. Erica Reitz, editor-in-chief, DRAFT magazine puts it best, “Laid-back beach towns are my favorite getaways, so San Diego is a no-brainer when it comes to combining flip-flop casual with seriously excellent craft beer. It’s a mecca for hoppy, West Coast IPAs (found on tap just about everywhere), and there are so many spots around SD that should be on every beer lover’s itinerary (old favorites like Stone and new spots like White Labs tasting room). Sunshine, seashore, and amazing beer is just about the perfect recipe for destination drinking.”

Beer Destination: Asheville

We would be amiss if we left Asheville, NC off our epic beer destinations list. With more breweries per capita than anywhere else in the U.S., Asheville is a four-time winner of the annual Beer City USA poll, was host to last year’s Beer Bloggers & Writers Conference, and now is a Taste Vacation destination.  You could easily spend a week (or more!) exploring and tasting your way around town, sampling craft beer giants such as Sierra Nevada and Oskar Blues or trying more local favorites like the brewery that started the Asheville beer revolution, Highland Brewing.  

Whether you happen to be in the area of one of these amazing beer havens during your next trip or you’re planning a trip solely focused on beer, you can’t go wrong trying the tasty brews of any of these amazing beer destinations.