The Best Destinations to Sample Craft Beer in the U.S.

Last year in a Travelocity survey of over 1,000 people, more than three-quarters said they would like to go on a trip where they visited craft breweries and sampled local beer. 

After receiving these results, Travelocity worked with the Brewers Association, a national trade association dedicated to promoting American craft brewers, their beers, and the community of brewing enthusiasts, to find America's best beer destinations and create a new Beer Tourism Index.

The index identified the best large and small metro areas in the U.S. by factoring in the availability of rideshare services, accessibility via air, and the average cost of lodging.

Craft beer production increased by 13 percent from 2014 to 2015, which equates to 700 million more pints of beer poured. Additionally, nearly 5,000 craft breweries operate across the country, meaning there’s no shortage of selection – the only issue is a lack of widespread availability. Travelocity is aiming to making it easier for people to get out and visit America's best beer destinations with special offers to cities identified in the Travelocity Beer Tourism Index. 

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The Top 6 Large Metro Areas for craft brews are:

  1. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA
  2. Denver-Aurora, CO
  3. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
  4. Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME
  5. Colorado Springs, CO
  6. Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA

Top 6 Small Metro Areas: 

  1. Bend, OR
  2. Boulder, CO
  3. Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
  4. Corvallis, OR
  5. Missoula, MT
  6. Burlington-South Burlington, VT

At www.travelocity.com/beertowns, travelers can find deals on hotels as well as hotel/flight packages to book their own beer lover's getaway. Travelocity also has a selection of beer-related activities at www.travelocity.com/brewerytours, including beer tours, beer cruises, and even beer trains.