Albuquerque Makes Top 10 in Travelocity’s Top Beer Destinations
In a survey last year, more than 1,000 people told the travel site they would like to go on a trip to visit craft breweries and sample local beers. The site enlisted the Brewers Association to come up with Travelocity’s first Beer Index.
According to Travelocity, craft beer production increased 13 percent, about 24 million barrels, in 2015, roughly 700 million more pint glasses of beer than in the previous year. There are about 4,800 craft breweries in the U.S. The breweries on Albuquerque Business First’s annual Breweries List brewed a collected 70,640 barrels of beer in 2015. There are 67 breweries in New Mexico as of September, according to the state’s Regulation and Licensing Department.
Albuquerque was ranked No. 10 on the list. The Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Oregon metro area was ranked No. 1, followed by Denver-Aurora, Colorado and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington.
“Small and independent craft brewers are part of the DNA of their communities,” said Julia Herz, craft beer program director for the Brewers Association and publisher of CraftBeer.com, in a statement. “They are becoming mainstay attractions for travelers. Whether as part of a backyard getaway, a break from a business trip or as the main reason for a beer-focused vacation, we encourage everyone to broaden their knowledge of beer by visiting these local brewers, to experience firsthand the advancing beer culture across the country.”
Breweries have a $520 million economic impact in New Mexico, according to America’s Beer Distributors.
By: Christopher Ortiz (Albuquerque Business First)
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