Who doesn’t want to travel to a new city and hang out with some of the biggest beer fans and drink some delicious beer? First off – aside from Cigar City, we had no idea how booming the beer scene is in the Tampa Bay Area. Thankfully, we were educated quickly. The Beer Bloggers Conference is one of our favorite events because it’s an awesome workcation. We get to sample tons of beers that are new to us, and it gives us the chance to find out what other beer lovers are excited about in the industry.
Our key takeaways:
Let’s Be Friends
Tampa illustrated the power of collaborating really well whether it was different breweries working together or working with its visitor bureau, Visit Tampa. The mindset of a “rising tide lifts all boats” echoed throughout the conference. For the most part, the craft brewing industry is congenial but it was neat to see how the Tampa community makes it work.
Beer Pairing is the New Wine Pairing
Sure, we know food pairs just as well with beer (if not better, in our opinion) than wine. This weekend was just another reminder. We enjoyed numerous beer paired meals throughout the weekend and each was incredible. We’re looking forward to working on a beer pairing blog series to give Upland lovers more ideas about how they can enjoy our beers. We’re still talking about the delicious schnitzel at World of Beer paired with the unfiltered Pilsener Urquell flown in from Czech Republic especially for us.
Beer Tourism isn’t Slowing Down
With our recent sour ale expansion, a new sours tasting room, and a new pub open in Columbus, Indiana, beer tourism is at the forefront of our minds. It was a treat to hear Dogfish Head talk about how they started and how far they’ve come. They’ve turned a small town in Delaware into a beer destination. So, who’s ready for a trip to Bloomington?
Looking forward to Milwaukee in 2017!
Before next year’s conference, I will teach myself how to properly spell Milleualke. Millwalkue. Millewuialke.
— Carla Jean Lauter (@beerbabe) July 14, 2016
Side Note: Got to give major props to our host hotel, Marriott Waterside for supporting the craft beer scene in Tampa. They’re keeping it local. Cheers!
