Heading into their third year, The Craft Brew Races have been developing a dedicated following all over the country and show no signs of slowing down. Beginning in March and starting in Savannah, Georgia, Craft Brew Races will be kicking off another great season of events. The Craft Brew Races are a community celebration centered around local craft beer makers and supporting a healthy and active lifestyle. The event currently has over 250 craft beer makers, involved with the various destinations, and the list continues to grow. During each stop on the tour, all the beer is purchased from the local vendors, giving a boost to the local brewers. After leaving Savannah, the races head to Worcester, Stowe, Portland (Maine), Newport, New Haven, Boulder, and Cape Cod.
Each stop on the Craft Brew Races tour turns into a big community event and festival. All stops on the tour start with a 5K run. You can run or walk, but all participants must be at least 21 years old. They even encourage the participants to dress up. After the race, awards are handed out to the top performers, and the beer festival begins. Each stop on the tour will have at least 20 breweries showcasing their creations. There are no drink tickets or passes; you can just sample what you want when you want. The environment of the tour is that of a fun outdoor festival. All stops on the tour include live music performances, food vendors and plenty of unique brews. When all is said and done, each participant is given a branded souvenir pint glass upon exit of the festival. ResortsandLodges got the opportunity to interview Brian Hodge, the Director of Communications for Gray Matter Marketing, to talk about the event.
RAL: Tell me a little bit about the event.
BH: This year (2016) is our third year. We began with events throughout New England and have gradually expanded to include other interesting cities like Savannah and Boulder, Colorado. We’re currently planning our cities and dates for 2017.
In simplest terms, the Craft Brew Races consist of a road race followed by a beer festival. More specifically, it’s a fun 5k (3.1 miles) run or walk and each participant receives a cool finisher’s medal as they cross the finish line. The medal even doubles as a bottle-opener.
From there, they head into a full blown craft beer festival, featuring upwards of 25 American craft breweries. We focus on local, up-and-coming breweries, so it’s a great way to sample some of the most interesting and tastiest beer around. After three hours of sampling at the beer fest, each guest gets a pint glass as a commemorative souvenir. Beer festival-only tickets are also available.
RAL: How many people attend and who are they?
BH: Each event averages around 1,000 participants. Our most popular events reach close to 2,000 people. We don’t go much larger than that in order to ensure a relaxed festival environment for all attendees.
As far as the demographic of the crowd, it’s a mix of folks. The 5K distance is good for both beginners and serious athletes. Some folks take the run seriously (the race is timed), but the majority just see it as a good way to work up a sweat before enjoying some beer. We see people form teams with friends, family, and co-workers. Lots of people dress up in costumes. It’s just a relaxed and fun afternoon.
RAL: What makes this event unique?
BH: Some races give you one little beer at the end. And not too many beer festivals include running. Our event is the best of both worlds, a real 5K followed by a real craft beer festival. Not just one beer, and not just a few samples, but three hours of sampling high-quality American-made craft beer.
By themselves, 5K’s and beer fests can easily cost $40 or $50 each. Our event combines both for about $50 total.
RAL: Take me through a day at the event.
BH: Attendees can expect a fun 5K run or walk starting at noon. Participants get timing bibs and can check their results after the race. A lot of attendees enjoy the bottle-opener finisher’s medal. After refueling with some water and snacks, attendees head into the beer festival which runs until 4:00 pm.
At the festival, attendees mix and mingle with local craft breweries, trying new beers and making new friends. There’s also food trucks, live music and lawn games. It’s a fun time!
When attendees leave, they take home a complimentary pint glass. It’s a souvenir that comes in handy.
RAL: Tell me about the lodging situation in the locations you visit.
BH: We stop in cities that have a proper mix of lodging options for guests, from boutiques to bigger name hotels. We definitely encourage our guests to explore the city’s hospitality scene, local shops, restaurants, and lodging. Hotels within walking distance of the beer festival tend to score big points, for obvious reasons.
RAL: What does the event mean to the communities that host it.
BH: We support the local community in a variety of ways. We purchase all of the beer for our beer fest (other beer fests ask the brewers to donate all of their beer). We also hire lots of local vendors, food trucks, and local musical acts to help support the local economy. Each event also makes a donation to a local non-profit organization. In 2015, we donated more than $300,000 to local charitable organizations.
More generally, our events draw thousands of attendees to experience a city’s local culture. We know these folks eat at restaurants, stay overnight, visit local breweries, and so on. The economic impact ripples out from there and it’s not insignificant.
RAL: Why should people come?
BH: Our events are a blast! It’s not even “work hard, play hard.” It’s more like work and play at whatever level you like. One constant is a friendly festival environment and great beer, making for one really memorable afternoon.
For more information about the Craft Brew Races, please visit their website.