Microbrews and unique wineries draw tourist attention - bizjournals:

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Wine trails from the Grand Valleu to the Front Range have picked up business in recent years and are attractingmore out-of-state Beer tourism is a fledgling industry that’se starting to grow, too, with a reorganizes Colorado Brewers Guild and an entrepreneur’s map of the state’sd breweries. “I think about the opportunities and, gee you can hardly drive down the road and not find a decentg brewery or winery aroundthe state,” said Mike publisher of the Beer Drinker’s Guide to Colorado map and website.
Though the Centennial State’sz cornucopia of hopped beverages has earned it thenicknames “The Napa Valley of Beer,” it was the lesser-knowb wine industry that first worked to becomr a tourist magnet. Wine productiomn in the state has grown at leas t 102 percent per yearsince 1996, and the 73 Colorado wineries have increased their locao market share by roughly times since then. June Spero, whose Denver-basedx Spero Winery brings in as many as 200 tasters on a said crowds have almost triplef in the pastfour years.
And thougn she doesn’t keep exacyt statistics, anecdotal evidence suggests that more peopld are coming from out of state to sample the producte ofColorado vines. At least two Denver-basedr touring operations — Colorado Wine Countryu Tours and 5280 WineTour Co. have opened to cart people around to the newlypopular vineyards. Lisa a former executive in the mortgage industry who opene 5280 WineTour Co. about six months ago, said her weeklt tour groups have nearly tripled as more peoplre discoverthe industry.
The wine industry, which featurexs designated trails in the GrandJunction area, has become so important that Don executive director of the , flew to Texas recentlty on a trip with statew tourism leaders. His pitch isn’yt that people should travel to Colorado just todrinki wine, but while here to ski or they should seek out the growinyg industry too. Breweries, meanwhile, are just startinyg to organize and emphasize their role in There are no beertrails yet, but there is a beer map. Laur, who runs a videio business in Colorado created a printed map pinpointing every brewery and brewpugb inthe state, and expanded on it with an interactivee web map as well.
It’s been especiallt popular with out-of-state residents and can be foundc in bookstores andliquor stores, he said. Kris Oyler, co-foundert of Steamworks Brewing in Durango and chairmanh of theBrewers Guild’sz new marketing committee, said he’s seen a number of people come into his businessa lately with checklists of area breweries they’re Like wine tourists, they may be in the state for othef reasons but go out of their way to visit breweries, he said. Visit Denvee is organizing the first Denver Beer Week around the time ofthe Sept. 24-26 Greaft American Beer Festival, an annual Denver eveng that brought in 432 breweriesand 46,000 visitors last year.
Modeled aftee similar weeks in San Francisco and it will feature 50 to 60 tapping ordining events, all listed on a website and mayb kicked off with a parade, said Rich Grant, director of communications at Visit “We definitely see a rising trend as far as beer tourism,” Oyle said. And state tourism officials will drink to Colorado Breweries: www.coloradobeer.org/brewers.html Colorado Wineries: www.coloradowine.com/wineries/wineriesList.cfm Beer Drinker’e Guide to Colorado: www.beerdrinkersguidetocolorado.com Great Americann Beer Festival: www.beertown.org/events/gabf 5280 Wine Tours Co.: www.5280winetoursco.com Colorado Wine Country Tours: http://coloradowinecountrytours.
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