2015 Beer Bloggers Conference in Asheville, NC
is touring through Raleigh on a pre-conference excursion before the show!
Conference excursions are some of the most eagerly anticipated activities of the Beer Bloggers Conference. We are able to add value to attending the annual Beer Bloggers Conference by partnering with tourism associations and breweries to offer full-day and/or overnight excursions within a few hours of the conference location. Going on an excursion is a super affordable way to extend one’s BBC experience and allows participants:
- the opportunity to extend one’s beer knowledge to include tasting beers made in the greater conference region.
- the chance to have face time with brewery principals and brewmasters as well as your fellow blogging peers.
- to affordably travel for 1-2 days – tastings, transportation, lunch and dinner typically included.
The more people you meet and the more beers you taste, the more content you are provided with to write about what you love…Beer!
2015 Pre-Conference Excursion Details
The Beer Bloggers Conference is excited to announce details about this year’s pre-conference excursion. We have teamed up with visitRaleigh to take conference attendees on an overnight excursion through the Raleigh beer scene. The Raleigh area – with its towns from Apex to Zebulon – can not only lay claim to 18 of the 120 breweries in North Carolina but it also has the state’s first female-owned brewery, a burgeoning Greater Raleigh Beer Trail, and some of America’s best beer bars. Greater Raleigh will surprise you with plenty to do and plenty to drink for locally-crafted beer aficionados everywhere. Almost every Greater Raleigh brewery has a public taproom, too, welcoming you to sit down with your brew, linger a little longer and make new connections with the friendly regulars. Tweeting updates regularly at: @visitRaleigh
You can register for the excursion when you register for the conference. If you have already registered for the conference and have now decided to register for an excursion, please use this excursion registration page. You must be attending the conference to attend the excursion.
The excursion starts at 1:00 PM on Thursday, July 16 in Raleigh and finishes with an 11:00 AM drop-off in downtown Asheville on Friday, July 17th at the conference hotel, the Four Points Asheville. The 2015 BBC officially kicks off at 1:00 pm on Friday, July 17.
Itinerary
2015 Pre-Conference Excursion with visitRaleigh
1 pm Charter bus leaves Residence Inn Raleigh Midtown
1:30-3 pm Tasting and tour at Raleigh Brewing Company
3:30-5 pm Tasting and tour at Lonerider Brewing Company
5:30-8 pm Tasting, tour and dinner at White Street Brewing
8:30-10 pm Tasting and tour at Compass Rose Brewery
Logistics
Travel Planning: The pre-conference excursion features the burgeoning Raleigh beer scene. After touring through the area, we spend the night in Raleigh on July 16 before heading to Asheville on July 17. If you are flying, you should plan to fly into Raleigh and out of Asheville. There are also a number of train and bus options into the Raleigh area.
Hotel: visitRaleigh has negotiated a preferred blogger rate ($99 +tax, includes breakfast) for the night in Raleigh. You are responsible for making your own hotel reservations at the Residence Inn Raleigh Midtown for the night of July 16. Please call the Residence Inn directly at (919) 878-6100 to book your room (reference that you are one of the Beer Bloggers to get the preferred rate) or, click on this reservation link and book online.
- Our overnight digs on July 16 are great! But the hotel does not have a shuttle service from the Raleigh-Durham airport. The airport has a great list of transportation options to choose from. Transportation thought: connect with your fellow travelers on the Facebook Group for BBC Alum and coordinate a ride-share!
Cost: The cost of the excursion is $50 for Citizen Bloggers and $100 for all other attendees. All transportation including the final bus ride to Asheville, brewery visits, tastings, and meals including dinner on Thursday and lunch on Friday.
Register: If you have NOT already registered for the conference, you can register for the conference + the pre-conference excursion in one fell swoop using this link. If you have ALREADY registered for the conference, don’t fret. You can sign up for the pre-conference excursion via this separate link. There are 50 spots available on trip through Raleigh and like all other BBC excursions, we expect this one to sell out!
About the Breweries
Raleigh Brewing Company: This brewery was founded by home brewers who wanted to give craft beer back to the community that they hold dear. They produce six year-round brews, four seasonal beers and countless experimental batches, all available at their taproom and around Raleigh. Raleigh Brewing Company is a 20-barrel commercial brewing facility with an attached home-brew supply shop and spacious tap room. This is the state’s first female owned brewery.
Lonerider Brewing Company: Opened its doors in Raleigh on Jan. 23, 2009, with a beer and a dream. With an eye for quality, Lonerider crafts each of its beers with the highest quality ingredients. As a result, Lonerider has a portfolio of award-winning beers, including honors from national contests such as GABF and the U.S. Beer Open Championship.
White Street Brewing Company: Located in historic downtown Wake Forest, this brewery handcrafts flavorful, small-batch ales and lagers, which you can enjoy in the taproom or at a multitude of local establishments. Boasting a rock-solid flagship team of brews, including a gold-winning Kolsch-Style Ale, White Street Brewing Company also crafts superb seasonal and special release brews; such as the Russian imperial stout, Koschei the Dealthless. The brewery plans to start bottling in 2015.
Compass Rose Brewing: One of greater Raleigh’s newest breweries, Compass Rose brews globally-inspired, locally-produced ales and seeks out great ingredients and beer styles from around the globe then brings them home. They encourage you to “Trust Your Compass” to create your personal adventure. The taproom is a comfortable environment to find some of the best beers in Raleigh.
Added bonus!
There will be brewers from even more of the area’s breweries providing samples of their beers at each of the four stops throughout the day / evening.
