The Weird and Wonderful World of Beer Travel

This article was contributed by Lucy Kennedy of Tourism Media.

Beer and travel, they’re the perfect combination. And there are so many wonderful world destinations with beer flowing through their veins. This won’t be yet another blog about craft breweries and beer trails, though. Expedia’s Kegs of Glory campaign explores the beer scenes in Melbourne and Brisbane—but we wanted to get a little weirder.

Here are a few of the crazy ways that liquid bread is celebrated and consumed across the planet. So, grab a pen and get ready to add these to your beer bucket list.

Weird Beer Festivals & Events

You don’t have to don your lederhosen and book flights to Germany to celebrate your love of hops. These boisterous beer events are just as memorable.

Australian brewery Balter Brewing Company is the birthplace of an annual event which should excite all beer-lovers. Each year Aussies flock to Balter’s locations in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales to participate in the Tins of Glory World Championships. This event is not unlike curling, and involves sliding tinnies down a six-metre-long bench into “the pleasure zone.” If you find yourself on the east coast in May, head to one of Balter’s locations to take part.

If you’re planning on travelling to the U.S. this festive season, Philly is the best and booziest place to be. It all started with a bar crawl of 40 beer-lovers in Santa suits. The Running of the Santas has since become a national phenomenon, with over 10 000 participants in 2017. Today, the event takes place in five different states across the U.S. and ticket sales go towards supporting local charities. Beer, festivities and charity; sounds like a pretty good combo to us.

Oddball Bars

Don’t settle for that stuffy old sports bar. There are way better watering holes out there!

Why not sip on a bottle of Red Stripe Lager in the refreshing waters of the Caribbean ocean? Floyd’s Pelican Bar is made of driftwood and located more than a kilometre out to sea from the coast of Jamaica. Take a dip with a beer in hand, and don’t be surprised if you’re joined by a few friendly locals.

If you burn easily, the sunny Caribbean may not be for you. So, why not explore a subterranean sea cave instead? At the Marsden Grotto in South Shields, England, you can wet your whistle in the company of stalactites. But watch out, rumour has it that the spooky cavern is haunted by the ghosts of smugglers and pirates.

When you hear the phrase “sip on a cold one,” this probably isn’t exactly what you have in mind. At the Icebar in London, your liquid gold will be served in a glass made entirely of ice. Don’t panic though, they supply gloves to keep your hands frostbite free.

Beer Retreats

A cold beer after a long day is the epitome of relaxation, but why not turn that chill up a notch with these tranquil beer retreats?

At the Chodovar Beer Spa in the Czech Republic, it is believed that beer and wellness go hand in hand. While you’re here you can cleanse your insides with that sweet amber nectar and cleanse your outsides by taking a dip in the stuff too! Their unique beer spa recipe is formulated to stimulate blood circulation and skin rejuvenation. We can’t help but raise our glasses to that.

Another seemingly perfect mash-up finds its home in the States. Yoga + Beer is a wellness community which practices yoga in craft breweries across Oregon and Washington. Every session is topped off with a post-class beer. Their mantra? Cheers and Namaste.

So, next time you plan a trip, get around to some of these weird beer hot-spots. You certainly won’t be forgetting that pint anytime soon.

Header image via Flickr/cle_mobil