Beer Trips, Beer Tours, Beer Travel for 2008

Beer Trips for 2008

At Beer Trips, we create the ultimate scenarios for beer lovers, introducing you to the history, people, brewing methods, and beer culture of the places we visit. Drink your favorite beers at the breweries. Get behind the scenes and experience the world's great beers at a local level. Discover and indulge in cuisine a la biere... and visit some of the world's great cities. Below on this page are: a list of trips, some info about life on a Beer Trip, brief descriptions of each trip.

All prices listed are Land Only, based on double occupancy. The second number is the supplement for a single room.

Zythos, Lambic & Flanders
February 27 - March 8, 2008

On this trip we'll dive deep into the heart of Payottenland and the Senne River Valley - the home of Lambic. Meet blenders, brewers, and see working brewing museums where spontaneous fermentation and just the right conditions create the base beer for krieks, gueuze, faros and other variations of this original beer style. The trip ends with 3 nights in Gent, with excellent excursions and the Zythos Beer Fest to make for a great trip. Click here for details.

Prague, Bamberg, and Fruelingsfest in Munich
April 10 - 20, 2008

Join us for a spring version of one of our most popular trips. Begin in Prague with fresh Czech beers and fantastic architecture and public squares. Continue, via Plzen to Bamberg the home of smoke beer and a UNESCO World Heritage site. End the trip in Bavaria during Oktoberfest's lesser known cousin -- Fruehlingsfest -- thought by many locals to be the festival. Complete Details

Horal's Tour de Geuze and Obscure Belgium
April 17 - 27

Join on a trip built around HORAL's (High Council of Lambic Blenders) Tour de Geuze that takes in 5-7 geuze blenders and lambic brewers in a single day. We'll start in Brussels, then travel to some lesser known breweries who are making great beer. Overnights in Mons, the Ardennes, and Maastricht put us close to the fine breweries of Namur, Liege, and Limburg provences in eastern Belgium.

Farmhouse Ales of Belgium & France
May 22 - June 1

Northern France and southern Belgium share a meandering, often invisible border that traverses one of the worthiest beer regions on earth. Biere de Garde, Trappists, and Saison producers are all well represented in this compact area. We begin and end in Brussels -- with stays in the windmill capped, hill-top city of Cassel, France; beautiful, untouristed Tournai; and Bouillon -- in the shadow of one of Europe's finest examples of fortified castles. Small breweries with eager brewmasters, traditional Flemish estaminets with great local food and beers, and a selection of worthy cultural sites await. Click for details.

About Life on a Beer Trip:

Most trips begin at the hotel in the city where the trip begins, assistance and advice on getting there is provided.
We stay in nice hotels in great locations.
Breakfast is included daily.
3 or 4 Lunches and 3 or 4 Dinners are also included... usually in brewery taps or beer cuisine restaurants.
A couple days we get up early to go somewhere worthwhile...
We hire a private coach and ride fast trains to travel between cities.
There's a lot of beer available... several brewery visits and special tastings, as well as beer meals and "pub crawls" -- at your discretion of course.
Most trips include guided walking tours of each city we visit.
Most trips have unscheduled free days to explore on your own.
The People on Beer Trips range in age from 23 to 77 (so far). Generally there are more men than women, but not always. Sometimes we have beer experts and brewers along, sometimes home brewers, sometimes people who simply want to visit Europe and drink beer with good people!

See the photo Gallery.

About Registering for a Beer Trip!

For more details or specific questions, please call (406.531.9109) or email.

Great Beers of Belgium - summer edition
July 10 - 20

Our classic, quintessential, best-of-beer-heaven trip takes in as many classic Belgian styles and producers as we can fit into 10 days. From Lambic to Trappists, Saisons to Flemmish Browns discover the endless variety as we travel in style on our Beer Bus throughout Belgium. Stay in fine, centrally located hotels and travel via private motor coach and rail to some of the best beer destinations in Belgium. Behind the scenes visits, ample doses of art, architecture and history, and plenty of beer tasting make this a beer lover's dream trip. Beautiful in their own right, Brussels, Brugge and Antwerp are simply more fun when you dive into their beer culture.
The complete itinerary is here.

The Montana Rivers, Parks and Breweries Adventure
July 24 - August 3

Come to Big Sky Country for this beer adventure that includes a thorough investigation of many of Montana's fine breweries, as well some good old outdoor adventure. National Parks, whitewater rafting, riverside beer tastings, Montana's rich history along with opportunities for mountain biking, hiking, wildlife and beer with the locals. Complete details are here.

Czech Republic: Small Breweries & World Heritage Sites
August 28 - September 7

Small Czech breweries which once numbered in the hundreds, are now an endangered species -- often succumbing to the wills of bigger players like SAB/Miller and Inter-Bev. On this trip we will wander the Czech Republic in search of those fine producers still hanging on to traditional methods and ownership. Begin and end in spectacular, vibrant Prague and in between discover castles, smaller Czech towns, resolute brewmasters and great beer. The complete itinerary is here.

Prague, Bamberg, & Oktoberfest in Munich
September 18 - 28

Join us for our sixth, and best yet, Prague, Bamberg, and Munich trip. From impressive Prague, through medieval Bamberg, to festive Munich, we will explore favorite breweries (large and small) and great bars that serve a seemingly endless variety of beer. Fine, centrally located hotels, private coach and public transportation, great beer, and OKTOBERFEST make this a trip to remember. The complete itinerary is here.

Countryside Beers of Franconia & Bavaria
September 25 - October 5

Be in Bamberg when they unbung the bock and discover a bounty of Bavarian Breweries aboard the BeerTrips Beer Bus. Arrive in Munich and immediately head south for visits to brewery guest houses, castles and alpine scenery. Stay in historic cities and discover the heart of Bavarian cooking and brewing. We'll end up in Bamberg for the annual bock tapping and some very nice beer friends to show us around. Complete details are here.

Great Beers of Belgium
October 16 - 26

The ABCD"S of Beer Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, and Dusseldorf
October 23 - November 2

We'll travel from Amsterdam, through Belgium, via Brussels, to Germany -- exploring and enjoying several distinct styles of beer and the great cities where they grew up. Dutch Lagers and a number of emerging microbrews, Lambic and the cornucopia of Belgian selections in Brussels, Kolsch in Cologne and Alt in Dusseldorf. The cities each offer centuries of history, great architecture, and vibrant culture... and really great places to drink and brew beer. Stay in fine, well located hotels in each city. Enjoy locally guided city tours, special brewing opportunities, and great beer meals. Travel by convenient public transportation, private beer bus and excellent international rail. Beer and rail and great cities -- a very good mix. Add special home brewer events, focused tastings, style seminars and a bit of brewing and you have a great trip made better with BEER! The complete details are here.

Christmas Markets, Fast Trains and German Beer
December 4 - 14, 2008 $TBA

Wives and girlfriends, bring your men! Start in Nuremburg -- home to one of Germany's best Christmas markets. Visit beer-centric Bamberg, drin Kolsch in Cologne and indulge in Belgian specialties in Brussels. Each city boasts worthy Christmas markets along with Christmas beers, city tours, brewery visits and many great meals. Travel by fast trains, stay in fine hotels with excellent locations and enjoy the spirit of the season in two countries that loves to celebrate Christmas. Complete details coming early spring.

For more details or specific questions, please call (406.531.9109) or email.