American Craft Beer Week

Welcome to American Craft Beer Week, friends. I feel like there are an absurd amount of food-related, made-up holidays (Hola, Cinco de Mayo) but none of them are very near or dear to me. And then I heard about this celebratory week, and I knew I had to honor it.

I first became accustomed to drinking beer when I studied abroad in college. Beer was cheaper than water in Prague. Needless to say, we drank a lot of beer water. My eyes were open, and when I got back I discovered American craft beers and local breweries. I scoped out nearby bottle shops and made it my mission to find out what I like. I’m grateful that my girlfriends drink beer too, because it’s an awful lot of fun to enjoy it with people who nerd out over a fancy brown ale.

https://vimeo.com/27217589

American Craft Beer Week is May 11 to 17 this year, and it’s an awesome time to celebrate the breweries near you. Or if you’re away from home, consider visiting a brewery wherever you go. Not only are you drinking local, but you’re supporting small brewers instead of the little guys. (The video above explains it better than I could!)

I love to hit up their local breweries and see what flavors are trending. I learned about The United States Of Craft Beer: A Guide to the Best Craft Breweries Across America, a new book from Jess Lebow. This book is one after my own heart — a brewery road trip? Yes, please. State by state, this book walks you through the top breweries to try all over the country.

The book is divided into chapters by state and lists the top few breweries in each state, and why. For example in North Carolina, it’s Pisgah, NoDa and Foothills! My state boasts 125 breweries and brewpubs, so it’s hard not to feel like so many great breweries were left off the list, but a book can only be so big, right?

Regardless, if you’re a craft beer drinker, The United States Of Craft Beer is the perfect book for your bar beer cart or the seat pouch of your car. Or both. Enter to win a copy of the book right here! It’s the best way to kick off American Craft Beer Week, which I will be celebrating all week long! // susannah 

Click through to enter the giveaway!

Giveaway rules:

1. Enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter widget below. Everyone gets a free entry! You can enter multiple times, up to 7 additional entries by following the giveaway sponsors on social media. (If you’ve followed in the past, that counts! Just enter the info as prompted.)
2. No purchase is necessary to win. Bonus entry requirements will be verified if selected as the winner, otherwise an alternate winner will be chosen. Giveaway sponsored by FW Community. All opinions written are purely my own.
3. The giveaway is open until Monday, May 20, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. EST. One winner will be chosen at random and emailed within 48 hours. Winners must claim prize within 48 hours of initial contact. The retail value of the prize is $19.99. Open to U.S. residents with a valid shipping address only. Must be 18 years of age as of April 28, 2015.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post was sponsored by FW Community.