Travelocity rates Santa Rosa, Petaluma 6th in nation

Santa Rosa and Petaluma rank high among lovers of craft beer in the United States. Travelocity released a survey that named the Sonoma County area sixth in the nation for places people like to go to visit craft breweries and sample local beer.

Travelocity surveyed 1,000 people. More than 75 percent said they wanted to visit craft breweries in their travels.

As of 2015, there were about 24 breweries in Sonoma County, according to figures from the Economic Development Board.

For the survey, Travelocity worked with the Brewers Association, a national trade association dedicated to promoting craft beer, to create their first Beer Tourism Index.

The index identified the top large and small metro areas to sample some of best craft beers by looking at factors including the availability of ride-share services, accessibility via air and average cost of lodging.

“Small and independent craft brewers are part of the DNA of their communities. They are becoming mainstay attractions for travelers,” said Julia Herz, craft-beer program director for the Brewers Association and publisher of CraftBeer.com. “As part of a backyard getaway, a break from a business trip or as the main reason for a beer-focused vacation, we encourage everyone to broaden their knowledge of beer by visiting these local brewers to experience firsthand the advancing beer culture across the country.”

There are about 4,800 craft breweries operating across the U.S. While overall beer sales were flat in 2015, craft beer production increased 13 percent to about 24 million barrels for the year. That’s roughly 700 million more pint glasses of beer in 2015 than in 2014. Many locally-produced beers are available only at or within a limited radius of the source brewery. There has been increased interest in local craft beers and the breweries that make them by American travelers.

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