The Crafty Traveler

Yes that is a made up word, but it perfectly describes one of the ways my love of craft beer has manifested itself. As we discussed in the last post, breweries are what I consider to be the birthplace of the Crafty Traveler. A pint has always been my starting point when exploring a new place. As my travels began taking me to breweries on a regular basis, I also noticed that my luggage began getting heavier on my return flights. Souvenirs in the form of a bottle was the culprit.

One of the things that I love about the craft beer community, is that sharing is caring. I have met many good friends over a pour, at a brewery, or a beer festival. As I was traveling to many of the world’s best breweries, my friends were often asking – how was it? Instead of simply pointing them to my untapped reviews, I wanted them to experience it for themselves.  Suitcases of beer would follow me home (no exaggeration, unsponsored transport tip here), bottles would get saved for bottle shares (this is a real event, future post teaser alert), and shared experiences ensued.

Early on, camera phone photos were captured as proof of consumption, and the recycling bin would complete the bottle’s journey. As this continued, I started to feel as if these beautiful beers deserved more. I was going through a lot of effort to get these home, and as I was getting further entrenched in this cycle, I wanted a way to remember and respect the process. Instagram was the answer.  

I have never been one to full embrace social media (hence why this blog is long overdue), but back in 2016 I decided to create the Craft Traveler IG account. My version of a craft beer diary was born. Early on, I was given a hand me down fancy camera from a family member. Not knowing what I was doing (and honestly, I am still very much an amateur), I began playing around with it. 598 posts later, my beertography journey lives on.

If you dig through my page, you will notice that I rarely show my face or expand much beyond the photo (another reason this blog is overdue), but I learned to love the process of transforming a sip to a photo shoot. This is why I plan to share these photos on this site. An ode to my crafty travels, and a formal (if not a bit overly fancy) way to share those pours with you.