I know what you're going to say once you read paragraph #2 of this report: We already know we rule in the craft beer world. Still, it's fun to remind ourselves how awesome we are.
Last week, travel booking site Travelocity released its new "beer tourism" index, which ranks cities on the strength of their offerings in the "beercation" department. In case you're confused, a beercation is like a vacation, but it's planned more around the beers you'll get to drink and less around things like the quality of the surroundings or the food and cultural events you'll participate in.
And with that...wait for it...Bend has been ranked #1 on the beer tourism index among Small Metro Areas across the nation. Portland (the Oregon one, of course) was ranked #1 among the Top 6 Large Metro Areas. Coming second in line in the small metro area category was Boulder, Colo., with Denver earning the #2 spot among large metros.
The rankings were based on a number of factors, besides the superiority of our suds. Factors included the accessibility via air, cost of lodging and the availability of rideshare services. (Um. We have those?! Not quite yet...)
In any case, take that, Colorado! You might have the Great American Beer Festival adding an estimated 2 percent to the City of Denver's gross domestic product, but we're still better.
Take a look how Bend ranked compared to other Small Metro Area, plus who scored high for Large Metro Areas:
