Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
On the trail of ale
Craft brewers in NW Arkansas offer tasty stops for tourists.
FAYETTEVILLE — Scenic beauty and an abundance of outdoor activities have made Northwest Arkansas a top tourist destination in the state. University of Arkansas athletic events are also wellestablished as a big draw for visitors from out of town.
Matt Clement would like to one day see local beer near the top of the list of local selling points and economic drivers.
Clement, operations manager at the Fayetteville Visitors Bureau, views the recently launched Fayetteville Ale Trail as an opportunity to capitalize on a recent boom in craft-beer outlets. Ale trails have become popular tourist destinations and big business in other states, and Clement is hopeful that Arkansas can see similar results. Craft beer in Oregon, for example, is a nearly $3 billion industry.
“We already have these really cool tourism magnets in Fayetteville and the region, but we feel like this has a lot of potential,” Clement said. “As we began to see all these local breweries established, we knew there was something there. Craft beer has been a strong selling point for why people choose tourist destinations. There’s a niche market in places very similar to Fayetteville.”
Included on the trail,
which launched in late August, are seven different breweries, including five in Fayetteville and two in Springdale. Some participants are well-established in the local beer market. Hog Haus on Fayetteville’s Dickson Street opened in 2004, while others, like Apple Blossom Brewing Co. off Zion Road in Fayetteville, have been open fewer than three months.
“Passports are available at each stop on the trail or at the visitors bureau. Each passport lists the seven participating breweries, includes a map of the trail and, in the interest of safety, provides contact information on local taxi services. Each brewery page leaves room for a stamp at each bar. Once all the stops have been completed, the passports can be mailed to the Fayetteville Visitors Bureau, where it is validated and then returned with a decal to the person who completed the trail.
Interest in participating was high from local brew operations. There’s a spirit of camaraderie among the group, although they are essentially fighting for taste buds and dollars.
“I don’t look at it as competition,” said Julie Sill, owner of Hog Haus. “I look at it as other people in the industry that want to help the industry grow. Nobody knew what craft brew was 10 years ago. Now I’ve got six other breweries in town to help educate my customers to what craft brew is.
“Anything we can do to promote business and encourage people to buy local. … Their publicity and advertising helps my publicity and advertising.”
Bend, Ore., population 77,905, is proof there can be plenty of business to go around in a vibrant craft-beer scene.
Before launching its ale trail in 2010, the central Oregon town was known primarily as a place to stop for tourists enjoying some of the state’s scenic beauty. Hiking, biking and other outdoor opportunities were once the No. 1 reason for tourists to visit Bend. Today, the ale trail accounts for 40 percent of visitors and has had a profound impact on the local economy. Bend is now home to more than 20 local brew operations.
Success in Bend has spurred growth throughout Oregon. Now the town’s influence is extending beyond the Pacific Northwest.
“I think it’s a great model to look at for areas where they have five or 10 brewers
Included on the trail, which launched in late August, are seven different breweries, including five in Fayetteville and two in Springdale. Some participants are well-established in the local beer market.
in a small area,” said Brian Butenschoen, executive director of the Oregon Brewers Guild. “Fayetteville has 75,000 people in the city, like Bend. I’m not sure how they compare otherwise, but in size and number of breweries it could have a similar impact in helping build tourism.
“It’s driven other areas to also do the same thing in Oregon.”
No specific sales figures for Bend were available, but craft beer is a $2.83 billion industry in the state of Oregon. The craft-beer industry accounts for about 29,000 jobs in the state, and Bend is widely considered as the top draw in the state.
Clement has similar hopes for Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas.
“I don’t know exactly what the economic impact would be, but it could be significant,” Clement said. “We’re already seeing local brewers run out of passports and, in some cases, run out of their own beer. This could have an enormous impact.”
Early response suggests the initiative has been popular with locals. Clement said an initial allotment of 2,000 passports had been distributed within two weeks of launch and he recently put in an order for 8,000.
Participating breweries also report interest from patrons who are visiting from out of town and decided to make the trail part of their trip to Fayetteville. It’s early in the process, but Clement’s hope to generate buzz among beer enthusiasts and out-oftown visitors seems to be working.
“So far the response has been good,” said Andrew Blann, who works in the tasting room at Fossil Cove in Fayetteville. “Some people are coming up from Little Rock, different parts of state. People seem to enjoy it. It’s brought in a lot of new people that might not have found us.”