Beer Bloggers Conference Announced

The first ever Beer Bloggers Conference has been announced for Boulder, CO, the weekend of Nov 5-7. The event is put on by the same group that orchestrates the widely popular Wine Bloggers Conference. The conference will feature keynote speakers from the industry, content sessions TBA and excursions to local breweries for a tasting and discussion with Boulder’s finest brewers.

According to the official website, attendees can join from all across the beer blogging spectrum, including “Citizen Bloggers” who discuss and review beer, “Industry Bloggers” who represent a brewery or beer industry business and also anyone in the beer industry interested in learning more about new media and how their brand is portrayed in the digital arena. Only 150 tickets are being made available, though I have to believe that high demand will push that up just a bit higher. The cost is $95 for a “Citizen Blogger”, $195 for “Industry Bloggers” and $295 for non-blogger participants from the industry or otherwise.

I only follow a few beer bloggers but here is a rundown of my favorites:

• The Beer Wench – The Wench speaks in the third-person, writes passionate reviews of her favorite brews and loves Ohio State football. Buckeye football alone is enough for kudos but she gets extra points for the other two facts.
• Here For The Beer -  I enjoy the layout of this site and they focus more on breweries, beer festivals and related beer topics. I also dig the focus on video content.
• Mike’s Brew Review – This dude from Minnesota runs a decent beer review site with video content (again, bonus points for video) focusing on his personal picks and, in one of my favorite posts, a guide to craft beers in Japan.
• Lost in the Beer Aisle – Aside from having a clever name, this guy gives a fun spin to beer reviews, even if he does use Blogger.
• 100 Beers 300 Days – This ambitious girl’s goal is to tackle 100 different Belgian-style ales in 30 days and blog about it. Looking at her detailed reviews, she certainly knows her beer. I’ve only tried a few on her list and am jealous at the sampling. Perhaps I’m not trying hard enough in this drinking hobby of mine.

While this site is more about home brewing than beer reviewing, I feel it worthwhile to promote this grass roots industry of ours in whatever form it takes. Check out the beer bloggers above and attend out the Beer Bloggers Conference in Colorado if you have the chance.