With the surging popularity of craft beer currently attracting a growing 7.8 million drinkers in the UK, those with adventurous pint-drinking-palates will be pleased to hear they can enjoy the revolution in sunnier climes too.

Home to 35 miles of white-sand beaches, gloriously warm waters and year round sunshine, St. Pete/Clearwater is also the epicentre of Florida's booming craft beer renaissance, connecting the Sunshine State's oldest, newest and most highly regarded craft breweries together in the St. Pete/Clearwater Craft Beer Trail.

The beer geek's answer to California's wine country, the Craft Beer Trail is an hour long drive end to end and offers a multitude of unique brews to sip and savour at 14 independent breweries; the largest concentration of breweries in the state of Florida. 

A celebration of all things ale, the Craft Beer Trail winds through St. Pete/Clearwater from Tarpon Springs in the north to Treasure Island in the south, inviting connoisseurs and budding beer buffs to taste a variety of fresh, flavoursome and finely crafted artisanal beers made on site, as well as take brewery tours, meet the brewers themselves and purchase samples to take back home.

At Lagerhaus Brewery, inspired imbibers can sup a 22% alcohol brew-for-the-brave from a 5th generation Austrian brewer; while 'Florida Weiss' - Seventh Sun's typical Berliner Weiss beer fermented with fresh Florida fruit - is a popular choice with locals and exclusive to this brewery. Other options along the trail include combining laid back Florida with a Scottish touch in Dunedin at the oldest brewery in Florida, taking a tour of the 18,000 sq ft warehouse to learn about the 30 barrel brewing system at the 3 Daughter's brewery, or contemplating art while sampling some of the best barrel aged beers in the world at Cycle Brewing's modern tasting room. 

Holidaymakers can enjoy a week of beer and beaches with British Airways' seven-night stay at the four-star Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, just a ten-minute taxi ride from three of the breweries on the trail; 3 Daughter's Brewing, Cycle Brewing and Green Bench Brewing. Departing on 29 April, the package is priced from £799 per person and includes return flights from London Gatwick to Tampa and room only accommodation based on two adults sharing.

For more information on St. Pete/Clearwater and the Craft Beer Trail, please watch the video or visit www.visitstpeteclearwater.com. 

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Nick Wheywell / Laura Jackson
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0) 20 3440 8930
E: teamvspc@rooster.co.uk
W: www.rooster.co.uk

Visit St. Pete/Clearwater 

Visit St. Pete/Clearwater (VSPC) is the official destination marketing organization of Pinellas County in Florida and covers 26 municipalities in the area. 

The region is located on a beautiful peninsula on Florida's west coast, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west and Tampa Bay to the east. 

Just 30 minutes away from Busch Gardens and 90 minutes away from Walt Disney World, the area offers 35 miles of white-sand beaches and uniquely colourful communities to explore.

The destination is renowned for sunshine and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest run of sunshine days, a massive 768.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is home to the star of the 2011 smash-hit Dolphin Tale, Winter the Dolphin, whose real-life story of recovering from losing her tail with the help of a prosthetic is depicted in the film. Winter will return to the silver screen in September 2014 in Dolphin Tale 2 and filming in St. Pete/Clearwater took place from October 2013 to January 2014.. 

Also home to the largest collection of Dali artwork outside of Spain, the county has culture, wildlife and beautiful beaches with a semi-tropical climate making it the perfect holiday destination for families, couples and singles.

Tampa International Airport is 30 minutes from St. Pete/Clearwater and many international airlines fly direct from the UK. Orlando International Airport is less than an hour's drive from St. Pete/Clearwater.

For more information: www.visitstpeteclearwater.com