More than 30 brewery representatives from across Bucks County gathered at Warwick Farm Brewing on Aug. 4 for a tradition that has become as much about community as craft beer.
Visit Bucks County partnered with Warwick Farm Brewing and brewers throughout the county to produce the fourth annual Expedition Bucks County collaboration beer, created exclusively for the Bucks County Ale Trail.
This year's collaboration, a Session IPA brewed with Idaho 7 and Citra hops, will be released Aug. 28 on draft and in cans at participating Ale Trail breweries and is expected to remain available through most of September, while supplies last.
The gathering also served as the launch of a new Ale Trail season, complete with redesigned prizes and a refreshed digital passport intended to encourage residents and visitors to discover breweries throughout the county.
"Our job at Visit Bucks County is to encourage people to come into Bucks County to support jobs and our local economy, so the Ale Trail is a way to encourage people to come visit our county," said Paul Bencivengo, president and CEO of Visit Bucks County.
Since the Ale Trail debuted in 2019, participation has continued to climb. According to Bencivengo, more than 27,000 people have downloaded the free digital passport, generating more than 90,000 brewery check-ins.
Participants can access the passport through Visit Bucks County's website (visitbuckscounty.com/food-and-drink/bucks-county-ale-trail), check in at participating breweries throughout the year and redeem points for prizes after reaching designated milestones.
The program now features 25 breweries on the trail, stretching from Bristol Borough to Quakertown and covering more than 600 square miles.
This year's collaborative brew once again was led by Warwick Farm Brewing, where Head Brewmaster Ryan Seiz coordinated the recipe with input from breweries throughout the county.
"I love the brewing community, which is why we host it each year," Seiz said. "The brewing community is very community-centric, and it's really great to get everyone together once a year to talk about the industry."
Unlike traditional brewery collaborations involving only two or three breweries, Expedition Bucks County draws participation from nearly every brewery on the Ale Trail.
"I send out an email in March to all the breweries asking them what style they want to brew and then the hop combination," Seiz said. "Every year we create something different, and all the breweries have a say in what we create."
This year's selection was chosen collectively after brewers finalized the style earlier this summer.
Warwick Farm Brewing produced approximately 15 barrels, about 30 kegs, with each participating brewery receiving one or two kegs to serve.
"The Ale Trail goes on all year, but the special Expedition is limited, and once it's gone, it's gone," Seiz said.
The collaboration has become an anticipated annual release for beer enthusiasts eager to sample a beer that represents breweries from across Bucks County.
"We're constantly checking people in from the Ale Trail," Seiz said. "It's a great incentive for people to come in and try us out. There are a lot of breweries that people, even those living in Bucks County, are unaware of, but the Ale Trail lets them know which breweries are close by and gives them a chance to discover new ones."
Before brewers gathered around the brewing equipment Tuesday morning, Visit Bucks County officials highlighted the continued growth of the Ale Trail and its impact on tourism.
Kelley Keeling, research and destination development director for Visit Bucks County, said passport data shows the Ale Trail attracts visitors well beyond county borders.
"Nearly 48% of people participating in the Ale Trail are from outside Bucks County, and about 12% travel more than 50 miles," Keeling said. "The Ale Trail is a motivator and draws people from outside the area."
Heather Walter, senior marketing and communications director for Visit Bucks County, credited the breweries for helping the program flourish over the past seven years.
"This is the one trail that continues to be successful year after year, and it's really a testament to our brewers and their true spirit of collaboration,” Walter said.
Jenna Scull, senior marketing and communications manager for Visit Bucks County, introduced the redesigned merchandise, which replaces the previous black apparel with a new forest green collection.
"We heard from passport holders that they wanted something different than the black from the previous few years," Scull said. "The new T-shirt features a map of Bucks County and lists all of the breweries underneath."
The T-shirt will be available after five check-ins, or 500 points, while a new stitched hat can be redeemed after seven check-ins. Participants who reach 17 check-ins, or 1,700 points, can earn a forest green sweatshirt.
Scull also announced that current passport holders will begin a new Ale Trail season. Beginning Aug. 11, participants will be prompted to register for a new digital passport and start earning check-ins toward the updated prizes.
While the annual collaboration beer is one of the Ale Trail's biggest attractions, many of the brewers said the event itself has become equally meaningful because it allows competitors to become collaborators.
Galen Barr of Van Lieus Brewing in Perkasie has participated since the program's inception and said the annual gathering has become something he looks forward to every year.
"This is about collaboration, not competition, where we all get together, have some beers and have a good time," Barr said.
Tim Granzow of Newtown Brewing Company agreed, saying the event offers brewers an opportunity to exchange ideas while strengthening relationships throughout the county.
"It's a good opportunity to talk about what we're doing at the different breweries and learn from each other," Granzow said. "It's always a fun event."
For Glen Oskenhouse of Bucks County Brewery in Pipersville, the collaboration represents something unique within Pennsylvania's craft beer industry.
"This is probably the biggest event for breweries in this county and the most unique, too," Oskenhouse said. "There are collaborations with bigger breweries outside Bucks County, but this event is unique because it's just the local breweries in Bucks County."
Rather than competing for customers, breweries work together to encourage visitors to explore destinations throughout the county, often discovering breweries they might not have otherwise visited.
Seiz said the annual Expedition release has helped accomplish exactly that.
"People come along the Ale Trail for the prizes and also the social component of saying they've checked into a certain number of breweries," he said. "It's a good tool for discovering new breweries."
This year's Expedition Bucks County beer continues a tradition that began four years ago of producing a one-of-a-kind collaboration available only through participating Ale Trail breweries.
Although the collaboration beer is only available for a short time each year, the Bucks County Ale Trail continues year-round, encouraging both residents and visitors to explore breweries across the county while earning points toward prizes.
For Seiz, however, the greatest reward comes from seeing breweries that might otherwise be viewed as competitors working side by side.
"Collaboration is pretty common in the brewing industry," he said. "I think Bucks County has some of the best breweries in the state. Even if you don't sign up for a passport, just come visit some of our breweries. We have a lot of good beer."
