Arlo's Craft Beer Guide expands into beer tourism

Arlo’s Craft Beer Guide — a beer website based in Wadsworth — is getting into the beer tourism business.

Arlo’s announced this week that it will start offering bus tours of Northeast Ohio breweries in May.

“The Northeast Ohio craft beer scene is exploding right now and we want to feature all the great local breweries and taprooms on our tours,” said Bill Rhoades, managing partner for Arlo’s. “Our goal has always been to promote craft beer and the breweries that make it.”

Arlo’s has partnered with Great Day! Tours in Broadview Heights to use a 50-passenger bus. It will offer both public tours and customized private ones for companies, special events, birthdays and other outings. Smaller buses also are available.

The tours, scheduled every other weekend, will feature anywhere from two to four breweries.

Arlo’s is at least the third beer bus to launch in Northeast Ohio, joining the Cleveland Brew Bus and Craft Beer Heads. Beer tourism continues to grow with the boom in the craft beer industry and entrepreneurs all over the country have launched bus services to shuttle fans from brewery to brewery. There are plenty of operations in Ohio, including Columbus Brew Adventures in Columbus and Cincy Brew Bus in Cincinnati.

The first Arlo’s tour is set for noon to 5 p.m. May 2. It will include trips to Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. and Aqueduct Brewery in Akron, and the Craft Beer Bar in Cuyahoga Falls, where the owners of MadCap Brew Co. will visit with tour guests. The organizers also are hopeful to include beer from the soon-to-open R.Shea Brewing Co.

The May 2 trip is being viewed as a dress rehearsal, Rhoades said.

The second tour is June 6. The itinerary is being finalized but it also will involve Akron breweries.

Tickets will range from $50 to $65, depending on the individual tour, and include a pint or flight at each stop, The tour also will feature giveaways and a tour guide.

There won’t be drinking permitted on the bus.

“We’re not looking to have a drunk bus,” Rhoades said. “We want to expose folks to these breweries.”

For more details, click here.