{"id":114807,"date":"2025-08-22T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/?p=114807"},"modified":"2025-08-25T15:40:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T21:40:21","slug":"camping-out-is-in-at-breweries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/full-pour\/camping-out-is-in-at-breweries","title":{"rendered":"Camping Out Is in at Breweries"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the owner of R&R Brewing<\/a>, Ryan Roberts maximizes value from every square foot of his property in pickle-famous Mount Olive, N.C.<\/a>. He built a fenced-in yard for folks to grab BBQ and more from food trucks, ideally to enjoy with pints, but many people didn\u2019t venture inside the brewery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat land still has taxes paid on it, so it\u2019s like, what can we do to make this dirt more valuable?\u201d says Roberts, who opened R&R in 2018.<\/p>\n

In fall 2020, Roberts answered a call from Harvest Hosts<\/a>, a membership program that lets people park, for no extra fee, self-contained RVs on private properties such as farms, golf courses, and breweries. The pitch: He\u2019d provide flat ground, and campers were encouraged to spend money at host businesses.<\/p>\n

Roberts signed up, spent $60 on a few signs, and welcomed his first R&R camper that December. A positive review led to more bookings, as campers were \u201cso happy they weren\u2019t in a Walmart parking lot,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cThey would come in and spend like $80.\u201d<\/p>\n

A decade ago, encouraging people to patronize breweries was simple: brew beer and they\u2019d come. But local beer is no longer a novel lure. To attract customers and make use of underutilized land, some breweries are opening campgrounds that entice travelers to stay and grab dinner and drinks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a captive audience,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cAs far as return on investment, this is one of the best things we\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Embracing the Outdoors<\/h2>\n

A camping boom began in the pandemic<\/a> as people sought fresh air and fewer folks, leading them to national parks and campgrounds where cracking beers is commonplace. According to surveys from the Dyrt<\/a>, a camping platform, 45 percent of its campers bring beer while camping, and 37 percent of beer-drinking campers favor craft beer.<\/p>\n

Nowadays, securing reservations at national parks is becoming increasingly difficult<\/a>. Seeking accommodations, campers are turning to platforms such as Harvest Hosts, Hipcamp<\/a>, and the Dyrt that are partnering with private landowners to offer camping.<\/p>\n

\u201cBusinesses are realizing that they have an untapped resource sitting here,\u201d says Kevin Long, CEO of the Dyrt, adding that breweries are a big draw. Campers can drink a few beers and \u201cdon\u2019t even have to drive home,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Proximity to IPAs is part of the appeal. Melvin Brewing<\/a> is in Alpine, Wyo., on the shores of the Palisades Reservoir and adjoining Bureau of Land Management property. People are free to pitch tents and park RVs on no-frills, first-come, first-served dispersed campsites<\/a> right by the brewery.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s Wyoming, it\u2019s wild, it\u2019s out of bounds, it\u2019s free,\u201d says Molly Reilly, vice president of marketing for the brewery\u2019s parent company Pure Madness Group<\/a>. Campers can crush a few Melvin IPAs, then stroll back to bed nearby \u201cbeneath total dark skies,\u201d Reilly says.<\/p>\n

Golden Grove Farm & Brew<\/a> opened in 2017 Piedmont, S.C., just off heavily trafficked Interstate 85 where \u201c50,000 people pass the brewery per day,\u201d says Andrew Brown, co-founder. The brewery sits on 100 acres with an 18-hole disc golf course and space aplenty for camping. Golden Grove, which has three spots equipped with power, will soon add enough power for 20 additional campers and plans to majorly expand its campground in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cFolks that stay with us spend money with us,\u201d Brown says. \u201cEven if they don\u2019t drink, they\u2019ll buy merch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of bringing a campground to a brewery, Doug Olsen added a brewery to an existing campground. In 2023, he bought Indian Lake Adventures campground<\/a> in Huntsville, Ohio, adding Camp Brewing <\/a>in an existing building the following year. \u201cWhen you open a brewery at a campground, the campground stays full,\u201d Olsen says. \u201cCampers like hanging out and drinking beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding beer isn\u2019t without challenges. A campground and a brewery, including a taproom, are different businesses that require different staff and licensing. Campers are allowed to bring beer to Indian Lake, but they can\u2019t bring outside beverages to Camp\u2019s taproom. If customers want, they can buy to-go growlers or cups of Pitch a Tent Pilsner, Into the Woods Wheat, and Roughin\u2019 It Red Ale that can be consumed on the grounds or at the campsites.<\/p>\n

This fall, Olsen plans to expand the camping-and-beer concept at Adventure Trails<\/a>, another campground that he purchased in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Camp is contract-brewing beer to meet production demands for both campers and locals looking for cold beers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to play catch up,\u201d Olsen says.<\/p>\n

Hops and Parking Lots<\/h2>\n

Part of camping\u2019s charm is exploring an unexpected location. This spring, Billy Goat Hop Farm<\/a> in Montrose, Colo., opened the Down at the Hopyard campground that welcomes campers beside hop bines climbing skyward on trellises.<\/p>\n

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A visit doubles as an educational experience. \u201cWe talk to people in the morning and everybody is always like, \u2018Wow, this is so cool,\u2019\u201d says Audrey Gehlhausen, the farm\u2019s president, adding that guests can also try beers made with the farm\u2019s hops. \u201cIt\u2019s important to know where your hops come from,\u201d Gehlhausen says.<\/p>\n

Urban breweries are also hosting campers. Mash Mechanix Brewing <\/a>sits in Colorado Springs, Colo., \u201cright in the center of the tourist attractions,\u201d says Leif Anderson, head brewer and co-owner. He\u2019s a regular camper, and after using Harvest Hosts during trips Anderson turned the brewery\u2019s paved parking lot into a campground.<\/p>\n

He reserves two parking spaces for Sprinter vans and truck-bed campers\u2014no trailers or rigs larger than 25 feet\u2014to park for free overnight and partake in views of Pikes Peak while sipping offerings such as Hill Climb Hero lager and Trailer Queen hard seltzer.<\/p>\n

Camping broadens the brewery\u2019s customer base. \u201cPeople vacation in Colorado Springs and stop in because somebody else in their family stayed here,\u201d Anderson says.<\/p>\n

Festival Rides and Camper Vans<\/h2>\n

Many beer festivals are in rural locations not well served by mass transportation or rideshare. As a solution, festivals offer camping that creates immersive experiences on a brewery\u2019s property.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur most important marketing effort is to show off our brewery,\u201d says Jordan Egbert, brand manager for Brewery Ommegang<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The bucolic brewery is on a former hop farm in Cooperstown, N.Y., and hosts the annual Belgium Comes to Cooperstown festival<\/a>.* Campers can either stay for one or two nights, enjoying hot breakfast, bands, bathrooms, and camaraderie. Camping is where \u201cbottle shares happen, and new friends are found,\u201d Egbert says.<\/p>\n

Camping is also a more affordable and abundant option than hotels. Burning Foot Beer Festival<\/a> (also August 23) takes place in Muskegon, Mich., on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan where attendees pay $70 for one of 300 beachfront campsites that can sleep four people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a smaller town and limited hotel space, camping gives our patrons space to spend the night after hanging out at a beer festival,\u201d says Jimmy Hegedus, beverage director.<\/p>\n

Not every camper wants a rustic site. Hospitality is essential for breweries, be it in the taproom or campground. Over two decades, Win and Lori Mitchell, the owners of Boothbay Craft Brewery<\/a> in Boothbay, Maine, have steadily transformed their 10-acre campground and brewery into a \u201cboutique RV park,\u201d Win says.<\/p>\n

The couple, who are avid RV travelers, tore down most of the property\u2019s old cabins and added RV hook-up sites (there are around 24). They take pride in their tavern\u2019s kitchen that serves smoked brisket, local oysters, and a lobster-packed pretzel bun that excels with Lobsterbake Lager. Everyone leaves Boothbay full, content, and well rested.<\/p>\n

\u201cCampers who come here tell other campers, and that is our best compliment and best advertisement,\u201d Lori says.<\/p>\n