Hint: This annual nationwide holiday celebrating a byproduct of America’s rebellious, striving, passionate, hedonistic, democratic and innovative spirit occurs always in the month of May.

Hint: The small businesses recognized during this holiday are  so significant as a group, Congress passed HR 1297 in their honor.

Hint: You have to be of legal drinking age to truly appreciate it.

Answer = ?

Done wondering?  It’s American Craft Beer Week!  This year ACBW takes place at craft breweries throughout the nation May 17-23.  If you appreciate craft beer, if you’ve heard about it but never tried it, if you don’t think you like craft beer, this is the week to visit some craft brewers in your area and taste what they have to offer.   There will be beer and food pairings, new beer release parties, free tours and many other events at little or no cost.  We want to thank our customers for letting us do what we love and encouraging us to stretch the boundaries of “tastes great;” we also want to give props to our fellow craft brewers for building a significant industry that is truly Made in America.

Many craft breweries throughout Wisconsin will have guest taps in addition to their line up of great brews (thanks Greg Koch of Stone for issuing the guest tap challenge).  All week long Sprecher will host Central Waters’  Shine On, South Shore Brewery’s Wheat Dopplebock, and Capital Brewery’s Tettnanger Dopplebock.  And you’ll find Sprecher Black Bavarian at Capital Brewery, Sprecher Mai Bock at Central Waters, and Sprecher IPA2 at South Shore Brewery.   Need I say more?  Alright — this is the best reason for a statewide brewery road trip.  Don’t have the time?  Well, guest taps are about bringing the beer to you,  so stop into your local microbrewery and take a leap of faith you won’t regret.  Go ahead,  sample a killer Wisconsin craft beer you’ve not had before.   It will give you one more reason to say, Wisconsin ROCKS!  Not there yet about the WI ROCKS?  That’s ok; a couple WI craft brews and you’ll understand what we mean.

Other special Sprecher events: Breakfast with the Brewmaster, 8am-9am, Thursday, May 20th.  Join Sprecher brewmaster Craig Burge for a beer and bagel.  This is an incredible opportunity and I’ll leave it at that.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a complete celebration of Wisconsin craft beer without some artisanal cheese.  Free samples and extra brewery tours all week, so stop by.

About HR 1297 — Here’s a little info copied from www.americancraftbeerweek.org:

Small brewers are small businesses; they provide so much to their local communities and have reshaped American beer culture. On April 22, 2010, U.S. Congress began discussing House Resolution 1297 (PDF file) supporting the goals and ideals of American Craft Beer Week.

Cheers!