Passport to (Free) Pilsners

Sign on for the Southwest Florida Ale Trail to support our booming brewery scene—and get perks in return.

Almost everyone admits to living in a comfort zone to some degree. We seem to circle the same few miles for groceries, gas and dry cleaning, along with a bite to eat.

But sometimes it’s worth venturing into the beyond.

If you happen to know your pale ales from your IPAs, you must know new breweries are sprouting here faster than bougainvillea vines, but the real question is—have you tried them?

Encouraging us to hop around and throw our support behind the booming craft beer scene is the Southwest Florida Ale Trail.

Buy a $10 passport at any of the 11 participating taprooms, and it pays for itself in spades if you make it your business to pop by each one. Once you have a drink at seven of the establishments, you get a free commemorative beer glass. Hit all 11 by February 2018 (when the next round of passports will be released), and then it’s BOGO free pints at ALL breweries on any visit (so even if you decide to stick to the one closest to home, you can count on drinks on the house).

In addition to those sudsy incentives, there are a few other deals that passport carriers can claim, like discounts and freebies at restaurants like The Standard and 11: Eleven Café, plus a CrossFit gym and a tech repair company to boot.

It makes us realize it really does pay to discover.

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