This weekend, South Florida beer drinkers can ditch their cars and Ubers and hop Palm Beach County’s first dedicated beer bus.
Starting Sunday, July 2, the Damn Good Beer Bus will shuttle passengers around Boynton Beach’s rising beer district, a cluster of warehouses west of I-95 and north of Boynton Beach Boulevard.
The 20-passenger shuttle will cost $5 and will take passengers on a 5.7-mile loop to four breweries, spanning Copperpoint Brewing Company south to Due South Brewing Company, NOBO Brewing Company and Devour Brewing Company, before returning to Copperpoint.
“I know South Florida’s late to the party with breweries, but the time is right for a brew bus,” says Jonathan Breines, who launched the Damn Good Beer Bus in April.
Breines, 29, says his beer bus already offers three types of public tours to the county’s 11 breweries, including those in Boynton Beach. These tours include beer flights at each brewery stop, water and snacks on the bus and behind-the-scenes tours at each brewery. The four-hour tours begin at Accomplice Brewery and Ciderworks and cost $65, while private tours start at $69.
But the shuttle loop is designed to be a less expensive alternative for drinkers avoiding the hassle of hailing a ride share or driving while impaired, Breines says.
“Sometimes, it’s not just being a beer geek and driving out to every brewery on your own,” Breines says. “Sometimes, it’s just about a safe, comfortable day out.”
A University of Central Florida graduate in marketing, Breines, of Lake Worth, says he quit a cushy marketing and sales job at Southern Wine and Spirits to start the company. While it’s not the only beer bus servicing South Florida — the Miami Brew Bus visits Miami-Dade County and a few Broward breweries — the Damn Good Beer Bus only covers Palm Beach County, says Ashley Svarney, director of public relations and communications at Discover the Palm Beaches, the county’s tourism bureau.
“The craft brew scene has really taken off over the past few years,” Svarney says. “What’s great about this one is people can hop the bus and go from brewery to brewery in a safe fashion.”
The shuttle loop will run at 45-minute intervals, Breines says, and includes a $1 off beer coupon for the breweries.
The Damn Good Beer Bus shuttle loop will run 12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Sundays to four Boynton Beach breweries. Admission is $5. The company’s 11-brewery tours cost $65, and private tours begin at $69. Call 561-906-7212, or go to DamnGoodBeerBus.com.
pvalys@southflorida.com or 954-356-4364
