Durango in the running for BeerCity USA 2012

 

The Colorado mountain town of Durango has secured nomination in the final running for BeerCity USA 2012. Votes are now being tallied by Examiner.com, a “go-to” web site for craft brewing aficionados. Locals and fans of Durango’s breweries are urged to cast a vote directly at http://polldaddy.com/poll/6132829 before midnight, May 13, 2012. (Only one vote per IP address is allowed.)

At this writing, Grand Rapids, Mich., and Ashville, N.C. are in the lead, scoring the most votes of the 31 nominated cities to make the finals. Ashville is a three-time winner of the competition.

“Even though we are the Napa Valley of craft beer, we’re competing against big cities with larger population bases,” said Kris Oyler, Steamworks Brewing Co. co-founder and board president of the Durango Area Tourism Office (DATO). “So, on a per capita basis, we’re going to need more folks who are fans of our four craft breweries – Steamworks, Ska, Carver and Durango brewing companies – to vote. Winning BeerCity USA 2012 will guarantee Durango significant national and even international notoriety.”

The BeerCity competition on Examiner.com comes under the watchful eye of Charlie Papazian, the author of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, and founder of the Great American Beer Festival, the American Homebrewers Association and the Association of Brewers. He is the “Beer Examiner.”

Writes Papazian, “I’ve mentioned this several times in the past, BeerCity USA is about community pride… BeerCity USA is about showcasing what is really driving the American craft beer phenomenon we are all enjoying. It’s about the view on main street, grass roots, community support; it’s not about mainstream data, averages and statistics.”

Cities in the final competition qualified through a nominating poll held in April. Visit http://www.examiner.com/article/vote-now-beercity-usa-2012-where-s-your-pick for additional information on the competition.