Baja California will have a new tourist route based on artisanal beer beginning next month.

The route will be promoted via a smartphone app developed by beer conglomerate Grupo Modelo and the state’s Secretariat of Tourism.

The project is intended to encourage both domestic and international tourism to cities including Tijuana, Mexicali, Ensenada and Rosarito.

In the last two years, Baja California has experienced a boom in artisanal beer production. According to state Tourism Secretary Óscar Escobedo Carignan, there are 87 registered artisanal breweries and 40 more are in the registration process.

“Our state has grown to stand out on the national level in this arena, thanks to the creativity of our state’s brewers, the availability of raw material and also the influence of California, cradle of artisanal beer in the United States, with which we have worked to nurture the offering of this great touristic product,” said Escobedo.

Also planned in the near future is a museum dedicated to the country’s beer. The concept has yet to be fully developed, but it is planned to be located near the border with the U.S.

The app for the route, with information in both English and Spanish, will be launched at the end of September.

It will present information on local beers and their respective producers, many of which have tap rooms for tastings and food parings. It will also feature hotels and restaurants that offer beer-related experiences.

The Beer Route will be preconfigured in the app, but users will be able to change the routes to fit their own trips. It will also have a calendar of festivals, tastings, new beer launches and other events related to the beverage.

The application will have a connection to an e-commerce platform that will help artisanal brewers offer their products at the national level.

It will also have an educational section with recommendations for those with little experience with artisanal beers.

The app has been designed for users to keep on their phones after their trips, allowing them to personalize it and receive updates and other Baja California beer information.

There are currently 70 independent brewers participating in the project.

Source: El Universal (sp)