Cruise ship offering a ‘beer festival at sea’

US cruise ship company Cruise Specialists is offering fans of craft beer a new opportunity to enjoy a beer cruise, by offering a California Beer Festival, at sea.

Hosted by a California brew master, the Beer Festival at Sea will offer guests the opportunity to taste a variety of great craft beer, as well as enjoy live music, special tours and seminars. The organisers say this is the first cruise of its kind.

The partnership between Cruise Specialists and California Beer Festivals, will take place on the Celebrity Solstice, and departs from Ensenada, Mexico on 6 May.

Greg Nacco, vice-president of Cruise Specialists said: “We are excited to partner with Celebrity Cruises and the California Beer Festival to offer the first California Beer Festival at Sea.

“Celebrity Cruises is a leader in the art of culinary experiences at sea, and in fact, this Beer Festival at Sea also features an on-board ‘wine’ theme as well. It was a natural choice to hold a beer festival on one of their newest ships featuring 10 impressive gourmet restaurants.

“Beer may be the new wine in terms of methodology in brewing and diversity of flavours. If you consider all the different styles of beer in the world and how they are made, it is going to be a fabulously fun time aboard the Solstice spending time with true craft beer brewers.”

After departing Mexico the cruise will visit San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Astoria, Vancouver and finishes in Seattle on 15 May.

As well as tastings and lunches the cruise will feature home brewing lessons, behind the scenes tours of the Celebrity Solstice and brewery tours in the ports visited.