If you love to try new beers but aren’t sure where to find new breweries, the Hop Passport is for you. The Hop Passport is a membership-based program where you can get 50% off your first two beers at participating breweries. In this Hop Passport review, I’ll share what it is, which breweries you can visit, and how to save 20% off your passport.
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What is Hop Passport?
Hop Passport is a craft beverage marketing company that makes it easy for beer-lovers to try new breweries. They’ve created both a paper coupon book and a digital passport for members to purchase. When members show their Hop Passport at participating breweries, they’ll receive 50% off their first two beers.
Passports are available for individual states, regions, or the entire U.S. Whether you want to experience new beers in your community or around the country, there’s a Hop Passport for you.
Since 2017, there are over 10,000 members who’ve enjoyed discounted beers at awesome local craft breweries. Everyone benefits from the Hop Passport. Breweries gain new customers and increase awareness, while beer lovers have even more reason to try someplace new.
Which breweries participate in the Hop Passport?
There are hundreds of breweries across the U.S. that participate in Hop Passport. The number of breweries in each state varies, but more are being added regularly. Hop Passport is available in 27 states across the country, and there are several regions available as well.
You’ll find a wide variety of beers and brewery locations with your Hop Passport. If you don’t like one, visit another and you’ll surely find something that you like. Here are a few of the breweries that we’ve discovered through using the Hop Passport.
Yazoo Brewery Tap Room in Nashville
We love visiting the Yazoo Brewery Tap Room because it’s so wide open and has a great view of the Cumberland River from its patio. In July 2021, we held our Music City Miles & Points Meetup there and everyone had a great time. They have a few snacks on the menu, but a food truck usually stops by on the weekends.
Elst Brewing in Knoxville
On our way back from Asheville, we stopped at Elst Brewing. It was a nice way to break up the drive and it was good to enjoy some of the nice spring weather on their back patio.
Harding House Brewing in Nashville
Since we live east of Nashville by the airport, we don’t venture to West Nashville very often, but we’re glad that we found Harding House Brewing. They have delicious beers and an open-air patio to enjoy. There are some takeout restaurants just steps away too, so you can grab some goodies to enjoy with your drinks.
Orange Hat Brewing in Knoxville
When we visit friends in East Tennessee, we try to stop by Orange Hat Brewing Company. They have a play area for the kids with lots of toys. Plus, there was a pizza truck outside, so of course, we had to order some.
Honky Tonk Brewing Co in Nashville
The Honky Tonk Brewing Co is located in an assuming industrial area and you wouldn’t even know it was there. Yes, inside, it has a relaxed, welcoming vibe with comfy seats in an intimate setting. We arrived just after they closed the kitchen, but the bartender was kind enough to start up the oven again so my kids could have some food.
Tennessee has an abundance of breweries in the Hop Passport. We’ve been able to visit a bunch of them, and we hope to visit even more before the end of the year.
How does the Hop Passport work?
When you become a Hop Passport member, you’ll receive a paper passport in the mail or a digital passport through its app (Apple, Android).
Search for participating breweries online, through the app, or by thumbing through your paper passport.
When you visit a member brewery, simply show your passport to the beertender. They will stamp your passport or mark it as redeemed, and you’ll get 50% off your first two beers.
The beer special is once per location, so you can buy multiple passports or venture out and try new breweries. I got both the paper and the digital version so Anna and I can each have more than one during our visits.
How much does the Hop Passport cost?
The price per passport varies based on which state you are buying the Hop Passport for. All prices start at $25, but some states are a few dollars more. And you can use my exclusive promo code to save 20% off your purchase.
Hop Passport also offers regional and national digital passports.
- $25 and up State passports
- $40 to $70 Regional passports
- $80 for Nationwide
Digital regional passports are available for the following areas and the prices vary based on how many states and breweries are in those regions:
- $70 – Midwest (Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin)
- $40 – Northeast (Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia)
- $45 – Southeast (Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia, and Tennessee)
- $60 – West (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming)
All passports are good for the calendar year in which they are purchased. So, if you buy the 2021 Hop Passport on December 1st, you’ll only be able to use it for 31 days. It can still be a good deal if you plan on visiting a handful of breweries.
When is the 2022 Hop Passport available for sale?
The 2022 Hop Passport will be available for sale starting at noon Central time on September 15, 2021. All orders from September 15 to 29, 2021, will receive free shipping. After that, you’ll receive free shipping on orders of $40 or more.
The first 200 Hop Passports pre-ordered will receive a FREE 2021 Hop Passport. The 2021 Hop Passport will be shipped right away so you can enjoy 50% off your first two beers through the end of the year. You can also give it to a friend or donate it to one of the participating breweries for them to give away or sell.
During the two-week pre-order sale, there will be a giveaway each week. For every 2022 Hop Passport that you buy, you’ll receive one entry.
There will be five winners each week. Four winners will receive a digital Hop Passport for the entire country. The grand prize winner each week will receive a nationwide digital Hop Passport AND a Hop Passport swag bag.
Save 20% on the Hop Passport with this promo code
You’ll save 20% on your Hop Passport when you use the promo code “BALD” during checkout. This means that you’ll save $5 on your state passport and even more when buying a regional passport!
Amazing Brewery Race: Get social and win
Each year, Hop Passport holds the Amazing Brewery Race. The first person to visit all of the breweries in their state will win a check and a victory t-shirt. For example, you can win these amounts for visiting every Hop Passport brewery in that state:
- Arizona (15): 1st $200, 2nd $100, 3rd $50
- California (71): $1,000
- Kentucky (6): 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25
- Minnesota (91): $1,500
- Montana (4): 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25
- Oregon (11): 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25
- Tennessee (33): $300
- West Virginia (1): 1st $50, 2nd $25, 3rd $10
Even if you aren’t the first to finish, everyone who visits every brewery receives a victory t-shirt.
To participate in the Amazing Brewery Race, follow these steps:
- Get your passport stamped at each brewery in your state
- Take a photo of you at the brewery with your passport and something with the brewery’s logo on it. Digital passport holders should use the in-app filter for their photos.
- Post your picture on social media with the tag #AmazingBreweryRace. Make sure that your profile is public so Hop Passport can view your photos.
The race starts on January 1st of each year, so order your Hop Passport early to get a head start.
Other fun events throughout the year
Hop Passport also organizes other fun events throughout the year. One of my favorites was the “Earn Your Buzz” promo in May 2021. In this Hop Passport promo, participants tracked their running, walking, and biking activities in the Facebook group. Based on your mileage, you could win a Hop Passport t-shirt, mug, or an extra Hop Passport.
Other contests were held on a regular basis that encourages passholders to visit a brewery, pick up trash, and do other positive deeds within the community.
The Bald Thoughts
Now that you’ve ready my Hop Passport review, hopefully, you’ll be inspired to visit more local breweries. Although we have our favorite breweries in Nashville, our passport gives us a reason to venture out and try new ones. Who knows, we may find some new favorites in our area and while traveling around the South. Get your Hop Passport today.
Nice. If Shultz Brau in Knoxville joined I’d probably sign up.
I hear you, Christian. There are some awesome breweries that I wished were on the Hop Passport. You can recruit new breweries to join. I don’t recall if they give a “bounty” or anything, but if they do join, you can certainly use the pass there. I think that there were over 100 new breweries added throughout 2020, so the list continues to grow. Local breweries are more likely to join when their regulars talk to them about it.
Coupon code didn’t work
Thanks for letting me know, Inger. They turned off my promo code during their initial launch for the new year. From what I saw, the 2022 Hop Passports were already discounted 20% during the launch, so my promo code wouldn’t have been applicable (doesn’t stack).