What is the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour 4.0? How do you join? Here's what you need to know.

Beth Ann Miller, The Daily American
·4 min read

STOYSTOWN ― There’s a full year’s worth of places to visit and beverages to try on the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour, the region’s annual craft beer, wine and spirits trail through Somerset, Fayette and Westmoreland counties.

In fact, the number of locations for guests to visit – 62 this year – has doubled since the annual tour began five years ago, said Jennifer Benford, marketing director for GO Laurel Highlands, the region’s tourism promotion agency.

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Kaitlin Fahy, in foreground, pours a glass of Forbes Trail Brewing's Kolsch Calm & Collected during the Pour Tour 4.0 kickoff. Fahy's mother, Kathy Smith, in the background, works behind the bar as well.
Kaitlin Fahy, in foreground, pours a glass of Forbes Trail Brewing's Kolsch Calm & Collected during the Pour Tour 4.0 kickoff. Fahy's mother, Kathy Smith, in the background, works behind the bar as well.

“That’s 62 places that people can gather together with their friends and family, enjoy life and have a tasty beverage,” she said during the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour 4.0 kickoff event on Thursday at Forbes Trail Brewing Co. in Stoystown.

The microbrewery was the first stop on the event’s itinerary, which took GO Laurel Highlands staff and a group of guests to visit three Somerset County beverage makers to officially launch this year’s tour. After an hour-long visit at Forbes Trail Brewing Co., the group went on to Somerset to visit Ponfeigh Distillery and then to Champion to visit SanaView Farms and Winery.

Mike Fahy, owner and brewmaster at Forbes Trail Brewing Co., and co-owners Kaitlin Fahy, Mike’s wife, and Kathy Smith, Kaitlin’s mother, greeted the guests and offered samples of the 12 different beers, all made in-house, that they currently have on tap.

“The Pour Tour brings in so many people to our location that I don’t think ever would have found us,” he said. “People from Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas that come in and enjoy the drive up over the mountain and enjoy sitting in here, or sitting outside, kind of a breath of fresh air. It’s always fun to meet new people from out of the area.”

And that first visit often leaves customers wanting more.

“Once they make the drive, they love it here,” Fahy said. “That’s the exciting part, that they come back because they enjoyed themselves. We strive to make (Forbes Trail Brewing) a friendly place.”

Pour Tour 4.0 passports and souvenirs were laid on a table at Forbes Trail Brewing in Stoystown.
Pour Tour 4.0 passports and souvenirs were laid on a table at Forbes Trail Brewing in Stoystown.

How does the Pour Tour work?

A paper copy of the Pour Tour 4.0 “passport” is available at the 62 locations on this year’s tour, which includes 10 locations in Somerset County, or by mail from GO Laurel Highlands. Visit the website lhpourtour.com to find all the participating Pour Tour locations or to request a paper passport.

A digital passport is also available by downloading the GO Laurel Highlands app on the App Store or Google Play.

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Participants have until Dec. 23 to visit as many locations on the tour as they can, make a purchase and collect a sticker (or a digital stamp for those using the app) at each location. Once they’ve collected at least 15 stickers (or stamps), they can turn in their “passport” to GO Laurel Highlands to receive a prize.

More details on the “passport” and the three-tier prize program are posted at the lhpourtour.com website.

'Keep the momentum going'

Last year’s Pour Tour 3.0 boosted the economy of the Laurel Highlands region by an estimated $2 million, said Eric Knopsnyder, director of public relations for GO Laurel Highlands.

“By the end of this year, we expect the Pour Tour to contribute about $6 million all-time to the Laurel Highlands economy, and that money isn’t just coming from the local craft beverage lovers,” he said. “Last year, we had redemptions (those who turned in passports with at least 15 stops from the tour), we had folks from 10 different states who redeemed for prizes, (from) as far away as Florida, Colorado and even Washington state.

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“Let’s keep the momentum going and spread the word to even more guests from outside the region. One of our goals for 4.0 is to bring more people from outside the region to see what we have here, our incredible breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries and meadery. Our out-of-town guests support our local lodging partners, our restaurants, our retail partners and our wonderful craft beverage partners.”

Mike Fahy agreed, saying he enjoys hearing customers talk about the locations they’ve visited during the tour.

“It’s really neat to hear all the places they’ve been,” he said. “We (the makers) are all friends and we all work together.

“It’s fun for me, as the guy making the beer, when people say we’re one of their favorite stops on the tour. That’s flattering because there’s a lot of good beverage makers in the area. So when I hear something like that, it keeps you motivated in coming up with new flavors and new ideas,” Fahy said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: GO Laurel Highlands launches Laurel Highlands Pour Tour 4.0