One side-benefit of traveling for work is that I’ve been able to broaden my horizons in many areas, but a hobby that I’ve chosen to focus on is beer sampling. Visiting foreign cities has helped me escape the beer desert of my home in Montreal, and has allowed me to taste many delicious brews that I would otherwise never have had the pleasure of imbibing.

As web professionals, we’re often called upon to attend—or speak at—conferences. The events that surround the main schedule are as important as the conferences, themselves. This is where communities are formed, and where ideas are refined. These after-hours social sessions are often coincidentally held at establishments that serve beer.

If you have functioning taste buds, this coincidence is a huge opportunity for your mouth.

In the past couple years, I’ve been able to attend some of North America’s best beer bars, and sample some of the world’s best brews, all without incurring huge personal travel costs.

Uniting friends through deliciousness is an art, and one that I take seriously. We’ve shared bottles at the Map Room in Chicago, tasted the incredible menu at Russian River near San Francisco, put a dent in Taco Mac‘s bottle list in Atlanta, drank on Microsoft’s dime at the Taphouse Grill near Seattle, exhausted the Lost Abbey supply at The Brickskeller in Washington D.C., and completely took over Beer Table in Brooklyn for an evening (just to name a few).

Next time you’re gathering a group, post-conference, to hack on a project or hone your newest web ideas, leave the overpriced hotel bar behind, find an interesting tap list, and venture into the wonderful world of tasty malt and hops (or sour beers if you’re feeling particular adventurous).