Belgian Beer Me! Alumni,
After much thought, rumination, self-reflection and by popular demand, I’m launching the BBM! Alumni Reunions with hopes that there is at least one each upcoming year, to be held in different regions of the United States. This is an opportunity to gather with travelers from the tours you’ve been on and meet some travelers from other tours.
There’s going to be two this year. One in the Phoenix, Arizona, area April 9-12. and one in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 12-15.
Both are four days, three nights. I’m putting together a package to include lodging, some meals, events and some ground transportation. Below, you may read more about each reunion, what’s included, costs and be able to sign up.
Arizona BBM! Alumni Reunion April 9-12, 2026
Milwaukee BBM! Alumni Reunion June 12-15, 2026 & Lowland’s Belgian Beer Festival
* Beer cities I’m considering for the future BBM! Alumni Reunions are: Bellingham, Washington; Bend, Oregon; Portland, Maine; Asheville, North Carolina; Austin, Texas and Denver.
Arizona BBM! Alumni Reunion April 9-12, 2026
Four Days, three nights
In Arizona, the official hotel will be the Hilton Garden Inn Scottsdale, 7324 East Indian School Road, in Old Town Scottsdale (Nine miles northeast of the Phoenix), with plenty of bars, restaurants and some brewpubs.
Day One, April 9 • We’ll gather in the late afternoon to have a bottle share at the hotel. The hotel features a nice pool and of course lots of Arizona radiant sun and warmth. Temperatures in April will be hot, but still comfortable. Temperatures have average highs 80-85, with lows in the mid 50 to 60s. It will definitely be a nice respite if you're coming from colder temperatures and snow up north.
Day Two, April 10 • Will be mostly free to enjoy the Scottsdale area, in which there are many attractions ranging from the shops and restaurants of Old Town Scottsdale, to the Musical Instrument Museum (The MIM) to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, which offers self-guided tours with a headset. I must say, it's a delight and an architectural wonder. Combine that with the eccentric, dramatic and at times tragic life of FLW himself, and wow! What a story! Old Town Scottsdale has an Old West vibe with the updated energy of a modern city.
Later this afternoon, I’m hosting a party and Arizona BBQ steak and crab dinner at my home in the Land that Beer Forgot, aka, Cave Creek, Arizona, about 30 miles north of the hotel. Cave Creek is a scenic little cowboy/tourist town that refuses to put in a traffic light and has a strict dark sky ordinance. There will be Belgian beer! Depending on how many people we’ll have, we’ll have a coach, Fetii or Uber XL arranged to take alumni to and from my home. As many of you know, I call my home the Black Mountain Lodge & Bierkeller because its unmistakable beer theme and because it has a nice view of Black Mountain, a very prominent land feature in the northern part of the Valley of Sun and in the foothills of Tonto National Forest, all this located in the vast and beautiful Sonoran Desert, which stretches from north of here all the way south into Mexico. This is your chance to visit the Lodge, also the winter international headquarters of BBM! You’ll get to see my office and home, where all the tour planning magic happens! Bring your bathing suit if you like, the pool will be open and 85 degrees.
Day Three, April 11 • We’ll depart Hilton Garden Inn Scottsdale with a coach or otherwise, late morning to have lunch at one of Arizona’s more popular brewpubs, followed by stops at two more brewpubs. Transportation is included this day. Drinks and food is on your own. Afterward, we’ll return to the hotel, freshen up, take a break and then reconvene a farewell bottle share.
Day Four, April 12 • The reunion concludes with breakfast at your leisure at the hotel. All breakfasts are included.
Alumni may fly in and out of Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) or Scottsdale Airport (SCF) serviced by the upscale, but affordable JSX Airlines. Check and see if JSX flies from your region. You might be surprised! Uber, Lyft and the driverless Waymo service the Scottsdale area.
This will be a lot of fun and a chance to see old friends make some new ones.
If you are Arizona BBM! Alumi, you may buy into the entire package, stay at the official hotel, do the group transportations, etc., or you can selectively attend the different events as time and desire allow.
Arizona Reunion Cost
Deadline to sign up is March 31.
All inclusive $470/per person + Air, $380 single supplement*
* Prices based on double room occupancy. If you are a solo traveler and would like to have a private room all to yourself there is a single supplement fee of $380 in addition to the base price of $470 per person. We can also work with you to pair you with other single travelers to avoid the single supplement. Better yet, recruit a friend to come, too! Unless, of course, like Rick Steves says, you prefer to “snore alone.”
$35 per person for Day Two Dinner and beer only at the Black Mountain Lodge & Bierkeller in Cave Creek. Roundtrip transportation provided from Hilton Garden Inn Scottsdale or you may drive yourself.
$60 per person for Day Three Brewpub Tour only. This included transportation only. Food and drinks are on your own. Departs from Hilton Garden Inn Scottsdale and returns there.
Please share BBM! tours with your beer enthusiast friends and encourage them to join the fun!
Milwaukee BBM! Alumni Reunion June 12-15, 2026
& Lowland’s Belgian Beer Festival
Four days, three nights
This BBM! Reunion will center around this special one-day Belgian Beer Festival on June 13. The Lowlands restaurant group has seven restaurants around Wisconsin featuring Belgian beer and European themes.
Day One, June 12 • We’ll plan to converge on Milwaukee today and have a bottle share at our official hotel, the Country Inn & Suites West Brookfield, then be in position and ready for the festival itself on June 13.
Day Two, June 13 • Attend the Belgian Beer Festival
Day Three, June 14 • We’ll charter a coach or otherwise and plan to visit three brewpubs and maybe some other attractions in Milwaukee, of course one of America’s famous beer cities. Price includes transportation, dinner and drinks at third brewbput. Beer and food is on your own at the first two brewpubs.
Day Four, June 15 • The reunion concludes with breakfast at your leisure at the hotel. All breakfasts are included.
Alumni may fly in and out of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE).
Milwaukee Reunion Cost
Deadline to sign up is one month before.
All inclusive $495/per person + Air, $300 single supplement*
* Prices based on double room occupancy. If you are a solo traveler and would like to have a private room all to yourself there is a single supplement fee of $300 in addition to the base price of $495 per person. We can also work with you to pair you with other single travelers to avoid the single supplement. Better yet, recruit a friend to come, too! Unless, of course, like Rick Steves says, you prefer to “snore alone.”
$100 per person for Day Two only includes Belgian Beer Festival Admission and beer, roundtrip transportation from the Country Inn & Suites Brookfield West, or you may meet us at the Festival.
$90 per person for Day Three only Brewpub Tour. This included transportation dinner and drinks at the last stop. Food and drinks are on your own for the other stops. Departs from Country Inn & Suites Brookfield West and returns there.
Please share BBM! tours with your beer enthusiast friends and encourage them to join the fun!
Maredsous Abbey Ales
““Had a wonderful time on the Ardennes Mountains Spring Beer Tour of Belgium — beautiful scenery, great beers and nice people. Stu made sure we were well taken care of, finding unique out of way places that we would have never toured and beers we may not have discovered on our own. He eased us into this great experience from travel preparations to sending us safely on our way back home. Not that we wanted to leave — already dreaming of our next tour!”
”
Reunions Include
Three nights accommodations in nice, friendly, centrally-located hotels.
All breakfasts Scottsdale for hotel guests.
All breakfasts and one dinners (Milwaukee) with gratuities.
Belgian Beer Festival admission in Milwaukee.
Ground transportation. Leave the driving to us!
Professional and courteous BBM! guide services.
An instant group of interesting and fun, beer-loving friends you may or may not have met, yet.
Plenty of unstructured free time to relax, shop and explore on your own.
You may also buy individual days rather than the entire reunion package.
[ back to top ]
Not Included
“ “Belgium is beauty, beer and food.””
