Boynton Beach couple ditch chiropractic career to plan exotic vacations for beer fans
Ruth Berman and Michael Arra met in Georgia at chiropractic school and two decades later were well-entrenched in those careers and living in Boynton Beach when they gave it all up — for the love of beer and travel. In 2009, they turned what had begun as a side hustle into a full-fledged specialty tour and travel company called Bon Beer Voyage.
The award-winning travel company specializes in inclusive, small-group beer tours for Belgian and craft beer enthusiasts — and more recently, wine enthusiasts.
“We parlayed our love of craft beer into niche tourism, for those who love craft beer and beer culture and have an interest learning about beer culture around the world,” said Berman, the 59-year-old CEO and BBB. (That's Brains Beyond the Beer, not to be confused with the CBO, or Chief Beer Officer. Arra, her 65-year-old partner in business and life, holds that title.)
Their first taste of what their futures held came after they took a trip of their own on a barge cruise. The couple began sharing their love of craft beer, holding informal tastings for other guests.
Adventure closer to home: Bucket list: 55 fun must-try things to do in Palm Beach County
“We had a light-bulb moment that we could offer a similar experience along with beer,” Berman remembered. “We wanted to create a high-class experience with art and culture but bring beer into the equation.”
“It’s for those who love craft beer and beer culture and have an interest learning about beer culture around the world,” Berman said.
“We created the beercation that we would go on,” said Berman. “We chose breweries in historic and interesting locales, added cultural sites, great food and a carefree travel style.”
To this end, they charter private passenger barges in Belgium for their curated itineraries.
Weeks of prep for each tour
The preparation for the Bon Beer Voyage trips is intensive. The couple extensively researches and personally crafts the itinerary. The two meet the people involved and see all the sites in person, before creating a tour.
The logistics are formidable — “like a Rubik’s cube,” Arra said.
Initially, they booked their tours through word-of-mouth. They partnered with the online community "of beer geeks and industry professionals" at Beer Advocate and met people through local Meetup groups in South Florida. They attended beer festivals and with the help of other marketing and promotional tools developed a mailing list of craft beer enthusiasts.
Over the past decade, the couple have gotten to know the places and people behind well-known Belgian breweries, including Chimay, a Trappist brewery, St. Bernardus, renowned for their abbey style beers, and Rodenbach, famous for making a Flemish red ale in giant barrels called foeders.
They can list among their tasting destinations the Belgian Café, In de Vrede, Westvleteren, at the Trappist Abbey of Saint Sixtus, where the beers are rated the No. 1 beer in the world by top beer rating sites.
Another favorite is the Abbaye des Rocs Brewery, one of the first craft breweries in Belgium, still run by the daughter of the original brewer, and Brasseries Thiriez and Bailleux in France, where Berman and Arra visit old friends.
These family-run, artisanal breweries offer traditional farmhouse ales typical of the region on the French-Belgian border.
Because of their reputations and long-standing relationships with both brew masters and vintners, Berman and Arra are able to offer unique experiences to clients, such as watching the monks during prayer services at Westvleteren.
The local dining scene: Best outdoor dining near Jupiter Inlet: Restaurants with sparkling waterway views
Adding wine tastings to the mix
In July, the couple returned from their most recent addition to their lineup: a Sip and Savor tour of Provence, France, which offered a five-course beer vs. wine dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant La Mère Germaine in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, featuring Belgian chef Christophe Hardiquest.
Which came out ahead in the pairings, beer or wine? On this inaugural event, Berman said it was a tie — half of the group preferred the wine, while the other half chose the beer and food pairings.
More: Rooftop restaurants, bars in Palm Beach County offer drinks with a view
“Our tours are for everyone,” Berman said. “From solo travelers, to couples and groups, we cater to everyone. Our trips are designed to pull back the curtain on a country’s spirits and gastronomy.
“We want to uncover the story behind the beer — why is it so good? What makes it special? Who are the people behind it? There’s always a story and real people, even generations of families, behind the beer.”
Capitalizing on the craft beer craze
The couple runs seven to 10 tours each year, averaging about seven days for the beercation barge trips and nine nights for the Provence tours. Typically, they can accommodate 22 guests for a barge excursion, but only 14 on the Provence trip, due to limited accommodations in the chateau where they stay.
The business managed to weather being grounded by a global pandemic.
As COVID-19 protocols kicked in, the couple quickly pivoted to online and Zoom beer tastings, running corporate, networking and team-building events for clients such as Microsoft and Google. On occasions such as Oktoberfest, St. Patrick’s Day and Valentine’s Day, the couple were busier than ever.
“People who thought they didn’t like beer were coming to business networking events and were surprised to find they enjoyed the beer,” Berman said. “This and the online tastings were the silver lining of COVID-19.”
Domestic interest in craft beer and breweries continues to rise. According to the Brewers Association, in 1990, there were only 284 craft breweries in the U.S. By 2015, there were 4,847, and in 2021 the figure increased to over 9,000.
In Palm Beach County, craft breweries have taken off, with Civil Society Brewing and Steam Horse Brewing companies in West Palm Beach, Copperpoint and Nobo Brewing companies in Boynton Beach, SaltWater Brewery in Delray Beach, and Barrel of Monks in Boca Raton, founded by radiologist William McFee.
A growing fan base of tourists
McFee and his wife, Maria, an MRI technologist, have been on five European trips with Bon Beer Voyage and a number of local Florida excursions.
“Mike and Ruth are great people,” McFee said. “And a lot of fun. They plan their trips well and everything is well organized. It’s not just a drinking tour, but an opportunity to appreciate local culture and history and to develop friendships from all over the world.”
His favorite brewery is the Belgian De Dolle Brouwers ("The Mad Brewers") where he said the “beer is second to none.”
Other repeat customers include Dan Guin, 59, executive director of the Boca Ballet Theatre in Boca Raton and Delray Beach-based chiropractor Kristina Jensen, 57.
Guin, a dancer and formerly self-professed non-beer drinker who occasionally indulged in a Rolling Rock, became passionate about Belgian beer when a friend turned him on to the Belgian-style Canadian beer, La Fin Du Monde, a triple blonde beer.
“I didn’t know beer could taste like this,” he said. “It completely changed my world.”
A history buff, Guin now counts as his travel highlights a stop at the France-Belgium border to take photos of a memorial marking the Battle of Agincourt, being blessed by the head abbot at Chimay Abbey and enjoying a beer at Brouwerij De Molen, in an antique Belgian windmill.
“A truly memorable moment,” he recalls.
For Jensen, who has been on five trips, one of the most memorable was the excursion in 2022 that included beer tasting in Paris, cognac in Cognac and wine tasting in Bordeaux.
Hunting for truffles in Provence on a truffle farm, then sampling them with ice-cream, champagne and, of course, with beer, also earned high marks.
She hopes to return with Bon Beer Voyage to London or Provence and said she’s encouraging Berman to put together a champagne-cation.
And, while the company has won a number of awards, including from the World Food Travel Association for Best Food/Beverage Tour Operations on Water, Berman said the most satisfying part of her job is the community she and Arra have created.
“We’ve met so many interesting people and been to so many interesting spots, and created a community of like-minded travelers,” she said. “We’ve had engagements, birthdays and honeymoons on our trips. We keep in touch and friends of friends come to travel with us.”
“It’s one of the coolest things we’ve done,” she said.
In September, Berman will be knighted by the Belgian Knighthood of the Brewers Paddle, a descendant of the Belgian Guild of Brewers, for her work in promoting Belgian beer and culture.
Travel tips from a pro
“Always arrive a day prior to the trip departure date,” Berman said. “Stuff happens.”
Purchase. travel insurance (see "Stuff happens").
Pack clean underwear and a change of clothes in a carry-on bag (in addition to medications and other critical items), in case of lost luggage.
And, most important, Berman said, “Get to know the company and the product before you book. Do your due diligence and get to know the people behind the tour.”
If you go
Upcoming tours:
Oct. 1: Amsterdam to Bruges Beer Vacation Cruise
Oct. 8: Beer and Chocolate Lover’s Belgium Beercation Cruise
Oct. 15: Belgium and France Beercation Cruise
June 2024: Sip and Savor – Provence Tour
June 2024: Provence Dreams Tour
Prices: $3,860 and up, not including air-fare.
Info: For more information go to bonbeer.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach plan exotic trips for beer fans, barges in Belgium, more
