New Quad Cities Ale Trail Website Now Has Mobile Passport Technology

From QC Ale Trail:

Quad Cities (Monday, October 21, 2019) – Visit Quad Cities and Quad Cities craft breweries announced a new website for the QC Ale Trail today at www.QCaletrail.com.  This new website also includes the new opportunity to use your mobile phone to check-in at the breweries to earn commemorative QC Ale Trail items.

Craft beer enthusiasts can now create an online account by registering on the website.  Then at each participating local brewery you visit, the server will check you in on your mobile device as you blaze the trail.  The breweries you visit will be saved in your account so you can keep track of your QC Ale Trail journey.  There is no app to download as everything is available through the website.

Visit four breweries to earn an engraved bottle opener; visit all the breweries to earn a commemorative QC Ale Trail pint glass.

The new website at www.QCaletrail.com has a bold design incorporating the colors and elements from the QC Ale Trail logo.  Visit Quad Cities partnered with TAG, a local design and marketing agency, to create this new mobile experience for the QC Ale Trail.  The website also includes more information about the breweries, local craft beer scene, and an online store to purchase QC Ale Trail gear.

“The QC Ale Trail is a valuable product and experience for Quad Citizens and Quad Visitors,” said Dave Herrell, President and CEO, Visit Quad Cities.  “Analytics and customer insights were indicating that 90% of the Ale Trail web audience was accessing the website via their mobile phone.  We wanted to create a digital platform to tell the QC Ale Trail story but also partner with our local micro-breweries to deliver a more effective consumer experience on-site.  This technology accomplishes that goal and we look forward to continually making it better for everyone that loves craft beer and the QC.”

The new QC Ale Trail was first introduced in May.  Over the past five months, more than 100 people from 14 states have completed part of the trail, and over half have completed the whole thing.

Craft beer enthusiasts can still download the paper passport from the website, and get it stamped at each local brewery they visit.

This riverfront region has a long history of brewing beer, and the Quad Cities invites Quad Citizens and Quad Visitors to taste the top-quality pints from our current batch of brewers.

Local Brewing History

The first brewery opened in Rock Island, Ill., in 1847 called Littig and Co., followed quickly by two others.  Those three breweries merged in 1893 to become The Rock Island Brewing Co.  The City Brewery is the first to open in Davenport, Iowa, in 1850.  Four more follow, and then in 1894 a merger creates The Davenport Malting Co.  Prohibition passes in Iowa in 1916 and the State goes dry virtually overnight.  Prohibition passes in Rock Island in 1918.  After Prohibition ends in 1933, several breweries try to start up again and fail after several years.  What follows is a nearly forty-year drought of breweries until Front Street Brewery opens in 1992 and more local craft microbreweries successfully follow.

About Visit Quad Cities

Founded in 1990, Visit Quad Cities is the official Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMMO) for the region.  Visit Quad Cities is a private 501(c)(6) non-profit engine charged with driving economic opportunity through tourism, building an authentic brand, telling & selling the Quad Cities’ story, and enhancing Quad Citizens’ quality of life.  www.visitquadcities.com