Best brewery tours?

Otter Creek has a solid tour. They might not have the most exciting beer in the world, but it's unlimited tasting before and after the tour. If it's not on tap, they'll walk in to the cooler and crack a bottle and pour you a sample. The tour itself takes you all over the brew floor (following the brewing process of their flagship Copper Ale). They open up the kettles. I could have spit in the whirlpool. I was told if the timing is right, they even let tour participants throw some hop addition is. Pretty sweet in my book.

 

this is news to me i didn't even know they did tours the few times I've been there is just the tasting room/bar?

anyways my favorite was definitely Rock Art in VT because for $4 you get 4-5 tastings a free pint glass and if you want you can walk around the brewery in the back and at least in my experience no one says anything

 

They have guided tours in the Hershey facility. I went on one in mid-December. The tour guide was friendly and informative. In addition to serving several samples to taste at the end of the tour, he tapped a fermenter and we had some fresh JavaHead Stout.

 

When I visited SF last summer, I had tried to schedule one about a month before I would be there and they were booked. In fact, if I remember correctly, they were booked to almost a month after I would have been there.

There site says they are taking reservations up to 6 months in advance... if anyone plans on going, even if not until the summer, book now!

 

Samuel Adams (Boston Beer) in Jamaica Plain. Best tour guide ever.

 

Weyerbacher in Easton, PA is a great tour. Informative, got to see the newly finished expansion, and the tour guides don't "read from a script". Each time I went it was completely different, but good. Pretty much unlimited samples, FREE, and now you dont have to buy a full case of beer at the brewery since PA changed its laws.

 

Anchor's tour is worth the effort. You really have to plan well in advance, a month (or more) at least. Nothing like combing my love of beer and history.

 

I love the Sam Adams tour. I haven't done it since 1996 or so. Great Boston brewing history.

 

Have to agree on the Lakefront tour being the most fun.

Also have a vote for Darkhorse. I think the tour was $5, nothing too special during the tour except seeing their barrel room. Asked about a few things in there and the tour guy had no clue what they were. Death Star Lover comes to mind and when we saw it on draft at a festival it was a very pleasant surprise. What makes it great is the stop in the VIP lounge at the end and a pour of everything they have on tap at the time which up there is some pretty good stuff.

 

I always enjoy the Boulevard tour. It's very informative, they have a great facility, and the best part is the beers at the end! Four six-ounce or so pours and they usually have an experimental beer or a seasonal beer that hasn't been released yet. It's traditionally hard to reserve spots, but they are changing their tour policy so that will probably change.

Lakefront in Milwaukee has been mentioned a few times but I'll give the nod to Sprecher. Their beers aren't world-class, but the tour is cheap, they have an awesome gift shop, and you get four drink tokens end. Plus they make a variety of delicious house brewed sodas that are all complimentary, and a great option if you have kids along.

Finally I'll mention Cigar City. The tour was a little disorganized at the start (not clearly delineated where to meet or who is leading), but we got beer straight from the tanks during the tour, as well as a complimentary pint to drink while our guide talked. And that was a lifesaver, because we toured in August when it was more than a little warm! You can probably see a theme...I enjoy the tours most when I get to sample a lot of new beer .

 

I would have said Avery except for they completely changed their tour to be much more generic and don't give out any free samples anymore.

I'm not a huge Boulder Beer fan, but their tour is amazing... They show you every room they have, and explain everything in great detail. Then, they sit you down at banquet style tables and serve you pitcher after pitcher of free beer. They have great food too. Very in depth and generous, and they were one of the first craft breweries around, and the firist in CO, so its also cool to get the historical perspective.

 

I'm going to ditto this. Went in 2011 and paid $10, gets you a glass + three pints (Daisy Cutter, Over, Gossamer). Then again I also remember being really happy an elderly couple gave me their extra beer tokens on top of the three I already got.

 

Best tour I've been on as well. Five bucks for an hour tour and eight tasting tokens at then end. Cool tour guides and was able to sample some that don't show up in PA very often. Had a decent sour, which I wasn't even aware they did. Awesome Ralph Steadman art in the brewery too. Best small brewery tour I went on was appalchian brewing in harrisburg. Got to get real up and close with the brewing eqpt and how many other tours are with the head brewer?

 

All brewery tours are awesome, and having been on so many I want to offer the Redstone Meadery tour in Boulder, CO as something a little unusual and certainly worth your time if you are beer focused like I am.

 

I went to Half Acre this past Saturday and signed up for their brewery tour. For $10 you get a pint glass with their logo and you get to fill up that glass up to three times and choose for 4 fresh beers they have on tap at the time. They tour itself was very entertaining. The guide was very knowledgable about their business and about beer brewing in general. If in the Chicago area, I'd highly recommend it.

What are other good tours you've been on and what kind of perks (if any) do they throw at you while you're there?

Thanks!

 

New Belgium's is fan-tastic. It's a great look at how much effort goes into everything in spite of their size.
They have great guides, tons of cheap samples, and generally a pretty amazing atmosphere.

A bit unrelated, but several breweries in Bamberg actually have tiny hotels within. I stayed at Faessla and they essentially give you a master key to the whole place. A "tour" doesn't get any better than that.

 

Is it just me or does this thread pop up every few days? Everyone's going to say New Belgium's is one of the best, People will be split about The Alchemist (Only screens and you don't get to see much!? RUBBISH etc) and a lot of hate towards FFF tours. Hands down though, People freaking love the New Belgium tour. I really gotta get in on that. Oh and the 'Loon tour will be top digs too.

I've never been on a brewery tour personally but in march I have an entire four days touring around VT. Oh delicious VT.

 

^let me know how that goes, my friends and I are planning on doing a 3 day vermont tour in april.


I've only been on a few brewery tours so I don't have a ton of knowledge. I would say harpoon is really good though, the workers are all super friendly and I personally am a big fan of their beers and you get a good amount of time to try anything you want after the tour.

 

Sierra Nevada's tour was friggin awesome..... one of the best I've ever been on even. Watching Bigfoot being made was like a dream come true.

Also, as much as I hate to admit it on some level, the Anheuser Busch tour in St. Louis is really nice. Very flashy, quite lengthy and in depth, with cool horse stables and the whole nine yards.

 

Here's a link to a previous thread on this topic. It has some great suggestions.
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/best-brewery-tours.63760/