Quick fun topic. I love visiting breweries. That said, many of my trips have been disappointing. Where have you visited that how was it? For me, Brooklyn- great time, you can order food delivered and hang all day. Pretty expensive and the tour was a waste (it was right as they were expanding) Blue point-ok location, small, gets a nice crowd on a sunny day Port Jeff brewer- nice area right in town, very small, nowhere to hang out
When I visit a brewery, it's usually just to buy beer and there's nowhere to buy it fresher, IMO. I don't take tours since I've seen plenty of tanks and bottling lines before.
Yeungling - Interesting tour, especially the old caves under the building, and it's free. Probably why you only get one sample. No brewpub on site Weyerbacher - Small, but currently expanding. Usually several good beers available in growlers, 750ml and 6/12/24 packs. Should be a "snack bar" when expansion is complete Troegs - Excellent guided tour. Self guided tour is kind of a waste. Excellent growler fill station and always several beers available on tap (like 10 or so). Food is a bit pretentious and it can get really loud in there since there is nothing but hard surfaces. Fun place though. Appalachian Brewing Company - Really interesting old building and good food. Most of their beers are marginal. The Abbey Bar on the 2nd floor is a fun place to go (they have lots of belgians) and the deck is nice in the summer.
Berkshire Brewing in western MA was a really cool experience. The guides were awesome, the place had a really cool feel to it, and they let us pour our own samples while actively ignoring how many we were pouring above the allotted amount. Also, the beer was damn tasty.
