The only thing better than sipping a pint of your favorite brew is getting a behind-the-scenes look at where it's made. We asked a panel of beer experts to nominate the best brewery tours in the United States, and for the past four weeks, 10Best readers have been voting for their favorites.
Founders Brewing Co. Grand Rapids, Mich.
Limited tours of the Founders Brewing Co. production facilities in Grand Rapids offer a glimpse into one of the nation's top craft breweries. Those with a deeper interest in beer can also sign up for classes ranging from Beer 101 to off-flavor tastings. Photo courtesy of Bernt Rostad / Flickr
Dovetail Brewery Chicago
Held each Saturday, 90-minute tours of Dovetail Brewery in Chicago include some rather unique experiences, like a water tasting (beer is 95 percent water) and a look at lambic production. Each tour includes three beer samples in the tap room. Photo courtesy of Kurman Communications, Inc. / Flickr
Port City Brewing Alexandria, Va.
Beer lovers get a behind-the-scenes look at Port City Brewing during tasting tours of the Alexandria facilities. Tours uncover the history and science of beer brewing and culminate in a flight tasting of six different Port City beers. Photo courtesy of Port City Brewing
Allagash Brewing Company Portland, Maine
Free hour-long tours of Allagash Brewing Company in Portland take visitors through the brewing and bottling facilities for a behind-the-scenes look at how the beer is made (with samples along the way). A more in-depth Grand Cru Tour invites a small group of beer lovers to take part in the process while learning more about quality control, tasting and packaging. Allagash's tasting room pours brewery-only releases. Photo courtesy of Allagash Brewing Company
Great Lakes Brewing Company Cleveland
The beer history of both Great Lakes Brewing and the city of Cleveland come alive during hour-long tours of the production facilities, beer in hand. Before entering the production brewery, visitors can explore the company's history through interactive kiosks in the new Beer Symposium. Photo courtesy of Great Lakes Brewing Company
Tröegs Independent Brewing Hershey, Penn.
Visitors in Hershey can choose between two tour options at Tröegs Independent Brewing, a free self-guided tour through the heart of the brewery or a guided production tour. The latter includes a behind-the-scenes look at the wood-aging cellar, mill room, hop cooler, brewhouse, fermentation cellar and packaging line. A welcome beer is included. Photo courtesy of Tröegs Independent Brewing
Samuel Adams Brewery and Tap Room Boston
Samuel Adams has long been a giant in the Boston beer scene, and visitors are invited to learn more about the history of the company and its famous Boston Lager during free 60-minute tours of the brewery. Photo courtesy of Samuel Adams
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico, Calif. & Mills River, N.C.
Sierra Nevada beer fans have the opportunity to tour brewing facilities in either California or North Carolina. During each 45-minute interactive tour, visitors trace the process from grain to bottle. Smell whole-cone hops, sample sugary wort and finished with a guided tasting of Sierra Nevada beers. Heritage, Beer Geek and Hop Head tours go further in depth. Photo courtesy of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton, Del.
The first-come, first-served free tours of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery offer a laid-back journey through the working brewhouse, cellars and bottling line for a chance to watch the magic happen. For beer lovers, grain to glass tours go into normally off-limits parts of the facilities, including cold storage, the grain handling room and the barrel-aging room. Photo courtesy of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
New Belgium Brewing Company Fort Collins, Colo. & Asheville, N.C.
Visitors to the New Belgium facilities in both Fort Collins and Asheville are in for a treat. Free 90-minute tours include beer sampling (of course) as well as stories of the brewery's history. After the tour, guests are invited to enjoy beers in the tasting room or grab a bite to eat from a rotating list of visiting food trucks. Photo courtesy of New Belgium Brewing Co.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Brewery Tour are as follows:
New Belgium Brewing Company - Fort Collins, Colo. & Asheville, N.C.
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Milton, Del.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - Chico, Calif. & Mills River, N.C.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Ruth Berman (Bon Beer Voyage), Gary Monterosso (What’s On Tap) and Jack Muldowney (The Hop Review) were chosen based on their knowledge and experience of the North American beer scene.
Congratulations to all these winning brewery tours!
Dr. Ruth Berman is the CEO and BBB (Brains Beyond... Read More
Dr. Ruth Berman is the CEO and BBB (Brains Beyond the Beer) of Bon Beer Voyage, an award-winning international beer tour company for Belgian and Craft Beer Enthusiasts. Bon Beer Voyage was created by Ruth and her husband, Mike Arra, as the beer lover’s casual but exclusive version of elite wine tours. They offer high quality, small group, gourmet beer vacations (Beercations) in the US and abroad; providing their guests with one-of-kind experiences, locally guided sightseeing, great food, brewery insider visits and beer tastings. Ruth is also a Certified Tour Director, Licensed Tour Guide and a Cicerone Program Certified Beer Server. She is member of the Pink Boots Society and the North American Guild of Beer Writers. While traveling, Ruth enjoys paintings watercolors of the breweries she visits.
Ruth Berman
Dr. Ruth Berman is the CEO and BBB (Brains Beyond the Beer) of Bon Beer Voyage, an award-winning international beer tour company for Belgian and Craft Beer Enthusiasts. Bon Beer Voyage was created by Ruth and her husband, Mike Arra, as the beer lover’s casual but exclusive version of elite wine tours. They offer high quality, small group, gourmet beer vacations (Beercations) in the US and abroad; providing their guests with one-of-kind experiences, locally guided sightseeing, great food, brewery insider visits and beer tastings. Ruth is also a Certified Tour Director, Licensed Tour Guide and a Cicerone Program Certified Beer Server. She is member of the Pink Boots Society and the North American Guild of Beer Writers. While traveling, Ruth enjoys paintings watercolors of the breweries she visits.
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is the host of the popular television show, What’s On Tap. He is the author of the book, Artisan Beers and has appeared on many television programs discussing craft beers, including guest appearances on BBC radio offering an American perspective on the beverage and on CBS News New York offering fall beer recommendations. In 2014, Gary was selected by Chilled Magazine to be a member of the “Chilled 100,” signifying him as one of the top 100 beverage personalities in the United States.
Gary Monterosso
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is the host of the popular television show, What’s On Tap. He is the author of the book, Artisan Beers and has appeared on many television programs discussing craft beers, including guest appearances on BBC radio offering an American perspective on the beverage and on CBS News New York offering fall beer recommendations. In 2014, Gary was selected by Chilled Magazine to be a member of the “Chilled 100,” signifying him as one of the top 100 beverage personalities in the United States.
Jack Muldowney
Focusing on long-form editorial style content and... Read More
Focusing on long-form editorial style content and aesthetic, The Hop Review aims to deliver the industry’s best stories–with an approachability to beer enthusiasts of all types. Since inception in 2012, THR has been fortunate to sit down with some of beer’s best brewers, shop owners, distributors and brand managers from Chicago, the Midwest and around the globe. As a co-founder of The Hop Review, Jack Muldowney has carried over his eye for the carefully-branded, from his full time career as a designer. He prefers beers of the 'pale' variety and credits Chicago for changing his perception as to what makes a great brew.
Jack Muldowney
Focusing on long-form editorial style content and aesthetic, The Hop Review aims to deliver the industry’s best stories–with an approachability to beer enthusiasts of all types. Since inception in 2012, THR has been fortunate to sit down with some of beer’s best brewers, shop owners, distributors and brand managers from Chicago, the Midwest and around the globe. As a co-founder of The Hop Review, Jack Muldowney has carried over his eye for the carefully-branded, from his full time career as a designer. He prefers beers of the 'pale' variety and credits Chicago for changing his perception as to what makes a great brew.
