Tours are held about every hour or so during the afternoons on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but don’t worry if your visit doesn’t align with a free tour. There’s a pretty decent self-guided tour where you can check out pretty much everyone else sees on the guided tour. A short couple of videos explain the history of the brewery as well as how they give back to the community. You’ll continue to make your way through black-light filled hallways while checking out beers and promos from the past before making your way up to the factory.
Huge windows show off the brewery process, and funny and colorful signs explain what each station and machine is responsible for. We were especially fond to see the “Stupendous Sticker Licker” in action. There were plenty of ales, stouts, and lagers all wrapped up warm and snug ready for shipment, and of course there was a pretty decent aroma of yeast and malt filling the air.
Once done with the tour you’re free to imbibe your share of free samples. We think we were allowed to have four each, and with eight different beers on tap that was plenty for a couple of us to share. The company’s favorite #9 was available, along with a few brewery only options like Juniper Rye and Single Chair. There were even some pretzels to help you cleanse your palette—or just munch on—between samples. The bartenders were super friendly and easy going—a welcome surprise—as we usually find the brewery tour folks less than friendly.
Visiting is totally free, but that’s only if you can resist the mountains of memorabilia that’s available for sale. There’s shirts, stuff for your dog, glasses, posters, signs, growlers, and even Frisbees. The stuff here is pretty nifty, but it’s also pretty pricey. Shirts are not quite as expensive as those offered at a concert, but let's just say one shirt was at least the equivalent of a couple 12-packs. All in all it’s nice to pickup a little something to commemorate your visit, but we’d recommend skipping the clothing in favor of some to-go beer. We’ll definitely be taking our own advice the next time we find ourselves in the area.
[Photos: Jaunted]
