And as if you couldn't be any more awesome, I have a few suggestions more if you're feeling like you want to head out with your friends to tour another. As both a connoisseur of beer and patron to various breweries and a suds-slinger myself now and again, here I offer you a few thoughts to consider when you decide to head on out to your next one.
1.) Check out the brewery's webpage before you go.
Whether it's awesomely complex or very simply built, the website will tell you the basics you need to know, like their tasting hours, cost, policies and what you can expect when you visit. From what the brewery specializes in (IPAs? Sours? High-gravity?) to what they allow (dog friendly? smoking section? ample parking vs. valet, etc.), it's always helpful to know ahead of time what to expect. They do that because they want you to have the best time you can there. Plan your trip like you would any other outing with friends.
2.) Truly sample.
Remember that when you're going to a tasting room, you're doing just that: going to a *tasting room*. The point of doing brewery tours is not to get sloshed on beers (go to your local pub for that), but instead to taste different offerings that brewery has to offer. Step out of your comfort zone and try something you haven't before. Not into dark beers? Try one anyway. Why not? If you don't like it, at least you didn't pay $6 for an entire glass you don't like at the pub and have to pass it over to your friend to finish instead.
And who knows? You might just discover, after a few sips, that you like a variety you may have not liked prior to your visit. That's what tasting rooms are all about.
You know those bars where you can get flights of sample various beers at once as smaller versions? (Love those places!) Think of the brewery you're visiting as just like that, only all of the beers there are created from the same brewery. If you're a true brew connoisseur, it's fascinating in itself to see and smell and taste a range that a singular brewery might have the talent to create.
3.) Ask questions.
Breweries have killer staff who are very good at educating their volunteers about the beers you'll be tasting. If the place is new to you and you don't know where to start in sampling? Ask! Volunteers will point you in the right direction. They *want* you to ask those things! If you want to know the story behind the company, the logo you see, how it all got started? Ask that too! Folks in these places would love to tell you what they know....and if they can't answer, they'll point you down to #5 below. But first...
4.) But don't ask the impossible questions.
And there's only two. Don't ask for a "heavy pour" or complain that you're only getting the amount you are. Trust me: workers at breweries are not trying to cheat you. There are just laws in place that have to be followed. Remember #3 and that you're there for sampling and exploring and expanding your brew palate and not to get drunk. When you go to a brewery's tasting room, expect tastes -- much as you would in a winery, yes?
The second? Please don't ask your bartender if you can "taste it first in case I don't like it" before they pour your choice of beer. The whole point of being in a tasting room is to have a taste, and often the first sip will not be either what you expected or what you're used to drinking. Step back with your glass and sip on it a few times to challenge yourself that it might not be your taste of choice at first, but after a few sips, you might warm up to it. If not? You don't order it ever again. But if so? You just opened up a new variety of brew you never considered before.
5.) Take the tour!
If you're going to a tasting room that offers a brewery tour, take it! These folks are masters at what they do and they are happy to tell you about how the magic in your glass came to be. For those who like to home-brew, this is especially lovely. I've toured many breweries - in Atlanta, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Chicago, Louisville (I can go on and on) - and the number one consistency in them all is that brew masters are incredible about explaining their trade on their brewery tours. And it's because they love what they do and want to share it with you.
Trust me: there are no stupid questions here. And great tour guides will never make you feel that way either. They know they're the experts (it is their trade after all) and the fact that you want to learn how their establishment works and ask questions? It's wonderful. And appreciated.
6.) Tell your friends!
In our world that's now social media, share your experience. Post about how you didn't think you'd ever like an IPA (too hoppy, right?) but you found one you actually enjoy! Instagram pictures of you and your group having a nice time, sampling and discussing your thoughts on the beers you had. Write Yelp reviews -- whether good or bad -- about your time there. Trust me again when I say that breweries will read those reviews, even the negative ones (especially the negative ones!) and use your opinions to help make the experience better for others.
So yeah. You think you'd like to tour a brewery? If you haven't before, you now do, right? Wherever you live, go Google breweries in your local area and go on out and try something new, right? Do it. Support your local breweries, have fun and get some inside knowledge of a killer craft trade at the same time even.
And how awesome is that?
