USA TODAY 10Best
America's best brewery tour? Head to Tröegs Independent Brewing
Best Brewery Tour (2020)
The only thing better than sipping a pint of your favorite brew is getting a behind-the-scenes look at where it's made.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Brewery Tour are as follows:
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - Chico, Calif. and Asheville, N.C.
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Milton, Del.
- Samuel Adams - Boston
- Stone Brewing - Escondido, Calif. or Richmond, Va.
- Yards Brewing Co. - Philadelphia
- Boulevard Brewing Company - Kansas City, Mo.
- New Belgium Brewing - Fort Collins, Colo. & Asheville, N.C.
- Guinness Open Gate Brewery - Baltimore
- Bell's Brewery - Comstock, Mich.
- Tröegs Independent Brewing - Hershey, Penn.
Photo courtesy of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
No. 10:
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 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
No. 9:
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 Samuel Adams
No. 8:
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. After hours tours let guests see the facilities with a cold one in hand. Other themed tours focus on the brewery’s history and barrel aging program.
Photo courtesy of Stone Brewing
No. 7:
San Diego's king of craft beer offers public tours of both its flagship or Richmond production facilities. Beer experts lead visitors through the brewing facility and packaging hall while offering insight into the science of brewing and craft beer culture. Tours end with a tasting and include a souvenir glass.
Photo courtesy of Yards Brewing Co.
No. 6:
A tour of Yards gives beer lovers an inside look at how one of Philadelphia’s most popular beers is made. These humorous (and entirely wheelchair accessible) tours take guests through the production facilities, with tastings along the way and last about 40 minutes.
Photo courtesy of Boulevard Brewing Company
No. 5:
Tours of Boulevard Brewing Co. are offered daily throughout the year (free on Wednesdays). These 45-minute trips through the facilities include a walking tour of the brewery, followed by samples in the tasting room. Those looking for a more in-depth experience can sign up for a two-hour Smokestack Tour & Tasting with food and beer pairings or a weekend Unfiltered Tour to areas often off-limits to visitors.
Photo courtesy of New Belgium Brewing Company
No. 4:
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 Guinness Open Gate Brewery
No. 3:
You don’t have to fly to Dublin for a behind-the-scenes Guinness experience, thanks to the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore. Hour long tours of the facility cover Guinness heritage while offering a glimpse at how the iconic stout is made today, stateside. Each tour includes a complimentary keepsake.
Photo courtesy of Bell's Brewery
No. 2:
Bell’s, one of the oldest craft breweries east of Colorado, started out with a 15-gallon soup pot in 1985. Today, visitors can tour the facilities free of charge at both the Comstock and Kalamazoo locations to learn more about the processes of brewing, fermentation and packaging. Tours include complimentary samples.
Photo courtesy of Tröegs Independent Brewing
No. 1:
Visitors in Hershey can choose between three tour options at Tröegs Independent Brewing, a free self-guided tour through the heart of the brewery, a guided production tour or a Splinter Tour exploring the brewery's barrel-aging program. The popular production tour 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.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning breweries!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Dennis Malcolm "Ale" Sharpton
Dennis Malcolm Byron aka Ale Sharpton is a... Read More
Dennis Malcolm Byron aka Ale Sharpton is a world-renowned beer authority, award-winning journalist, blogger (AleSharpton.com), photographer, event planner, host, speaker and beer judge to name a few of his roles. While passionately traveling the globe to cover everything from automobiles to culinary scenes, celebrity profiles, sports, hotel destinations, art, and what he terms “the world’s best beverage,” Ale has contributed to more than 30 magazines and websites combined. His current media outlets include USAToday, Thrillist.com, Craft Beer & Brewing, CraftBeer.com, Theinfatuation.com, ButterATL.com, James Beard Foundation, Atlanta Magazine, and others. Along with being featured in various publications, on the web, radio, podcasts, television, beer fests, conferences, and ongoing Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’ video series, Ale utilizes his Cornell University School of Hotel Administration education and vast work experience to consult in the culinary industry as well. Forbes, Smithsonian Institution, UNTAPPD, Good Beer Hunting, and numerous others have showcased Ale’s accomplishments. In a collaboration going on six years with brewing giant New Belgium, Ale has produced a beer he conceptualized called Piano Keys—a chocolate vanilla imperial stout—geared to support diversity and racial equality. This project with New Belgium also spawned his initiative, BrewGether, which raises funds to support nonprofits embracing the same mission as Piano Keys. Ale proudly owns AllWays Open Creative Solutions, an agency specializing in creative direction, logo design, branding, web design, video production, photography, consulting, and social media. Although a native New Yorker, Ale proudly calls Atlanta his home. Follow Ale’s globetrotting adventures on his captivating Instagram (@realalesharpton).
Dennis Malcolm "Ale" Sharpton
Dennis Malcolm Byron aka Ale Sharpton is a world-renowned beer authority, award-winning journalist, blogger (AleSharpton.com), photographer, event planner, host, speaker and beer judge to name a few of his roles. While passionately traveling the globe to cover everything from automobiles to culinary scenes, celebrity profiles, sports, hotel destinations, art, and what he terms “the world’s best beverage,” Ale has contributed to more than 30 magazines and websites combined. His current media outlets include USAToday, Thrillist.com, Craft Beer & Brewing, CraftBeer.com, Theinfatuation.com, ButterATL.com, James Beard Foundation, Atlanta Magazine, and others. Along with being featured in various publications, on the web, radio, podcasts, television, beer fests, conferences, and ongoing Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’ video series, Ale utilizes his Cornell University School of Hotel Administration education and vast work experience to consult in the culinary industry as well. Forbes, Smithsonian Institution, UNTAPPD, Good Beer Hunting, and numerous others have showcased Ale’s accomplishments. In a collaboration going on six years with brewing giant New Belgium, Ale has produced a beer he conceptualized called Piano Keys—a chocolate vanilla imperial stout—geared to support diversity and racial equality. This project with New Belgium also spawned his initiative, BrewGether, which raises funds to support nonprofits embracing the same mission as Piano Keys. Ale proudly owns AllWays Open Creative Solutions, an agency specializing in creative direction, logo design, branding, web design, video production, photography, consulting, and social media. Although a native New Yorker, Ale proudly calls Atlanta his home. Follow Ale’s globetrotting adventures on his captivating Instagram (@realalesharpton).
Gary Monterosso
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who... Read More
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is a regular guest on “You Oughta Know,” on WHYY-TV, a PBS station based in Philadelphia. Gary also hosts one-minute beverage updates on several southern NJ radio stations. From 2010-2017, he was seen on the History Channel show called “The Epic History of Everyday Things.” He is the author of the book, “Artisan Beers.” After a 41-year career as a NJ- based educator, Gary now teaches beer appreciation classes at Wilmington University. Gary has appeared on many television programs discussing craft beers and has guested on BBC radio offering an American perspective on the beverage. In late 2014, he lent his expertise to CBS News New York, by offering fall beer recommendations. One of the highlights of his career was a three-year stint on the Sirius Satellite Radio network, talking about the latest happenings in the beer world. 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. He continues to be a fixture at regional beer events by hosting dinners and tasting seminars. He has qualified as a Certified Beer Server, a part of the Cicerone Certification Program, recognizing his knowledge of beer styles, culture, the brewing process and ingredients.
Gary Monterosso
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is a regular guest on “You Oughta Know,” on WHYY-TV, a PBS station based in Philadelphia. Gary also hosts one-minute beverage updates on several southern NJ radio stations. From 2010-2017, he was seen on the History Channel show called “The Epic History of Everyday Things.” He is the author of the book, “Artisan Beers.” After a 41-year career as a NJ- based educator, Gary now teaches beer appreciation classes at Wilmington University. Gary has appeared on many television programs discussing craft beers and has guested on BBC radio offering an American perspective on the beverage. In late 2014, he lent his expertise to CBS News New York, by offering fall beer recommendations. One of the highlights of his career was a three-year stint on the Sirius Satellite Radio network, talking about the latest happenings in the beer world. 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. He continues to be a fixture at regional beer events by hosting dinners and tasting seminars. He has qualified as a Certified Beer Server, a part of the Cicerone Certification Program, recognizing his knowledge of beer styles, culture, the brewing process and ingredients.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
