My name is Matt Osmundsen and I am your brewery tour guide. I have toured many breweries across America and want to share my beer-fueled experiences. Follow @brewerytourist !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
Revolution has a lot of meanings and that part of why we picked it, because it is fairly open-ended and people can make of it what they want. It's a tribute to the people power that has built the craft beer movement and also and ode to people standing up for what they believe in a more general sense.
Josh Deth, Managing Partner of Revolution Brewing
During my years in Chicago, I had the pleasure of drinking many of Revolution's delicious offerings. I also visited their brewpub for a birthday dinner and distinctly remember their special brand of popcorn. Revolution also has very cool taps featuring a giant fist. Hard to miss at the bar!
Why It's Named ... is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
The heart of your question looks back to one man--Ken Grossman the founder of the brewery. Ken grew up in Southern California and always had a passion for the outdoors. He was an avid cyclist, hiker, mountaineer and backpacker and would often take extended hiking and camping trips into the Sierra Nevada Mountains which run most of the way down the eastern edge of California. Ken loved the mountains so much, he skipped his high school graduation to go camping with some friends up in the hills, much to his mother's chagrin!
Ken learned to homebrew at an early age and his passion for brewing beer mirrored his passion for the outdoors. He moved from Southern California to the small town of Chico in the mid 70s and found the town's location at the base of the Sierras to be one of the best features of this easy-going Northern California hamlet.
As Ken was dreaming of starting brewery, he would take long camping trips and hikes in the nearby mountains and it was there that he landed on the idea to name the future fledgling brewery after his favorite spot.
Bill Manley, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Sierra Nevada is located in Chico, California. I have not visited myself, but I have had countless Sierra Nevada Pale Ales. When no local craft brews are available, it has saved me from settling for blander options, most recently at BB's Jazz, Blues, and Soups music club here in St. Louis. Thanks for looking out for me, Sierra Nevada!
Why It's Named ... is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
Founded by Larry Bell in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Bellâs Brewery, Inc. sold its first beer in September 1985. Beer was initially brewed in a 15-gallon soup kettle and the company has grown remarkably from its production of 135 barrels (1 bbl = 31 gal.) in 1986 to a capacity of more than 500,000 barrels today.
Bellâs Brewery Inc. official website
Simple enough explanation. Bellâs Two Hearted Ale may be my favorite overall beer. Smooth, well-balanced with just the right amount of bite. You really canât go wrong ordering one. Bellâs is surely the pride and joy of Kalamazoo.
Why Itâs Named âŚÂ is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
In honor of National Coffee Day, I finally cracked open my bottle of Big Red Tugboat, a limited edition beer born out of a collaboration between Tugboat Coffee Roasters and RAM Brewery. Tugboat Coffee is headquartered in Addison, Illinois and is helmed by Erik Barkley. Since I'm a customer and friend of Tugboat, Erik generously gave me a bottle of this special brew to try. And I'm very glad he did. Big Red Tugboat is not a stout like you'd expect, but instead a coffee-infused IPA with an IBU of 65. The slight hoppiness gently balances the coffee flavors. Very drinkable. I just wish I had more! Beautiful label too with custom artwork. And topped off with a classy wax-sealed bottle cap.
Barry-Wehmiller Container Systems sells highly-engineered equipment that facilitates packaging. One of their areas of focus is breweries. This really interesting video showcases one of their installations in the very well-known Colorado-based brewery, Oskar Blues. Check it out!
The name "Rock Bottom Brewery" came into being when the founders of our company and the construction team were all sitting around (I don't know if they were literally sitting around, but that's the story I heard) in their new restaurant location on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, wondering what to call it. The space was located at the garden level (meaning: halfway below ground) of Denver's then-Prudential Insurance building. Prudential uses the phrase "the Rock" in their marketing campaigns even to this day because their corporate logo features the Rock of Gibraltar, and back then it put our new restaurant concept smack dab at... the bottom of The Rock. Rock Bottom.
Rae Hazen, Office Administration & Other Stuff at CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc.
Rock Bottom may have started in Denver, but now has at least thirty brewpubs all over the United States. In 2010, Rock Bottom was purchased by CraftWorks along with the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group. Back in Chicago, I used to frequent their brewpub on Grand Ave. Tons of pool tables and tasty beers to choose from.
Why It's Named ... is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
Written by Heidi Osmundsen with John Hueseman (toured by John)
Lakeland, FL -- We are living in a unique time for beer enthusiasts and craft brewers alike. In recent history the âbig boxâ brewers owned the market, but home brewers and smaller craft brewing operations are slowly winning over the palettes of Americaâs beer-drinking masses. In order to help these craft brewers stay competitive while growing their business, the owners of Brew Hub came up with a novel concept for partner brewing. I had the opportunity to visit their flagship location in Lakeland, Florida in January 2015 to learn about partner brewing and how Brew Hub is paving the way for craft brewers around the country.
Partner brewing is a process that allows craft breweries not only to brew their beer to exact specifications under the supervision of their own brewmaster, but also to package and distribute directly from the Brew Hubbrewery. Brew Hub also makes their beer available for export to international markets. Therefore, the services that Brew Hub provides are incredibly helpful to craft brewers, ranging from: full brewing, packaging, distribution and selling services for craft breweries that are capacity-, geographically-, or financially-constrained. Brew Hub plans to open five breweries throughout the country that will cater to up-and-coming craft breweries. The next location scheduled to open is in the St. Louis, Missouri suburb of Chesterfield. Brew Hub also is looking at the north East Coast and two other sites.
In addition to offering partner brewing services to craft brewers, Brew Hub also caters to beer enthusiasts by offering free tours and complimentary samples in their Tasting Room. Their Lakeland location opened in the fall of 2014. Located between Orlando and Tampa, itâs an excellent spot to take a side trip if youâre in the area or want to grab a bite to eat outside of the mega theme parks and other attractions.
Brew Hubâs Lakeland facility is able to brew 40,000 gallons of beer per day, which translates to 75,000 barrels or one million cases annually. All of Brew Hubâs future breweries will be similar in size, initially. However, they will be able to expand brewing capacity as demand increases.
An onsite brew master maintains all of the craft brewing operations and can remotely access the process through state-of-the-art, numerically controlled computer programs. In addition, the operation has a centrifuge machine, which is not common at most craft brewing facilities but allows for more refined filtering and the removal of sediments in certain brews.
Brew Hubâs Lakeland location has a 7,000 square foot cooler in which to store the finished products. Currently they are able to package onsite into cans and kegs, and they will offer bottling onsite in the near future.
The Tasting Room offers a full menu and samples of the different beers they are currently brewing, including partner brews as well as their own brands. While in Florida, I had the opportunity to sample five of their current selection: Diver Down IPA, Key Billy Island Ale, Keegan Bradley New England style lager, Freddieâs Scandinavian style blonde ale, and g-Macâs Celtic style pale ale. Diver Down and Key Billy Island are two of Brew Hubâs proprietary offerings, and the latter three beers are part of Brew Hubâs licensing collaboration with the Golf Beer Brewing Co. The Golf Beer Brewing Co licenses brews with professional golfers Keegan Bradley, Freddie Jacobson and Graham McDowell, which are then produced onsite at Brew Hub. I also really enjoyed the Green Man Porter from Green Man Brewery.
With its entrepreneurial roots in partner brewing fine craft beers, the Brew Hub offers house-made beverages, a laid-back atmosphere and good food for your next gathering. Make sure to stop by, take a tour, and grab a beer and a bite the next time youâre out and about in central Florida. In addition, Brew Hub has a gift shop with different merchandise for sale like this hat! The restaurant area is a fun, enjoyable, casual place to eat and enjoy the large variety of craft beers that are brewed there. They have overflow to an outside patio, too. There is a lot "hopping" at Brew Hub besides the hops in their great brews!
Vitals
Cost: Free
Reservations: Call or e-mail in advance to schedule a tour: http://brewhub.com/contact/
Free Beer: Samples of their 12 beers on tap are are available in the Tasting Room.
Food: Brew Hub offers a full menu of snacks, salads, sandwiches and other items in their Tasting Room restaurant.
Official Website: Visit for hours and contact info: http://brewhub.com/tasting-room
Merchandise: Brew Hub souvenirs, including hats and pint glasses are available in their Tasting Room shop.
Tip: Parking is free in the parking lot in front of the building.
Freising, Germany â While concluding a recent trip to Europe, I had to stay an extra day at the Munich International Airport to fly back home to St. Louis the next morning. Not wanting to waste my time in one of the worldâs greatest beer cities, I googled for a brewery nearby to visit and the Weihenstephan Brewery popped up first in the search results.
Weihenstephanâs claim to fame is that itâs the oldest brewery in the world. Built in 1040 by monks, it is now nearly a thousand years old. In 1921, the brewery was given its official name, the Bavarian State Brewery of Weihenstephan, but now also goes by Weihenstephaner. Since 1923, it has used the Great Seal of the Bavarian State as its corporate logo.
Weihenstephan Brewery is located just 10 miles away (15 minute drive) from the airport in Freising (pronounced fry-sing). My German friend Max and his girlfriend picked me up from my hotel and we headed to the brewery for dinner. Freising is a cute little town with shops and restaurants located along the Isar River. Munich Technical University also calls Freising home.
We walked up a cobblestone stairway to the brewery, which was beautifully lit up at night. Inside were several unique dining rooms: some small and cozy, some large and rowdy, but all perfectly suited for drinking beer. In the hallway were a couple of souvenir store display case featuring mugs and glasses from tiny to huge, logoed clothing and anything else you can think of.
The friendly staff sat us in the corner of a traditional German-style beer hall. We quickly ordered a few hefeweizens, the breweryâs most popular offering. Served in beautiful tall glasses, we clinked glasses, said âProst!â, and took our first delicious sips.
I had yet to satisfy my schnitzel fix on this trip, so that was an easy dinner choice. While waiting for my meal, we all caught up and nibbled on the free pretzels on the table. Max told me about his favorite beers, Maria taught me a little German (she speaks English and Greek too!), and I shared my amateur thoughts on baseball, American football, hockey and ârealâ football.
The schnitzel was glistening as it was served to me. It was as tasty as it looked. We ordered a couple more beers to wash it down. And, since Max says all good things come in threes, we had to order a third hefeweizen. And after finishing our beers, I think I agree with him.
Since Weihenstephan only offers brewery tours on weekdays, I had to miss out this time. But they offer them three times a week. More details below. Seems like a good tour!
Looking back, I am really glad I made the side trip to Weihenstephan brewery and would recommend it to people traveling to Munich. (Special thank you to Max and Maria for the ride and the beers.) Keep up the great work, Weihenstephan. Hereâs to another thousand years of brewing!
Cost for Guided Tour (duration 60-70 min): 6 ⏠incl. 2 ⏠voucher for the Weihenstephaner beverage shop (beverages & advertising media)
Cost for Guided Tour incl. Beer Tasting Session (duration approx. 120 min): 9 ⏠incl. pretzel and 2 ⏠voucher for the Weihenstephaner beverage shop and a wheat beer glass 0,1l as a gift
Reservations: Register online. Mondays at 10am, Tuesdays at 10am, and 1:30pm
Wednesdays: 10.00 a.m.
Official Website:Â Visit for hours and contact info
Google Page:Â Visit for directions and reviews
Merchandise: Various items available for purchase near the dining rooms.
Bonus Tips: If you ever find yourself staying overnight at the Munich airport, you should also check out the Airbrau brewery and restaurant and the Audi Showroom, both located right in the airport in the square by Terminal 1. The Airbrau features a beer garden and even brews their own beer on site. They offer tours, but only for parties of three or more scheduled in advance. It is free to ogle and sit in the fancy cars at the Audi Showroom. They also had a Leica camera exhibit and a nice gift shop.
I was very lucky to be invited to a global company meeting in the breathtaking Austrian Alps. On the final day, we skied together and enjoyed lunch halfway up the mountain. I enjoyed a really tasty unfiltered Stiegel weisse (wheat) beer with my schweinebraten and dumplings. Great skiing fuel!
Then, one night when Steve and I were having a planning session--doing spreadsheets, figuring out cash flow, that sort of stuff--I saw the word stone written on something and said, 'Hey how about Stone Brewing?' ...Silence. Sweet silence.
It felt perfect. After all, he didn't say no right away! But seriously, it stuck. It worked for our purposes. A stone is small. A stone is solid. A stone is natural. I think we liked it because it was so simple.
The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance
Stone Brewing Co. produces their infamously named Arrogrant Bastard Ale in Escondido, California. Regarding their gargoyle mascot featured on their labels, co-founder Greg Koch wrote in the book "We'd decided we wanted a gargoyle. It seemed like a natural fit, as it had a very traditional European motif, and we'd initially planned on brewing traditional European beers. (Ha!) Beyond that, it was made of stone, and gargoyles were seen as protectors. I liked how much of our philosophy it expressed: the gargoyle warding off the modern-day evil spirits of chemical additives, cheap adjuncts, and pasteurization." Their logo was designed by a local graphic artist by the name of Tom Mathews.
Why It's Named ... is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
Sitting Front Row at Six Row in St. Louis CityÂÂ
Written by Heidi Osmundsen in May 2013
Saint Louis, MO â In a city known for its brewing history, Six Row Brewing Company is quietly making a name for itself as an up-and-coming craft brewery. Nestled along Forest Park Avenue in Midtown and close to Saint Louis University, Six Row is a cozy neighborhood brewery with great food and games.
Photo courtesy of Six Row Brewing Company
Since moving to St. Louis, The Brewery Tourist and I are slowly making the rounds to try the different local brewing establishments. For his 31st birthday, I organized a brewery tour at Six Row for us and our extended family. While Six Row does not advertise guided tours, they were more than willing to accommodate us when I sent an email with our request.
While Six Row is relatively young in beer years, its foundation is rooted in brewing history. The owners purchased the building that originally housed Falstaff Brewing Corporation. Constructed in 1909, it was Falstaff's first brewery complex in St. Louis. Two-thirds of the original plant design remains largely intact but unfortunately one of the warehouses and the brewhouse were lost to a fire in 1987.
On a rainy April Saturday, we arrived at Six Row for our 4 oâclock tour. We were greeted by our tour guide, Assistant Brewer, Joe Escher. Joe has been working at Six Row for the past two years and encouraged all of us to get a beer to quench our thirst during the tour. Joe gave us an introduction to the brewery and an overview of its history before leading us down to the brewing cellar where he says âthe chemistry happens, not where the magic happens.â
In the brewing cellar Joe gave us an overview of the Six Row brewing process. According to Joe, â90 percent of brewing is cleaning.â Six Row obviously keeps a clean shop, and we learned that each tank is thoroughly cleaned between brewing batches. Six Row currently brews between three to eight batches of beer per week. The brewery creates 217 gallons of beer at a time and an average brewing day takes about six hours.
Six Row Brewing Company got its unique name for a combination of reasons. They are owned by six people, and sometimes use six-row malted barley in their beers. According to our guide, there are two types of barley used in brewing. According to Joe, two-row barley is traditionally used by craft brewers, and then six-row barley is used by Six Row as well as some of the other large brewers in North America.
Six Row offers between 10-20 different types of beer on tap in their brew pub at all times. My favorite was their Russian Imperial Stout, a sweet beer with a malty flavor that did not feel heavy. An added bonus: They brew their stout year-round, so you can enjoy it no matter what the season. I really wanted to try their porter, but they were sold out the day we visited.
Our groupâs unanimous favorite was Six Rowâs Whale beer. The Whale Wheat Ale is brewed with a collection of 10 malts, everything from wheat to pale to crystal to aromatic to six-row barley. Itâs a delicious and refreshing choice if you find yourself at Six Row sometime soon. With the spring-like weather on the day of our visit, we also enjoyed their Strawberry Honey Weizen. This beer is designed to give you just a hint of fruit followed by traditional German wheat beer breadiness. Delicious!
After the tour, our group headed back inside the Old Plant No.1 Pub building for more brews and appetizers, including nachos and barbeque chicken flatbread. Six Row offers a full dinner menu and plenty of indoor seating. They had the St. Louis Cardinals baseball game on while we were there and their second floor game room was open with darts, shuffleboard and other board games for guests to play.
If you enjoy your time at Six Row, itâs worthwhile to pick up a six-pack at one of the local St. Louis grocery or liquor stores as they only distribute in Missouri and Illinois. They also offer kegs and growlers for purchase at their brewpub location.
Six Row is a relaxed brewery that offers delicious, house-made brews, a cozy atmosphere and good food for your next gathering. Make sure to stop by, grab a beer and a bite, and enjoy the atmosphere the next time youâre near downtown St. Louis. Â
Vitals
Cost: Free
Reservations: Call or e-mail in advance to schedule a tour. Formal tours are not currently offered.
Free Beer: Samples of their beers are available from their bartender, if you ask nicely, before choosing your pint to purchase.
Extras: None
Official Website: Visit for hours and contact info
Google Page: Visit for directions and reviews
Merchandise: Six Row t-shirts and polo shirts are available for purchase from the bar.
Tip: Parking is free in the parking lot behind the building.
The name is our take on a family named brewery. My last name is Lemp, so I couldn't have a Lemp brewery. The Lemp Brewery was the largest brewery prior to Prohibition. We are not related to that Lemp family, but share a last name. So, the 4 Hands represents my wife, our two sons, and myself.
Kevin Lemp, Founder of 4 Hands Brewing Co.
4 Hands hails from my hometown of St. Louis and I'm lucky enough to know some of the financial backers. My wife and her family attended an event at the brewery and wrote about their experience. (P.S. 4 Hands' Reprise Centennial Red Ales is one of my favorites.)
Why It's Named ... is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
One-legend goes that Geddes, on a routine jaunt from here to there, was stopped by Jamaican Police (whose uniform, it must be noted, featured a red stripe running down the side) for a routine check. Just then, a voice rang out from the brew house, "Boss, we need a name for this ale?" Geddes paused, glanced at the officer, and without much in the way of deliberation decided on the brew's name.
Story#2 -- a tale with every bit as much credence as the previous one, gives credit to Eugene Desnoes. Shortly after he and Geddes brewed their first batch of ale. Desnoes won a 10,000 pound prize in something called a "Green Stripe" Sweepstakes. History does not afford us into whether or not Desnoes was a superstitious man, but it does suggest he decided to keep his good luck rolling by naming his beer for the new benefactor.
So, one way of another, Red Stripe gained a name and business boomed.
Red Stripe Consumer Representative
Famous for their stout bottle with the bold look, Red Stripe definitely exhibits the free spirit of Kingston, Jamaica. Learn more about the beer and the company on their official website.
Why It's Named ... is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
Koval Distillery: An Intriguing Look at the Similarities between Beer and Whiskey
Written by Heidi Osmundsen (Edited by Kelly Hueseman)
Chicago, IL --Â Always in search of a new adventure in our favorite city, the Brewery Tourist and I headed to the north side of Chicago in January 2012 for a distillery tour and whiskey tasting in honor of our buddy Blakeâs 30th birthday. Koval Distillery is located in the Ravenswood neighborhood and as the first boutique distillery in the city of Chicago, Koval produces all organic products, including handcrafted white whiskey, aged whiskey, eaux de vie, liqueurs and vodka.
Established in 2008, Koval is the first craft distillery within Chicago's city limits since Prohibition, and was opened by Robert and Sonat Birnecker who gave up their academic careers to start their own business and continue the familyâs distilling traditions. The distillery name comes from the Yiddish word for âblack sheepâ, which was the nickname for Robertâs grandfather who emigrated from Austria to Chicago in the 1800s. Koval sources all of its grains, fruits, herbs and flowers from the surrounding Midwest region, and they make all of their spirits in-house, entirely from scratch -- from mashing to distilling, bottling to boxing. In addition, Sonatâs mother contributes to the family business by designing all of the product labels.
Currently the distillery produces five versions of white whiskey, seven liqueurs, and two fruit brandies also known as eaux de vie. In addition, they distill organic rye vodka and a classic German spirit bierbrand, which uses their neighboring breweryâs Metropolitan Dynamo Copper Lager to create the beer schnapps with a strong nose of hops and barley.
I didnât know anything about whiskey and the distilling process prior to our visit, so it was interesting to learn about the various grains that are used in distillation: rye (most common and dates back to colonial times), apples (old ingredient used to make Apple Jack Liquor), wheat, oat, spelt (similar to wheat, and Koval is the only US distillery to use this unique ingredient), and millet (a relatively unknown, gluten-free grain from a family of grasses grown in Asia and South Africa).
According to our tour guide, all whiskeys are made in a single-barrel, so the colors and flavors will vary by batch. Koval uses two types of barrels: a light barrel for their regular whiskeys and a charred barrel for their darker versions.
When creating the whiskey and brandies, Koval uses a custom-built Kothe Potstill, which was handcrafted in Germany by the company Kothe Destillationstechnik. Kovalâs potstill has an elongated whiskey helmet, a special distillation column and a unique bubblecap construction that provides greater surface area for the spirits to develop aroma and flavor. The potstill was originally invented by Arabs who used a heating element at the bottom of the pot as part of the distillation process for 900 years. In the 19th century the column still was invented.
When preparing its whiskey, Koval distillers put in 300 liters of water to start, which produces 30 liters of distillate in three phases:
Heads: Toxic methanol is produced, which smells like nail polish remover.
Hearts: Ethanol alcohol is produced. Sweet smelling and used in their white whiskeys.
Tails: Leftover impurities.
On the day of our visit, we had the opportunity to tour the facility and taste multiple products. Our tour guide provided shot glasses for the tasting and a beaker of water to wash out our glasses in between sips. We started with two of the white whiskeys, Rye Chicago, which was peppery and floral, and American Oat, which was fruity and had a pear and fig taste to it. Next we moved onto the vodka, which is twice distilled and uses rye instead of potatoes. According to our tour guide, âAs they say in Russia, potato is for the peasants, rye is for the czar.â Next up we sampled the bier brand (my personal favorite since it is sourced from beer!) and then finished with their Raksi Millet, another white whiskey.
Currently the distillery operates with six full-time employees. Sonat is the President and Robert is the head distiller and CEO. Koval distributes their products throughout the following states: IL, WI, IN, MO, KY, TN, MA, NY, NJ, GA, LA, NM, CA, and CO -- plus Ontario, Canada. In the future they hope to expand to Japan, Australia and Europe. In addition Koval operates a small store onsite at their distillery if you wish to purchase a bottle of something you sample on the tour.
If you find yourself in the Chicagoland area, I would highly recommend this tour. The staff is very accommodating and knowledgeable, and itâs an added bonus to try so many different types of spirits. For Chicago residents, Koval offers opportunities for the community to get involved in their operations. For example, when they are making big batches of their ginger liqueur they will ask volunteers to come in and peel big batches of ginger, or help bottle and label the products!
Vitals:Â
Cost: $10.00Â for a 1-hour tour.
Reservations: Yes, sign up in advance online. Walk-ins are accepted but subject to availability as itâs a small space. (Private tours for parties of 10 or more are also available.)Â
Free Spirits: Yes, you will try multiple samples of whiskey and other products on the tour.Â
Extras: Koval offers two-hour whiskey workshops at various times throughout the year. The workshop features tastings of classic whiskeys and bourbons, plus new takes on the aged spirit, including whiskeys distilled from millet, straight barley, sorghum, and blue corn. Koval spirits are available for purchase in their distillery store, with a 20% discount honored the day of only for workshop attendees. Visit the Koval website to learn more.
Official Website: Visit for tour times, contact info, merchandise, and a full history of Koval Distillery.
Written by Heidi Osmundsen (Edited by Kelly Hueseman)
Maui, HI -- In June 2012 I married the Brewery Tourist himself in St. Louis, MO and we took off two days after our wedding for the sunny island of Maui, Hawaii. We were looking forward to relaxing in the sun, enjoying the Island and hitting up a local watering hole -- Maui Brewing Company!Â
The tasting room includes a welcoming bar with different varieties of the tropical townâs brews on tap along with a small selection of their merchandise.
We bellied up to the bar and tried a four-flight sampler. I tried the Bikini Blonde lager, Mana wheat, Coconut porter and Barefoot Brew, a golden ale made with local Maui honey (my fave!). Buck, the tasting room's bartender, has worked the taps for the past two-and-a-half years. He says his "favorite brew is the one in his hand" and that the best-selling beer on the mainland is their Coconut porter.
We finished our beers and then peaked into the brewery to check out the operations. Since we couldn't tour the facility, this was the next best thing.
Inside we saw their signature cans, both empty and full, stacked sky high. The workers also seemed to be in good spirits. Who wouldn't be working in Maui at a brewery? Finally, we snapped a few pictures and then purchased a six-pack sampler to take with us to the beach.
On our way to our next destination, we decided to stop at the Maui Brewing Company's brew pub for lunch. I ordered a 16-ounce Barefoot Brew to go with my lunch and my new husband had the Pau Hana Pils, a Czech style lager. The brew pub is located in an understated strip mall north of the brewery and tasting room along the Honoapiilani Highway just north of the Kaanapali resort area. It's a great place to cool off from the mid-day hot sun and enjoy some good pub food.
The remodeled brew pub opened in 2008 and the space is open with plenty of seating, TVs and lots of big tables for families or friends on group vacations. We ordered the island sliders with coconut porter barbecue sauce and rings of juicy pineapple. On the side we had pub potato salad. Fun fact, their ketchup has beer in it!
Maui Brewing Co. is committed to being environmentally friendly. They are believers in having strong sustainable practices, such as using cans to package their beers. Because the Hawaiian islands host millions of tourists annually, they feel it's imperative to keep their 120 miles of coastline, 30 miles of beaches, and other public areas free of broken glass. In addition, the brewery uses biodiesel, local farms and solar power for much of their energy and production needs.Â
This unique brewery should be admired for its commitment to the planet's well-being as well as to the local community. As the islanders say, "Okole Maluna" or "Bottoms up!"
Currently Maui Brewing Co. can be found in 11 of the United States, including: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington. They can also be found internationally in Denmark, England, Japan, Puerto Rico and Scotland.
Aloha!
Vitals:Â
Cost: $10.00Â
Reservations: Yes, you must call 808.661.6205 to make them. (Private tours also available for parties of 10 or more.)Â
Free Beer: Yes, you will sample approximately 6 beers on the tour (whatever is on tap at the time)
Extras: After the tour, you'll receive a flight of beer at the tasting room and a token good for a pint of beer at the brewpub.Â
Official Website: Visit for tour times, contact info, merchandise, and a full history of the Maui Brewing Co.
Google Page (brewery): Visit for directions and reviews
Google Page (brewpub):Â Visit for directions and reviews
Bonus Tip: Visit the brew pub to sample Maui Brewing Co.âs full menu. Food is not served at the tasting room.
