Brewery Tour

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE

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2014-02-10 14.52.11     2014-02-10 12.48.48

 

I stopped in at the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware for a tour.  Dogfish Head has become quite a nationwide craft beer player.  Their brewery is a reflection of that.  It’s really large.  The tour was fun and informative.  We saw the entire production and bottling process.  One of the beers that stood out to me was the Palo Santo Marron which is brewed in wooden palo santo wood vessels from Paraguay.  The story behind the wood is something you’d have to visit the brewery to find out for yourself.  At the end of the tour the samples were plentiful and, of course, I tried the Palo Santo Marron which is a smooth dark beer with complex character.  I also tried the world wide stout, burton baton and 90 minute IPA.  I was so overjoyed that I bought four-packs of each to bring home.  I broke them into sets of one each and gave one set to each of three good friends.  I’ve made it through my set with the exception of the world wide stout which I’m aging for that perfect moment.  Cheers!

2014-02-10 14.52.55     2014-02-10 13.59.15

Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

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2013-12-19 19.10.29     2013-12-19 21.13.48

 

I stopped in at the Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick Maryland with my daughter for a tour.  We had a great time together learning about the entire brewing process.  Sharing this interest of mine with her has been a joy.  The tour was informative and quirky but would you expect anything less from Flying Dog?  The tour guide had numerous jokes and snide remarks to accompany the serious stuff.  And, of course, the tour concluded with tastings.  You know I had Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA, Snake Dog IPA and The Truth Double IPA.  All great IPA’s that I enjoy regularly.  I also had The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale and Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout which were great.  I would have tried everything on tap if they would have let me.  Of course, I took some beer home including In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen which was a gift for a family member.  As with many craft breweries, Flying Dog doesn’t take themselves too seriously.  Check this out…

2013-12-19 18.46.11

Raleigh Brewing Company, Raleigh, NC

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2013-11-14 19.48.30

 

I stopped with a group of work colleagues at the Raleigh Brewing Company in Raleigh, North Carolina.  We had arranged a brewery tour with the owner.  What an experience.  The owner and his wife started by hanging out in the tap room with us for an hour and sharing each and every beer on tap with us.  The House of Clay Rye IPA was very good, the Hidden Pipe Porter was very good, The Holiday Bash Spiced Winter Warmer was very good and the Miller’s Toll Imperial Oatmeal Stout was very good.  I recall all of the beers being very good but only noted those by name.  After our tasting, the owner took us into the brew house and gave us an hour long tour, sharing his experiences with the craft brewing industry.  Their business also includes a vibrant brewery supply business that covers the entire eastern seaboard.  If I were going to start a brewery, this is where I’d go for equipment.  The supply store also outfits homebrewers.  At the end of our tour we stopped back in the tap room for one last beer.  The tap room is a really cool space, semi-industrial and semi restaurant-feel.  It includes one good-sized private room for groups.  Although they do not serve food there are often food trucks in their parking lot.  Oh, and as we were leaving we purchased some growlers to bring back and share with co-workers.  A great time was had by all.

2013-11-14 18.03.27

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Chippewa Falls, WI

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2013-09-30 13.56.54     2013-09-30 13.56.27

I stopped in at the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, also known and Leinenkugel’s or Leinie’s in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.  I was fortunate to be able to take the tour of the brewery which proved to be a great experience in that we walked through every aspect of the brewing process.  Also, to some extent, it was like walking through time in that parts of the brewery date back to the 1800’s.  The tour is well worth the visit.  Several beer tastings are also incuded with the tour.  The beers I tasted at Leinenkugel’s were lagers which take longer to ferment than ales and often are considered more mellow than ales.  The Hoppin’ Helles was a tasty hoppy lager.  Leinenkugel’s Original is a standard, easy to drink lager that has stood the test of time.  The Red Lager is also a delicious beer with smooth caramel flavor and reddish color.  The beer serving area is located in Leinie Lodge which is a beautiful wood building that houses a rather large gift shop complete with countless logo clothing and merchandise items for sale.

2013-09-30 14.07.35

Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, ME

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I took the tour of the Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine.  The tour was fun and informative.  At the time they were putting a new brewing system into service in order to expand capacity.  The tour included a peek into the barrel room where we saw a number of experimental barrel aged beers.  I’d love to be on-hand when they tapped some of those.  Their flagship beer is Allagash White, a Belgian wheat beer brewed with coriander and orange peel.  It’ light, fruity and refreshing.  It’s not my go-to style of beer but I can enjoy it for what it is.  There were several inspirational quotes throughout the brewery.  The one that’s hard to read in the picture is, “Passion: Loving beer and doing what we love.”  The tasting room also had a great chandelier I had to take a picture of.

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New South Brewing, Myrtle Beach, SC

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2013-08-06 14.55.32

 

New South Brewing in Myrtle Beach South Carolina is so cool that I stopped twice, once in 2012 and once in 2013.  Both times I stopped with my family and enjoyed the tour.  During the tour the owner and brewer gave in depth descriptions of the entire operation.  And they also shared tastes of several beers along the way.  This is definitely a cool diversion during vacation in Myrtle Beach.  The White Ale is a Belgian wheat ale that is perfect for the beach – light and crisp.  The Nut Brown Ale is a rich malty and caramelly flavored beer which is a smooth and satisfying.  I’ve purchased numerous six-packs of both to bring home and enjoy and share with friends.  And, I look forward to future visits to Myrtle Beach and New South Brewing.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, CA

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2013-06-11 13.36.35     2013-06-11 19.46.00

I stopped in at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California with a good friend for a brewery tour.  Being one of the largest craft breweries in the U.S. and also one of the oldest it was quite a privilege to visit.  And, Chico, California is quite a drive from San Francisco, making the trip a very intentional commitment.  The tour was well worth the trip.  We saw the entire operation.  Sadly, I have very few pictures.  The one of the hops reminds me of the stickiness on my hands from handling them, but the smell was oh, so worth it.  We also enjoyed lunch in the taproom.  The turkey melt was delicious and it washed down smoothly with a Pale Ale.  I also enjoyed a No. 4’s Pale Ale to support Ales For ALS.  Another dear friend lost a family member to ALS, which has likely claimed a friend or family member of most folks these days.  I am glad the craft brew movement is supporting research into this disease.

2013-06-11 14.45.05

New Belgium Brewing Company, Fort Collins, CO

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2012-10-16 17.01.06     2012-10-16 17.30.53

I stopped in at the New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado for a tour which was a great experience.  We covered the entire process from beginning to end and even were given the chance to slide down the slide in the tasting room (I declined).  In the tasting room we sampled several beers.  Of course, like most folks, I tried the Fat Tire Amber Ale which is the flagship beer for New Belgium.  This beer never disappoints.  I also tried Ranger IPA and Rampart Imperial IPA.  Both of these are great beers and once I had tried them I noticed that they were available back home.  While in the tap room I purchased a bike bell for a co-worker.  The tap room is a cool place where people can gather and enjoy great beer.

I stopped back in at New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins,  Colorado.  Given the season I just had to try Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin.  Great spices in this beer.  Delicious and pretty strong.  A very enjoyable beer to warm me up on a cool evening.

Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, CA

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2012-10-09 20.44.43     2012-10-09 20.57.48

So, as it turns out, Stone Brewing Company in Escondido, California is the brewer of my favorite beer, Arrogant Bastard, which is a rich malty and hoppy combination that I love.  I have been fortunate to have enjoyed the tour at Stone Brewing Company and have tasted several of their other beers.  Ruination IPA is a treat and the Enjoy By series has been delicious as well.  The bistro is also a great place for a meal which I have enjoyed twice.

2017-10-02 13.51.38

Five years later and I’m back at Stone Brewing Company in Escondido, California.  My wife and I enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the outdoor section of the bistro.  One of the most delightful experiences we had during our trip to San Diego.  The Peruvian Style Chicken and Duck AL Pastor Tacos were delicious.  I paired this with a flight: Stone Pilot Scorpion Bowl IPA, Stone Pilot Merc Machine, Stone/NOFX Punk in Drublic Hoppy Lager, and Stone Richmond Ruination Double IPA.  All good selections.  With the heat of the food, the discreet flavors of the beers began to run together.  All were hop-forward.  I’d recommend a meal at the bistro and some beer to everyone in the area.

2017-10-02 14.27.40

Back at Stone Brewery World Bistro in Escondido, California with industry colleagues for dinner.  (3/27/18) Great duck tacos and the Tangerine Express IPA is delicious and paired perfectly – my favorite in the flight.  I brought in my old Stone mini-growler and had it filled with Tangerine Express IPA to enjoy with colleagues at lunch today.

2018-03-27 19.13.25

 

 

Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Houston, TX

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2012-09-27 15.55.00     2012-09-27 15.35.00

 

Saint Arnold is the patron saint of brewers.  How cool is that?  When I stopped in at the Saint Arnold Brewing Company in Houston, Texas, the tour that day was being given by none other than the owner, Brock Wagner.  How cool is that?  Wow!  Almost like meeting Saint Arnold, himself.  The tour was fabulous, covering the entire brewing process.  The beer tanks, see below, are all named.  And, the tour ended in the tasting room which is spacious enough for really large groups.  The Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower is a crisp summer beer and since my sons have a lawn business I just had to bring them home t-shirts.  Saint Arnold Endeavor Double IPA is my favorite, a strong and flavorful beer.

2012-09-27 16.47.30     2012-09-27 15.56.40

 

So, while in Houston I need to cover two other related items.  One evening I enjoyed the Saint Arnold Pumpkinator pumpkin ale with dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  It was a dinner package that ended with a pumpkin empanada.  What a great meal.  And, I was able to bring the special glass home with me.  Also, one other evening I enjoyed a Saint Arnold Bishops Barrel I at Local Foods.  This special release was a bourbon barrel imperial stout.  I enjoyed this beer so much I asked if I could buy one to go and due to the local laws this was impossible.  I then checked several local beer stores, none of which was able to get this beer.  At one small beer and wine store I spoke at length with the owner and he identified with my interest.  He was a real beer guy.  Well, I stopped in that store a few days later and he had found the beer for me and sold me a couple of bottles.  I was amazed at his customer service.  What a champion.  To this day I saved one of the empty bottles as a reminder.

2012-11-14 18.53.03     2012-11-11 20.35.35