If you’re visiting Chicago and fancy joining a brewery or beer tour, there are a huge number of companies that host regular tours for locals and visitors alike.
(Photo: Viator / The Barrel Run)
Watering holes are a dime a dozen in Chicago, and with the city’s craft beer scene booming in recent years, there’s never been a better time for lovers of the amber nectar to visit the Windy City. Whether you’re looking for an organised brewery tour, or simply to sample some of the best beer the city has to offer, you won’t be disappointed. Below are three of the best brewery and beer tours currently available.
Chicago Craft Brewery Barrel Bus Tour
Learn about Chicago’s thriving brewpub scene and sample diverse types and flavours of craft beer on this 3.5-hour guided brewery tour. During the tour, you’ll get to look around a beer production facility, discover the science behind every step of the brewing process, and enjoy plenty of beer tastings as you go. The tour price includes round-trip transportation in a Prohibition-era-styled barrel bus, complete with speakeasy-style vertical door, 45-55 ounces of craft beer, and your professional guide. From €79 per person.
Dovetail Brewery Tour
(Photo: Dovetail Brewery)
Each Saturday, Dovetail Brewery hosts a 90-minute tour of its premises, offering visitors the chance to learn about the art of craft beer-making while sampling the distinctive beers produced on-site. During the tour you’ll get to taste ten-ounce pours of three select beers – one lager and two others that are rotated each week – as well as sample the water created through reverse osmosis that makes up 95 per cent of its beers. As you stroll around you’ll be treated to an informative, interactive explanation of what goes on behind the scenes of a brewery, as well as the chance to taste and smell malt, hops and pellets, and observe some of the equipment that makes the brewery so unique. CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE
Pilsen Neighborhood Train & Walking Tour with Local Guide
Take a scenic stroll through Chicago on this private tour – ending with a well-earned beer in a family-run brewery. Departing mid-morning, you’ll traverse eclectic Chicago neighbourhoods and admire landmarks including the remarkable Rookery Building before heading to the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank. Next, you’ll take the metro to picturesque Pilsen, rich in culture, music, and street murals, and home to a vibrant Mexican community. Here, you’ll sample finger-licking tacos and visit the National Museum of Mexican Art. After that, you’ll hop back on the train to the Loop, and round off your tour with a pint in the family-run Adams Street Brewery. From €123 per person.