Although Oktoberfest has officially come to an end this year, people all over the world continue to celebrate the reason that the world’s largest festival has come into existence: beer. From double IPA’s to lights, micros to brewpubs, the world’s third most popular drink has formed a culture that has seeped into every corner of the globe. Germany may host the largest beer festival, but witness below 10 of our members’ favorite breweries to tour from the rest of the world.
10.) New Glarus Brewing Company -New Glarus, Wisconsin
Photo by kbyfield
An independently owned craft brewery, New Glarus is the first brewery founded and operated by a woman. The brewery started in a warehouse with discarded brewing parts and has now become a multi-million dollar brewery. New Glarus beer is only sold in Wisconsin and New Glarus “…is no ordinary brewery – it was very well planned out and executed. The floors are spotless; the metals polished and even the electrical wiring safely nestled into overhead runs, easily accessible, but out of the way. I realize this sounds mundane but if you’ve been to other breweries, you’ll realize just how far above the norm this facility is.” -
kbyfield
9.) Half Moon Brewery -Bruges, Belgium
Photo by Ed Hahn
The only remaining family brewery in Bruges, Half Moon has been recorded to have been around since the 1500’s. The museum offers tours that show both the modern way of brewing as well as the traditional Belgian style. The family still take part in the brewery, as
Ed Hahn puts it “…the guide, who is actually a family member, puts out a lot of historical and brewing information. The tour features the old traditional brewing methods, and we see 200-year-old machinery and bottles from at least that long ago. It's hard to absorb it all. It is obvious the Belgians take their beer seriously.”
8.) Brewery Ommegang - Cooperstown, New York
Photo by Joekirr
A relatively new brewery, Ommegang began producing Belgian-style ales in the late 1990’s. The company has grown fast, and holds an annual beer tasting event every summer. Unlike many of the large-scale breweries, Ommegang crafts their beer in the Belgian style and does not have a massive output. Igougo member
Joekirr reports “The tour is free and runs about 20 to 25 minutes and there are free samples at the end. There is also a modest shop where you can buy the finished product as well as the standard fare of souvenirs. I was a little amazed about how small the whole operation was, but it made sense because they only brew one batch at a time and really take their time doing it.”
7.) Sapporo Beer Museum - Hokkaido, Japan
Photo by tcguide
As Japan's only beer museum, the Sapporo Museum is free to visitors. The museum includes artifacts, old advertisements and instruments for making Sapporo. The brewery used to be a sugar mill, but Sapporo began to produce beer in the brewery in 1903 and converted the building to a museum in 1965.
6.) Carlsberg’s Brewery -Copenhagen, Denmark
Photo by michaelhudson
The Carlsberg Brewery produces Denmark’s most famous ale. The company, founded in the mid 1800’s, now has breweries from Poland to China, but the visitor’s center in Copenhagen allows visitors to get an idea of what goes on in the breweries. The museum is located where the original brewery originally sat, and attached is a smaller microbrewery owned by the Carlsberg Group.
5.) Alexander Keith’s Brewery - Halifax, Nova Scotia
Photo by tvordj
The oldest brewery in North America, Alexander Keith Beer only became available outside Canada in 2011. Founded by a Scotsman in the early 1800’s, Alexander Keith’s “…currently offers a brewery tour with costumed actors as guides. The tour takes you back to what Halifax was like in the mid 19th century and is an interactive tour that will hold the interest for all ages.”-
tvordj
4.) Cantillon Brewery - Brussels, Belgium
Photo by billmoy
This small, traditional, limbic brewery has been family run since it opened in 1900. The brewery and the Gueuze Museum are open to the public, and allow travelers to watch the actual fermenting and bottling process that takes place in the factory. The beer is much unlike what common beer drinkers are used to, as
billmoy explains, “You will get to sample small glasses of gueuze and kriek at the end of the tour. This is powerful stuff and geared to the beer connoisseur, not for the town drunk or the bloated beer belly who quaffs light American beer.”
3.) Anheuser-Busch Brewery -St. Louis, Missouri
Photo by Full Moon
A powerhouse of American brewing, Anheuser-Busch is headquartered in St. Louis. The brewery offers free tours to visitors, and many people come to see the famous Clydesdales in their carriage house and outdoor field. The company also owns many other breweries around the world and used to operate theme parks in the US. Anheuser-Busch is currently the largest brewery company in the United States, and operates 12 breweries across the nation.
2.) Heineken Brewery - Amsterdam, Netherlands
Photo by ch2001
Although Heineken is no longer made in this location, the Heineken Experience is a museum in the original brewery in Amsterdam. As one of the most popular breweries in the world, the exhibition utilizes modern technology to inform visitors of the way Heineken is created and the history of the product. The interactive museum brings tourists from all over the world, and of all ages (legal age required to enjoy the libations). The museum offers much more than a pictorial view of the history on beer including the “Brew You Ride- a virtual experience that takes you through the beer making process (in English of course), complete with a moving platform, wind, and mist. This was a definitely a "is this real?" moment.”-
ch2001.
1.) Guinness Brewery and Storehouse - Dublin, Ireland
Photo by wanderlustgirl
As one of Dublin’s most popular attractions, the brewery and attached storehouse are visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. Originally called St. James’s Gate Brewery and established in the mid-1700’s, the brewery has been producing Guinness every since. The brewery and museum take you on the journey of how Guinness is made, from the very beginning to the taps. And of course, samples are available to travelers at the end of the tour. As
Jlsbutterfly states “You have not tasted Guinness until you have drank it at Gravity, the pub at the top of the storehouse! It comes complete with a shamrock on top and a birds eye view of the city.”
Posted by jhartmann13 (JJ Hartmann)