2 Beer Tours

Being a long time beer drinker and fan I thought it fun to start doing tours of breweries. A friend of mine who goes by the name of GServo, started me with a tour back in January of Flying Dog brewery in Fredrick, MD. I followed that tour up with a trip to Boston and a Sam Adams tour about a month and a half later. I was so shocked at the difference of the tours that I spoke about the comparison for months afterward with any and all who would listen. It was suggested that I blog about it as well.

I will begin by saying that I am not necessarily comparing apples to apples here. The tour at Flying Dog was a private tour during business hours. The Sam Adams tour was a walk up public tour. That being said let me give you my account of Flying Dog.

Our tour at Flying Dog was a private tour setup for GServo. We were met by the Baroness, that is actually on her business card, who is in charge of marketing down there in Maryland. She is a great person, very up front and there was never a question if she was being genuine. We proceeded to walk through the brewery as she pointed out the different areas and what they were specific to in the process. We asked all kinds of questions along the way. Again, this was during a regular working day so we had plenty of opportunities to ask questions of the people working and watch them doing their jobs. The end of the tour also brought us to the end of the work day. Like most tours it ended with a tasting of some of their selection. What made this different was that we got to mingle with the now off duty staff during this tasting. It gave an insight to the people behind the product. The personalities, faces and overall politeness of the staff really left an impression that stays with me to this very day when I drink a Flying Dog beer.

My tour through Sam Adams was an impromptu let's do something this coming weekend type thing. We traveled to the brewery and got scheduled for a tour. This was a weekend tour with all kinds of tourists and groups running through a cattle run of sorts. We did have a question and answer period at every stop in the tour and it ended with a tasting. The tasting was informative but crammed. The host was a very polite gentleman who was very knowledgeable about his craft. The group was too big and hindered any chance of a personal vibe. The host did run through the basics of how to taste a beer and what traits to look for when viewing a beer. I was surprised that the Boston brewery is primarily a R&D facility. That gave an insight to R&D process but didn't show the actual facilities that brew the beer. I understand why and how this came to be but I just wasn't expecting it, I guess.

All in all, I have to say that I was extremely impressed with the Flying Dog tour and the people that staff the brewery. Public tours or "cattle runs" are necessary for these facilities so that they are not constantly interrupting their processes to answer questions from onlookers. I understand that and I make no bones about the unique experience I shared in Maryland. What I shared in the brewery in Maryland was above and beyond my wildest expectations of what a tour should be. It also set the bar extremely high for all future tours. My tour of Sam Adams solidified my opinion of the experience. As I stated earlier, I now relate the beer to an outstanding personal experience, one that I am quick to pass along to everyone who is interested in listening. I joined their facebook. I follow their twitter accounts. I drink their beer and take their beer to every family and friend gathering.

My hat’s off to you Flying Dog and to you Stephanie (Baroness). You have a fan for life. I also wish to thank GServo and BeerUtopia for the opportunity of the visit.