I went on a private brewery tour for a work outing. My co-worker and I planned it. We emailed Mindy and she responded right away with questions on how to best customize our itinerary. We had some time constraints. She told us we were able to start and end the tour anytime we wanted. Once we answered all her questions she put together an itinerary for our group. The itinerary gave us details on what we would do during the tour. Details such as breweries we would visit, what time we would arrive at each stop, where we would have the facility tour, where we would eat food, pricing ETC. She also attached a sample menu because we wanted the package to include food. The food package included dinner. I thought we were going to have to pay more for dinner, but we didn't. She told me the food package included lunch, dinner or heavy appetizers. Same price. I also had some questions and requests for her. She answered all my questions, adjusted the itinerary a bit and met all of our needs. She recommended the breweries we went to, however she told me we were able to pick. But I needed recommendations. Day of the tour we were picked up at the office. We had a tour guide (Jon) and a driver. I don't remember the driver's name but he was great. Our tour guide was amazing. He was friendly, super knowledgeable, very, very hospitable. He made sure everyone had everything they needed every step of the tour. The food came out super quick, everyone's orders were correct! (We had a rather large group of 40.) The food was delicious. The beer was tastings. It was really fun trying all the different styles. Jon would bring us out the beer and describe it to us. He also gave us tasting tips, tasting 101. I learned a lot. AND drank a lot. Those little tasters really add up. I wasn't always able to finish them. The facility tour was given to us by Jon. It was about 15/20 minutes. He really explained the process in a way we could understand. (My group didn't know much about making beer.) Jon is also a pretty funny guy so the tour was entertaining. The three breweries we went to were Drakes Barrel House, Ale Industries and Faction. All three stops were very different. Drakes whole space was filled with barrels aging beer. Kinda looked like a wine tasting room. I loved the ambience. Ale Industries had a cool small business hipster vibe. And Faction had a huge out door space with a view of the city! It had corn hole, and giant Jenga. It was such a fun trip. Everyone loved it. We will definitely use Bay Area Brewery Tours again. read more

My husband, myself and a friend took the Saturday brewery tour this last weekend for my husband's 50th birthday. He is still thanking me days later....LOL. We loved the tour, the breweries and the driver/tour guide Mindy. Very friendly and knowledgable about the places she takes you on the tour. But best of all my husband wanted me to mention there is NO HIGH PRESSURE SALES like you would experience on a wine tour. The tastings at each stop served by friendly people and questions were answered on the spot. The lunch we had was really good food and there was a good selection to choose from on the menu you are presented when you board the tour bus. All in all, it was fabulous, relaxing, met a lot of great people on the public tour with us and a good way to enjoy beer tasting without the driving. GREAT JOB MINDY! read more

Bay Area Brewery Tours - Moylans Brewery - Beer Tours Near Me

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Such a fun trip! Jenny was our tour guide and she was just lovely. Austin was also on board and he was super friendly and helpful. They were extremely knowledgeable and gave us info about breweries that weren't even on our tour. We started our trip off at ThirstyBear which had amazing food. The stout is on a nitro tap so it made it extra wonderful. Second stop was Southern Pacific and it was absolutely gorgeous. The open air feel made day drinking on a Friday an even better decision. Last stop was Speakeasy where we had 4 samples and played Cards Against Humanity. There were 4 people in my group and another couple who joined us. The gentleman in the couple said "this is the best day of my life." So yes, I'd recommend this trip to everyone. read more

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My friend and I went on this tour and had an awesome time. Our tour guide was super nice, accomdiating, insightful, and really made sure we had a great time. Since it was just my friend and I, we got extra special attention which just made the tour all the better. We went to 3 breweries in total and a lunch, tastings, and a glass mug was all included in the flat prce you orignally pay. The tour guide was even trying to get us a few extra tasting because she wanted us to really experience all the different types and flavors of the beers. My personally favorite was the lasgunitas brewery in which we went on a tour. The whole tour focuses on micro-breweries which are really giving the mono-tone beer industry (ahem budweiser and miller) new life and variety. I mean I tasted everything from a pomegrant wheat beer to a czech style pilsner. I have been a fan or beer since I was finally allowed to buy the good stuff once I was done suffering through the bud light kegs at college parties. The tour really expanded my appreciation of such a beloved drink.I walked away knowing a little about beer to a whole lot thanks to the tour such as the difference between how a lager and ale ferment and that only a beer from cologne germany can be called a kolsch. PS. Ask about the trivia cards and see which one of your friends is the ignorant alkie and which one knows a little bit too much. read more

My gang of friends and I decided this was the way to go for a birthday celebration. After contacting Mindy directly we were advised to book on the Public Tour early to guarantee seating; a private tour was discussed but decided to chance it. We're a risky bunch. Of course we had slackers; they're leaving voice messages to reserve their spot on the van the night before. Here we are Saturday morning, all 6 of us, waiting on the curb when another two friends show up out of no where. A complete surprise. When Brad (if I remember his name correctly) our tour guide shows up, we realize WE'RE THE TOUR! The Public Tour just became Private. The funniest part was going along his run of introductions and icebreakers--- just when you think you know your best friends. The day was long but in the best way possible. We tasted AND ate at each brewery. It was a nice alternative from our usual tours in Napa. Brad fit right in, like he was a member of the gang. I really hope we tipped him as I can't remember anything mid-through the last tasting. Other than leaving behind my case of beer in the van, lol. read more

Great tour of 3 local brew bars in the city. Out host was extremely knowledgable about each of the the beers and breweries and offered some good recommendations and answered everyone's questions very well. She catered well to the groups mixed knowledge levels. The bus was smaller than in the pictures, but it was fine for the short 15 minute hops between bars. We sampled 15 beers on the tour. Sample sizes Varied between bars but were generous. Good lunch at the first brewery too (included in the price). Very happy and would recommend to anyone. read more

We took a tour for my friend's bachelorette party. Mindy was our driver and tour master and was FANTASTIC. She was really nice, fun, friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating. The tour itself took us to three different breweries in the north bay. All were really good and fun. Mindy even taught us some interesting beer facts along the way. The bus was very nice and clean inside. Mindy did mind us bumping our own bad music the entire day. I definitely recommend Bay Area Brewery Tours. If you love beer, you will not be disappointed. read more

My wife surprised me with a brewery tour for my birthday. Josh was an awesome and knowledgeable guide who took us to Triple Vodoo, Magnolia and Harmonic Brewing. BBQ lunch at Magnolia (not included in the tour) was a feast and the range of beers from Pilsners to IPAs and stouts was quite the experience! Can only recommend it to anyone interested in craft brewing or just having a good time! read more

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Mindy comes highly recommended by our entire bachelorette party! She was a great tour guide and really knowledgeable when it came to everything beer related. She picked us up at a hotel in San Francisco (right on time!) then took us up to the North Bay for 2 breweries, then back into the city to the Beach Chalet. We took the all day tour, and it was really fun. She planned it so that each place served really different types of beer - one that suited each girl in our group. This is one of those things that you can either casually drink or get wasted, depending on your group. We were able to play trivia games in the van, which made the ride to Petaluma much more fun cause its not exactly close. I would recommend bringing some type of game to play with a group, although she does have trivia cards if you forget. At each brewery we had a table reserved, were served right away and at one stop we did a tour. Overall it was a really fun trip and we all had a great time. Perfect for birthdays, bachelorette/bachelor parties or just a day out with beer loving friends! read more

This was such an awesome experience. Went for a friends 30th and it was more than expected. More than worth the money. Bus was clean, driver was great. Let us party and play our own music. Each brewery was amazing and informative. Can't wait to do it again. I would recommend this to anyone. read more

Bay Area Brewery Tours - Beer Tours Near Me

Our guide was Josh for this event! It was just my boyfriend, myself, and him, and that definitely made it more fun and less stressful. It was a birthday gift/surprise for Boyfriend, and Josh made it fab!! Not only is he very knowledgable about the breweries we visited, but about the industry as a whole! I learned a lot, and now can go beer drinking like a PRO!! Ha. I can't think of a bad thing, other than I wish we had had more time to see a few more!! It lasted about four hours, three tastings at three breweries, plus lunch (not included in price, but excellent for SF food!!). 10/10 would recommend, and now, we have to try the other tours they offer!! read more

Highly recommend doing a tour with them. I did a private tour for my birthday last year with my friends within San Francisco. It was about 11 or 12 of us and we all had such a great time! We got picked up around 10 AM. The two gentleman that picked us up were really chill. There was water in the van to help us through our journey of beer tasting. I booked for three breweries and lunch. FYI you do get pretty drunk on the tour. Do not underestimate the beer. I was sad to find out that Speakeasy was having a private event on the day I was trying to visit. So instead I chose the breweries that follow. First stop was Southern Pacific Which was a really spacious brewery. We had a large table reserved for our party. We ate lunch there and had about 4 rounds of beer tasting. As you move through round 1-4 the beers get stronger. Next stop was Tripple Voodoo. At Tripple Voodoo, they gave us a tour within the brewery and explained the process of making beer which was really cool. I honestly do not remember much of the process because we were already feelin ourselves a bit. But also because it was also hard to retain the information. Tripple Voodoo had different types of beer that were quite interesting in taste. But great experience here as well. Last stop was Cellarmaker. This brewery was much smaller than the other breweries but we managed to fit our party in some corner. This brewery was one of my top choices because they change their drinks every so often. Really chill and cool environment. Overall, Bay Area Brewery Tours provided great service from the moment I was inquiring to the moment we were dropped off. Seems like all the workers are really laid back and have fun guiding you through your tour. We even got cups at the end of the tour which made a great beer cup for my home. I definitely recommend booking a tour with them because they really take care of you as a customer. read more

Great tour. Pyramid Brewing was a pretty boring start but Linden St and Faction Brewing definitely delivered. Jenny was a very friendly and knowledgeable host. Thanks Bay Brewery Tours! read more

Bay Area Brewery Tours - Faction Brewing - Beer Tours Near Me

My son in laws brother booked a trip for six of us for his (son in laws) bachelor party. Mindy was our driver and resident beer EXPERT. She picked us up on time and brought us to our first brewery "Thirsty Bear" where we had multiple tastings and a great lunch. Then we had a tour. The second brewery was Drake brewery across the bay. Again more tasting and an interesting history of the place. All in all this was a lot of fun, and a great way to spent the afternoon. read more

They booked our tour, charged our credit card, and then cancelled with less than24 hours notice. When booking the tour they never mentioned that the tour could be cancelled if they did not book enough people for the tour. We had booked reservations for a group of four, got a confirmation, and again, no warning that the tour could be cancelled if more people didn't book. Then we woke up the morning of the tour to find an email saying the tour has been cancelled, and no mention of giving us a refund, or how to proceed. Completely unacceptable way to treat customers. read more

I surprised the bf with a tour a couple Sundays ago. This tour started at 10:15am and we decided to drive as we didn't want to wake up ridiculously early to take Caltrain or BART. We parked at California Parking on 470 Brannan St - it was only a couple blocks from the Caltrain station. I easily made a reservation online and was able to get the Giants game day pricing - $20.99. If we parked without making a reservation it would have been $30. We were a few minutes early when we arrived and the tour van was already there waiting for us. Our tour guide, Jenny, greeted us and gave us some waivers to sign and select our lunch option. There were 7 people including us on our public tour. This is a great size group. You get undivided attention and get to ask lots of questions. We visited the following breweries - while you're reading, keep in mind that I'm not much of a beer drinker: MARIN BREWING I believe this is the oldest microbrewery in northern CA or CA altogether. I forget. We tried four different beers here. The one that really stood out for me was 3 Flowers I loved the fruity notes. We also got a tour from the brew master - microbrewery indeed! LAGUNITAS My favorite brewery out of the bunch. When we arrived we were went to their VIP room upstairs by the brewing facilities. This room screams bachelor pad. There's the bar that easily seats about 10 people, lounge chairs, game tables, various "brahhh" type posters, and some street signs. We were served lunch a few minutes after arriving and went with the Turkey Club and the Smoked Brisket - both were surprisingly good. I wasn't expecting much with the food as I assumed they'd concentrate more on the beer making rather than the food, but I was wrong! We tried about 7 different beers here. It got a little overwhelming for me and I couldn't finish most of them, but I did enjoy the Lagunitas IPA. The facilities tour was pretty cool and was huge compared to Marin. At the end of the tour we got some free time to rome around the public grounds and go to their merchandise store. I got some dog treats for my furry friend at home and got free Lagunitas magnets. Score! MOYLANS We didn't get a tour of the facilities nor did we get much history or information about this brewery. We tried four beers here. My favorite was the Pomegranate Wheat Ale. It was pretty light. Another that stuck out to me was the Old Blarney Barleywine Style Ale - hoooolyy! This is strong and full of strong brandy flavor. Jenny was a great guide. She gave us some fun facts and tidbits about beer, the breweries and answered our questions. She also made sure that we had water when we needed it. There was some traffic along the way, but we got back to SF right on time at 4:15pm. I didn't retain much information from the tour, but the bf and I definitely had fun. It was a great experience and a great opportunity to try a multitude of beers and you get a pint glass souvenir. I thought it was pretty good value considering all that's included. read more

Recently went on a 3 stop tour in SF for a friend's 50th birthday. The brewery locations were picked ahead of time and arrangements at each made for seating our group of 8. Our tour guide was exceptionally professional and knowledgeable about the breweries we visited and beers tasted. He arranged for us to talk to the brewmaster at 21st Amendment. After the last stop (Speakeasy), he drove us to dinner and then took us all home afterwards. An excellent experience and one that I'd recommend to anyone looking for an end-to-end service where all you have to do is sit back and enjoy. read more

This was an awesome experience. The breweries we went to were awesome, a good mix of commercial, with Pyramid and more underground like Drakes and Linden Street. I was concerned with the value, but it was awesome and totally worth every penny! We were able to taste and learn about so many beers! Also want to give a shout out to our guide John, he was awesome, approachable, knowledgeable and friendly. Thanks John for an awesome experience. read more

Josh was amazing. He knew anything and everything about the beers we were drinking and even more. We even had great conversations aside from beer. Awesome time for a family of four or a group of friends eager to learn more about beer! Thanks Josh! read more

Jenny was amazing! She informed us about all the variances of beer making. Super informative and so nice. Hubby and I had a great time. Best part of our San Francisco experience. read more

Here's how it works: you reserve a tour date online and meet at the pickup spot. Your tour guide and driver takes you around to at least three breweries (although we got a bonus). The group rotates at choosing each beer to try, and the only rule is to drink lots of beer. All expenses are included except tip for your driver (and extra beer, if you can find room for it). If you're into beer and want to make the most of an afternoon of tasting, this is hands down the way to do it! The tour guide was wonderful, the brewery selection was excellent, and the people were a lot of fun. read more

Nice tour of Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro wineries. Good pace and generous tastings! We each got a souvenir glass, and lunch was included. read more

Jenny took 12 of us to the Sierra Nevada Tap Room in Berkeley and Faction in Alameda last weekend and it was a great experience! The bus was really nice and Jenny was fantastic! She was knowledgeable and easy going. Everyone on the bus raved about the experience. Also, on the back end, Mindy was very responsive and quickly provided a new itinerary when our original fell through. read more

My husband and I just took a public tour with Bay Area Brewery Tours this weekend and had SUCH a good time! Our group included 3 other people, so with just the 5 of us we had a lot of attention. My husband loves beer and I do not, and our tour guide Dillon did a great job answering all of my husband's questions. He also worked really hard to find a beer that I liked, too, and seemed personally satisfied when I was happy with a pour. We live in the area, and so one other aspect of this tour that was interesting was that they took us to Dogpatch, an area of SF that we had never explored before. We enjoyed seeing a different part of town that was fun and had delicious food! Would definitely recommend a private or public tour with this company! read more

I put together a tour with Mindy for my husband's 30th birthday this past weekend. It was a great choice and so easy working with Mindy to get all of the details together. Prices were fair, party bus was large and clean. We had an excellent driver/tour guide who really knew her brews and was a lot of fun to spend the day with. Everyone that came with us had a great time and I would highly recommend this as a group outing to anyone! read more

My boyfriend and I had such a fun time! We got these tickets as a joint birthday gift which now that we went was an awesome gift. Our guide was really chill but knowledgeable about the breweries and beer that we tasted. The group that we were with was really fun, and it was great to try new breweries even though we live in SF. I highly recommend this tour! read more

My boyfriend and I had a great time on our Bay Area Brewery Tours trip with our guide, Josh. He was very friendly, thoughtful, and seems to know everything there is to know about brewing, tasting, and enjoying beer. I was a little indecisive at first as to which brewery tours company to choose as a Christmas present for us, as there are many companies to go with. However, I was extremely satisfied with my decision. Josh was punctual and arrived at the meeting spot exactly on time. My boyfriend and I were the only two people on the Friday tour, and we both had a lot of fun chatting with Josh, tasting different local beers, and engaging with the brewers themselves on our brewery tour. I would definitely recommend this company to my friends. Worth the price! read more

Such a great deal and so fun! Mindy was our tour guide and she was very knowledgeable. It was my friends birthday so Mindy gave her a beer float, which was so cool! We definitely got our money's worth on the tour and had a great time. I would recommend this to anyone. read more

I reserved this tour for my best friends bachelorette party and I wasn't let down. We had lunch at Thirsty Bear and the food was phenomenal! Mindy was very knowledgeable of the breweries and the process of beer making. I learned many new things on this trip and loved bragging about it to my husband when I returned home. I plan on booking a private tour this summer for a larger group! read more

Our tour guide, Josh was incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating. He made sure everyone had their needs met and answered all of questions about beer, the breweries and the events throughout the day. The tour lasts about 6 hours and includes beer tastings and food. Make sure you give the guide a nice tip, they deserve it. read more

This was a great brewery tour. We went to Triple Rock in Berkeley, Linden Street in Oakland, and Faction in Alameda. Jennifer was an awesome tour guide and gave us a lot of information on all the places were visited, She is very adaptable; it looked like it might rain during our trip, so she was thinking about breweries we could visit where the seating was not out in the open (Linden Street and Faction). After our tour finished she even dropped us off at another brewery near where we had parked. I really enjoyed Linden Street and Faction. The owner at Linden Street came out and talked to us for a little bit about what he was trying to accomplish with the brewery. It was nice to hear a sense of purpose and mission in addition to how the beer was brewed. He even explained why they were brewing a Malt Liquor. Faction was a cool place with an awesome view of the city. I never would have found this place if I had not been on the brewery tour. Triple Rock had good food but all the beer tasted the same. The breweries change according to day. We took the Sunday tour so we stayed in East Bay. I would love to take the Friday and Saturday tours to check out the city breweries. read more

Our group of 4 went on this tour July 23, 2011. Mindy picked us up and we went to Moylan's, Lagunitas and Marin. She was very knowledgeable and we felt like we were hanging out with a friend! I think we all learned a little something we didn't know about beer. We got to pick our lunch from a menu at Lagunitas and we all enjoyed what we ordered. Tour cost included generous tastings, lunch and a cool souvenir pint glass. We really enjoyed ourselves and she even dropped us off at Golden Gate park (since it was just us four) and we were able to walk around and then take the bus back to our hotel! She gave us all a hug before she left too :) Thanks Mindy for making our tour so much fun!! If you are in San Francisco you should definitely do this tour!! read more

I found the book process to be very flighty. They did not give me all the needed information on what it entailed to reserve the event and ended up filing that date. I would recommend thye add a more personal touch to the booking process and even have a template with all the required information. I booked with another Tour Service. read more

Outstanding experience with them booking a private tour. Advised us through which breweries we could fit in to a day, which ones people like and how long we'd have and made the whole process of booking and the day itself as easy as it could be. I'd highly recommend them. read more

Last weekend I surprised my husband with a private brewery tour to Lagunitas/Moylan/Marin along with 20 of his closest friends. It was seriously the best decision to go with Bay Area Brewery Tours. From my initial email with Mindy back in February, up until the night before the tour, she was extremely responsive to all my questions and even offered suggestions on having cupcakes delivered to one of our stops..THANK YOU! The bus was extremely comfortable with circular seating layout (perfect for socializing). And Jenny who was our driver, was super amazing. She shows up not just on time but early! This is soooo huge in my books because I'm extremely anal with punctuality and time. Jenny was so on top of everything. Because of heavy traffic that morning she even called the brewery ahead of time to give them a heads up that we would be late. Jenny was the perfect guide. Thanks so much to Jenny, Mindy and Bay Area Brewery Tours for an unforgettable milestone celebration. Even five days later and my friends are still talking about how much fun they had! read more

We had an awesome time with Jeni - she was super knowledgeable about beer and the breweries we went to. My favorite stop was at to Linden Street Brewery where met the owner Adam. I would definitely go again! read more

Josh was the best guide. Knowledgeable, genuine, and generally great! Highly recommend this tour!!

I had such a great time on the brewery tour! Mindy was AWESOME and knew so much about beer and was just easy and fun to talk to. Also, we had some ID issues (no, def not even close to under 21, just a lost ID) but she definitely took care of us and I think if she hadn't been with us, it would've been a problem. We went for my boyfriend's bday and it was just a perfect day. I have to be honest, when I saw there weren't any yelp reviews (I went in April), I was a little concerned, but it's really only bc Mindy and her fiancee just came up to the Bay Area to expand their company here. She def has experience and there are great reviews about her San Diego based brewery tour company. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's looking for a fun activity outside SF. read more

We did a Sunday afternoon tour, and it was great. Very easy to find the bus at CalTrain Station, and it was an easy, relaxed, very scenic ride up to Lagunitas. We did a full-scale tour at Lagunitas, including a delicious lunch and very generous flights, then to Moylan's for another flight and finally Marin County Brewery for yet another! Jenny was our tour guide, and she was excellent. She was knowledgeable about beer and helped cater the flight options to our tastes (my husband prefers barley wine so he scored one though the rest of the group did not care for the bigger beers). Two thumbs up. We highly recommend the tour as a great way to get to know breweries outside of San Francisco, especially if you don't have your own vehicle. We would do it again. Also, this tour worked for us as a more "established" married couple in the midst of a whole crowd of singles. The tour encourages getting to know people but it wasn't super awkward or weird, even though we were a different demographic than the rest. read more

A small group of us (friends and family) just took one of Mindy's public tours and had a great time! Mindy and her fiance have just expanded their business to the Bay Area, but have been doing tours for years in San Diego. Mindy picked us up in her clean and comfortable white van and took us over the Golden Gate Bridge to visit Russian River, Lagunitas and Moylans. The cost of Mindy's tour covers "tastings" (very, very generous pours at all the breweries!), lunch (great sandwiches at Russian River), and a tour at one of the breweries (Lagunitas). It's a good deal and Mindy goes way above and beyond to maximize the experience for you (she brought us trays of taster-pours while we were on our tour at Lagunitas)! We played beer trivia in the car (provided by Mindy) and listened to our playlists (you can play your ipod in the van) which made car-time fun and enjoyable. Mindy is very nice, accommodating and super-knowledgeable! I highly recommend doing a tour - great way to celebrate a birthday, bachelorette, or just hang with friends and family like we did! Thanks so much! read more