This is NOT your typical brewery tour experience which has prompted me to write my very first yelp review. Yes, it was that good. What: After Hours Brewery Tour Date: 2018-01-04 Guide: Matt (freaking awesome guy) Weather: It was colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra in the middle of winter last night - seriously, a blustery day indeed said Pooh. Getting Started As soon as you get in the van (down by the river), the tour begins. After Matt introduced himself, he asked us all to introduce ourselves. If you're in the witness protection program and need to remain incognito, feel free to lie about your name, where you're from and other background questions but be honest about what style of beer you like and don't like - it will impact the rest of the tour experience. After introductions and while on route to our first watering hole, Matt gave us an engaging history lesson on beer complete with trivia questions as well as pointed out architecture and significant landmarks around the city. He went on to explain what to expect - that your beer selections will be curated based on your style preferences from earlier and that you will be stretched outside your comfort zone a bit. Stop 1 (Oliver) Keep in mind that you may have a different itinerary based on day of week, traffic, etc. The tasting/tap room isn't open on Thursday nights to the public which meant we had the entire place to ourselves. As a reminder, the beer selections are curated by your guide based on your introductions. We had two selections (about a 5 ounce pour - think flight) before beginning the tour and Matt explained not only the style but the significance of it as it relates to the brewery. The head brewer is from England where 3 lions are on the royal coat of arms and a number of sports teams use it as their symbol - heck, he even has a tattoo of 3 lions. That's why the beer is named 3 Lions. I promise, this is the end of my long ass diatribe on how the beer got it's name - I just wanted to give you an idea of the inside scoop that you get as part of the tour. The tour itself was very informative - especially if you have never been on one before but was unique (to me at least) is that it was Matt, not someone from Oliver who gave us the tour. After the tour, we headed back to the taproom for a few more beer selections. Since we had the run of the place, we were able to engage Brad (Oliver's beer ambassador) and ask all kinds of questions about the business side of brewing which was neat. Stop 2 (Monument City) Things didn't go as planned here. In a good way. The brewery is owned by two brothers and one of them (also named Matt) was actively brewing. It was clear the relationship that City Brew Tours has with the breweries you visit. We were immediately invited to join Matt (owner/brewer) and watch the transfer process that was underway. After some Q and A, we let him get back to work and continued our tour. In order to keep things interesting, Matt (guide) explained additional things about this specific brewery rather than just regurgitate the same song and dance about how beer is made (we all know that yeast eats sugar and pees out alcohol and that malt and hops make it taste yummy). I don't want to give away what we learned about the brewery and the owners but it was interesting to say the least. These are passionate, hardworking people that love beer as much as you do. Also keep in mind that they have extremely limited distribution so we had beer there that you can't get anywhere else - even within Baltimore itself. Stop 3 (Brew House 16) Comparatively speaking, this was a much smaller brewery with no outside distribution (their beers can only be drank on premises). The tour here was brief but informative. This is where we had our meal - also curated. Unlike the previous stops, we got the entire flight all at once to enjoy with our food as they were chosen as pairings with the meal we had. Personally, I am not into all that mumbo jumbo about how certain drinks enhance/enrich the flavors of certain food - I like what I like. With that said, the food was good and so was the beer. Stop 4 (Waverly) By this point, you have imbibed enough potent potables and Matt has elucidated you enough that you are now qualified to say: "I drink and I know things" We had our own private tasting room. The tour was informative. The beer was good. We even forced Matt to go off script and select a cider for us. Finishing: You ever wake up from a dream to realize reality sucks and you wish you could just go back to sleep? The ride back was like that though Matt did his best to keep things upbeat. He was also kind enough to drop us off right at the entrance to the parking garage because it was freaking COLD! Tips: - Your beer and food is curated, be open to trying new things - Interact with your guide - Matt was awesome - Consider an Uber - parking was expensive and beer plentiful - It's 5 hours and you get 1 light meal - plan accordingly read more

Wow, what an amazing night! Barry greeted us all in such a friendly matter, and left the designated pickup stop promptly. I was impressed and appreciative of his driving skills, not everyone can maneuver a large van like that round a crowded city, but he did so with ease and making me feel very safe and comfortable. The tour started out with a fun introduction and a great and funny history of beer (back to 10,000 BC I had no idea!!). Our first stop was Heavy Seas, where we got to tour their very impressive facility, and Barry's incredible knowledge of everything beer- from the brewing process, to how flavors happen and all of the in between was made clear. I mean, I don't think I could have come up with a question he would not have had the answer to. Then the fun part, drinking beer! He curated a great selection of beer for all of us at every stop, and even the professed non beer drinkers were converted by the end of the night- he found something for everyone, and taught us about how to order in our future beerxcursions. Dinner was awesome, Brewhouse 16 is beautiful, and the owner/founder/brewer personally greeted our table, I really felt like a VIP! From amateur to connoisseur, this tour is for everyone! read more

Decided to take a tour along with some friends to celebrate my husband's birthday. Online registration was easy and the tour well organized. Barry greeted us at the designated spot and the van left promptly for the 1st of 4 stops, with Barry providing an entertaining overview of the history of beer en route. Each stop and pour was carefully selected to expose us to a particular aspect of craft brewing production. The pours were generous and included an interesting variety of IPAs, ales, porters, etc. Barry was incredibly knowledgeable, explaining about flavor profiles, aroma, taste, finish, etc. Our first 2 stops were at Heavy Seas Brewery and Waverly Brewing Co., where we toured the back of the house production rooms before sampling. A pre-arranged dinner and beer pairing awaited us at Brew House No. 16, a converted fire station that brews its own, serves farm to table and is family owned and operated. The night wrapped up at the Pratt Street Ale House (aka Oliver Brewing) where, having done his best to develop our beer palates, Barry cut us loose to choose our own concluding pints. We enjoyed the tours, the tastings and the camaraderie of our fellow tour mates. Barry was fantastic! Highly recommend! read more

This tour is fantastic! Barry, the guide, is incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of beer and brewing. He was very patient and paid special attention to make sure each and every one of us had a good time and found the beers we'd like. He was also a great driver and made sure everyone had a fun, interesting and safe night. All of the breweries were great and I definitely found new spots that I will return to in the future. The food and atmosphere at Brew House 16 were both top-notch. This tour is well worth the money- you get a fun night out with plenty of high-end beers, farm-to-table food and don't have to worry about transportation. As a wine drinker, it was a great way to explore a variety of beers and the information we heard was genuinely interesting. I had such a great night--I will definitely do this one again anytime I have out-of-town guests! I'd also love to try the DC version. Highly recommend! read more

So my bachelor party was this past Thursday, and I had no idea what I was getting into. Fortunately, we ended up with an amazing experience with Mike (Tour Guide of the Month with good reason!). We hit up Monument City (and introduced half my party to the wonderful world of goses), Guinness (return trip already being planned, literally everything on their sample menu sounded amazing), Heavy Seas, and Waverly. My only suggestion would've been to switch Heavy Seas and Guinness since they were both nearbyish, to move dinner a bit earlier. I'm sure there's a reason for delaying dinner, but we were all well in need of something to help soak up the beer by then. ;) Overall 13/10, would beer again. They're just good beers, Brent. read more

So my wife and I (and assorted other friends) have done these City Brew Tours before - first in Boston, which was AMAZING, and then in DC for our bachelor/bachelorette event... which was also a blast. When we heard they were coming to Baltimore, we couldn't pass up the chance to do another one, this time in our backyard. This tour was great. All the samples were good, Barry was easily the most knowledgeable guide we've had, and he made sure we were having a good time. It was 100% a positive experience. The food stop was amazing, and all the breweries were cool. Don't think about it, just book it now. You'll love it. read more

Was visiting Baltimore and heard about this tour. Thought it sounded fun, so we booked it. Are we glad we did! The breweries were fun to visit and had tasty beers. Our guide was knowledgeable and fun. It was great to not have to worry about driving and we learned about the history of beer in general and in Baltimore. The pickup location was easy to find and near our hotel. Would recommend it to anyone looking for something fun to do. Try searching for Groupons to help defray the cost (it is a bit pricy - but that's the only downside). read more

Emerson was amazing! He was super knowledgable about the brew process and history of brewing and beer. He was an excellent guide and the beer selection was really great. Our favorite spot was brewhouse 16, where we ate lunch. He paired our food with great beer selections and overall provided a very fun and interesting party for my friends and me. I would highly suggest taking the tour. It will be something my friends and I remember for a long time. read more

Booked the brewery tour as a surprise for my husband while we were on a weekend trip to Baltimore. We did the 4hrs tour (3 breweries) and had an an amazing time! Our guide, Keenan, was knowledgeable, truly passionate about the beer and it's history and made the whole experience very enjoyable. A great way to explore the local craft beer scene and places we wouldn't have visited. This tour was great fun and we highly recommend it to everyone! read more

We were a group of four and as it turned out, it was only us on this particular tour. Max was our guide ... he was terrific. It was fun to actually go "behind the scenes" in the breweries and as another reviewer mentioned, we learned about the history of beer too. Everything ran smoothly. Each location was ready for us, even the restaurant where we had lunch. We're going to get another group together and do it again! Truly a great day. read more

Had a great tour of four breweries today. Emerson of City Brew Tours Baltimore did a great job. He was very knowledgeable in the history of brewing and had a great personality. Perfect fit for this tour. We visited Oliver Brewing Company, Brew House 16, Charm City Meadworks, and Diamondback Brewing Company. We had a great time, had some good beer and would highly recommend this tour. read more

My boyfriend and I did the After Hours Tour with Matt and had an AMAZING TIME!! Matt was full of knowledge and facts and kept the tours interesting. He gave us great descriptions of the beers and brewing process. It's a little pricey but overall a fantastic way to sample beers from multiple locations and learn a little more about the city! read more

This was an amazing tour of Baltimore breweries! Mike was an amazing tour guide, and was very knowledgeable about the brewing process, the details of the breweries, and life in general. The contracted bus driver was also very safe and used the quickest routes to get us where we needed to be. What a great tour!!!! read more

We hit up Heavy Seas, Mobtown Brewing and Checkerspot... all different types of breweries with their own twists. Keenan was our guide and was awesome... he was knowledgeable about beer and told us some interesting history on Heavy Seas. Keenan also just had a good, chill manner. The tour was lots of fun! read more

Got a deal off Groupon for 2. Saved 50 bucks! My Dad and I went and had a blast on a Thursday night tour. Loved seeing breweries of all scales and supporting Maryland brews. Our guide was very knowledgeable and had some great facts about not only the breweries themselves but the history of brewing. read more

We had a great time. Our guide was very knowledgable and did a great job explaining the brewing process. He was also very friendly and patient. We visited 4 different breweries and it was clear that the guide had a good relationship with all of the breweries. I would highly recommend this tour. read more