One of the best tours we've ever been on! Ben was a great tour guide, It was an hour long and full of fun info. Lots of tasting at the end. We will be returning for the 4 hour beer geek tour! read more

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I am over 60 and owned 2 liquor stores and was asked to try your beer Big Thing IPA at a business gathering and the 6 pack i bought was not dranken by 1/2 of the men trying it and I was embarrassed and u should be too.We all will never purchase your brand read more

My boyfriend n I just went here for our Anniversary lunch. The food was soo good! Service was excellent. I really love being in the dining room, being able to see the hops while I enjoy my wonderful food!! We got calamari, beer, fries, pizza, and salad and only paid $40!!! I will definitely go back!!! Thank you for excellent service!! read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - And this sauce was amazing!!! It was for the Calamari but had to get more for our fries!!! - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

The CREATORS of craft brewing in Nor Cal, Sierra Nevada has been a staple on the scene for decades. I first tasted Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 1992, at The Bohemian Grove. I was a we lad at 24 years old working there, and a member had a 5 gallon keg. He asked me if I liked beer, and insisted I try it as he proclaimed it to be the best beer in the world. I was schooled that day. My love affair with dank hoppy beer had begun. Currently I live in Santa Rosa.....and Russian River is all the rage, but I prefer the originator ....my go to , Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Tried and true, not broken, and not fixed. ps ....In the world of 22oz beers, Sierra rises above once again! They're bottles are 24oz, not 22oz like most, so you can share it with a friend, and actually each get full 12oz beer. Sierra wins again ! read more

Went on the Heritage tour which have a great short history lesson on the brewery. Tour ends with a fun tasting of 6ish beers ! It's a lot of fun if you are into beer. We ended our trip with burgers from their restaurant. The local beef was absolutely the fishes I have ever had. Wonderful trip!!! read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - Learning about beer fermentation. Ever taste wort?! I did. - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

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Beware, very misleading. Sierra Nevada Brewing was set up at the farmers market today. Their sign advertised a growler of Cluster Fuh beer for $8. What we were given was 32oz beer in a can. Since when is a can a growler?? VERY DISAPPOINTED!!! read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

How have I not reviewed this place? Absolutely love coming here. The food is always fantastic. Seriously the best cheeseburger I've ever had. The beer selection is of course amazing. And the ambiance in the restaurant is great too. Parking can be tough during busy times, and there's usually a wait on weekend nights, though it's totally worth it. Along with the restaurant/taproom, they do killer tours of the brewery itself. Definitely worth checking out. read more

I just went on a virtual 'tasting' tour. What a Blast! Great times, Great Beer!!

As long as I've been coming to Sierra Nevada Brewing it's been one of my favorite places to eat and drink. In the last few years we have found that it's also a great place to watch concerts. The food is wonderful the beer is even better and the people are the best part. read more

I have never liked Sierra Nevada's beer so this review is not about the flavor. This is about production and customer service. I reluctantly grabbed a pale ale out of the fridge because there is no good beer there. Luckily I poured into a glass and was able to see a bug in it. So I grabbed another beer and open that one and it had a little tiny gnats in it. I open another one and it appeared to be good but it's so disgusting I don't wanna look at another Sierra Nevada. I contacted the brewery and they went through their song and dance apologize for my experience and they did send me a check to make it right. $10 Was all they sent me for that traumatizing experience. It would be fun to file a lawsuit against them just because I hate their beer so much and I got them by the balls now but that's not really my style. I just want to warn consumers out there to pour it in a glass watch for bugs and maybe switch to a good beer instead of that college crap. Guys might not care so much but ladies, do you really want to take your chances? read more

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Sierra Nevada is so fantastic. I am always amazed when hearing their statistics about how energy efficient they are. I have eaten here numerous times but I took my first tour a few months ago and wow. Again just fascinating. The process and the facility. Our guide was funny and very personable, and at the end of the tour we got to taste their top 5 beers I believe it was. Delicious. I even brought home a souvenir poster. :) read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - Free poster I got to take home after the brewery tour. So much fun! - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

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We dined at the on-site restaurant and took the Beer Geek Tour. We had a fantastic time! Even the designated driver who is not a beer drinker thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Everyone at this #3 microbrewery in the Country has an intense passion for their jobs. Our tour guide had a complete knowledge of brewing beer, the history of this particular microbrewery, and the owner's love for his employees, his industry, and the environment. This is a perfect experience for anyone. read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

Hubby and I took the Beer Geek tour yesterday. This is their most expensive and most comprehensive tour. Our guide, Cody, was fantastic. The tour was well constructed and interesting visually as well as informationally. And the beer was really good. We drove 2-1/2 hours EACH WAY for this tour and felt it was well worth our time. We both learned a lot. Book ahead, because this tour is very popular! I recommend that you include lunch at the on-site restaurant. The food was excellent and very reasonable. My lunch was a spinach, goat cheese, artichoke, and pecan pizza which was SO delicious. Hubby enjoyed an enormous pulled pork sandwich with a large helping of fries and slaw. read more

The first time I came here was as an inebriated, impressionable college student who thought anything with "Sierra Nevada" in its title would be cool and hip and sure to satisfy. The buzz finally wore off, and I returned recently to see if this restaurant/brewery still held the same charm in the light of day. Fortunately, it does. Theirs is one of the best damn French dip sandwiches ever. It's juicy and the dipping juice is incredibly flavorful. And of course, I had nothing but good things to say about the generous pours of their award-winning brews. There is a very touristy vibe to this place and it's usually crowded, but it's not worth complaining about considering this is one of the few restaurants of note in the Chico area. In conclusion: Come for the beer, stay for the food! read more

This was the Christmas gift that kept on giving. By giving, I mean giving me giddy anticipation of 02/07/14 My babygirl gifted me with the three hour Beer Geek Tour for Christmas after Yelp Beer Nerd Extraordinaire (Yes, that's an official title) John M. http://www.yelp.com/biz/sierra-nevada-brewing-co-chico?ob=1#hrid:6UVQ6K8SToAPsqFtzxuMeg RAVED about it's awesomeness. That was an extremely long month and a half of excitement built up until the day of our tour finally arrived. Upon arrival, we signed up at the front desk and were given our golden ticket. Well, just our names on a sticker actually. If this were Willy Wonka, I'd be Augustus Gloop swimming in a vat of beer before the tour was over. It started off with a slide show and speech about the history of the company as well a thorough overview on the main ingredients that go into making beer. All done with a glass of Pale Ale in hand. Later I would learn the most surprising fact that they brew two different types of their classic Pale Ale. One for bottles and on tap in their taproom. As well as a separate, slightly lower ABV draft style pale ale. After inhaling the intoxicating aromas of the hop freezer, our guide stuck his magic spiraled wand into the tank, and out came delicious beer. Which in this case was their Belgian style IPA. Later when this same witchcraft was employed on a smaller tank, I knew we would be in for a treat. The dark thick substance we were about to savor was actually their Narwhal Stout before it's to be aged in wooden barrels. The guide informed us that since this method of aging would produce it's own CO2, this version of Narwhal was not carbonated. It tasted like a more concentrated version of the regular stuff. Can't wait until the barrel aged Narwhal is released. It was pretty cool seeing the packaging for soon to be released items such as their Single Hop IPA, as well as new 12 pack mixed samplers. I'm very excited about that last part since that's the way I prefer to purchase beer if possible. Variety is the spice of life... Being a huge "How it's Made" fan, the bottling room was one of my favorite sights here. We watched the Ruthless Rye go from bare empty bottles to filled and packed in cases ready to ship in mere minutes. One man half asleep at the control panel was pretty much running the whole show. Now that's the marvel of modern engineering! The only thing that seemed to be missing on this tour was more tastings directly from the tank. That was my favorite part, yet there were too few. They did carve out a section of the tasting room to have us sample a few last brews before saying goodbye. The Coffee Stout that their doing in conjunction with Ninkasi was my favorite of the bunch. It was poured from a beaker since it hasn't been bottled yet, and is still being tested before final production. And just like a late night infomercial "but wait, there's more" they hooked us up with an empty growler as well as awesome Beer Geek t-shirts that you can't purchase anywhere. How cool is that? They really thought of everything on this tour. In fact the only thing missing was Oompa-Loompas rolling me outta here Violet Beauregard-style, after I consumed too much beer... I can't recommend this tour enough. While I haven't been on the regular free tour so I can't say what's added that you wouldn't normally get to see. From the looks on the faces of those taking the other tour, I'm sure the regular tour is fine as well if you don't wanna pony up the $25 fee to take the full geek tour. However, you'll more than get your money's worth between the growler and t-shirt alone, not even accounting for the total run of the brewery which you also receive. We were in a group with a feller from Arkansas and another from Finland. Suddenly it made the 2 1/2 drive from The Bay Area seem quite short. So no, you can't use the excuse of "but it's too far" as an excuse not to come here. I wasn't the biggest Sierra Nevada lover before this tour, but with their excellent hospitality as well as the recent opening of The Torpedo Room in Berkeley, I will be finding myself drinking much more from this company than I ever did before. Especially once those new variety packs start hitting the shelves soon. read more

Happened to be in town for a birthday celebration and since they were all meeting at a location I am not fond of we decided to get to town early and try this place out. It was Saturday and rather busy and we were lucky enough to get in on a tour so we just sat at the bar and ordered a few things. Hubby ordered a cheeseburger and I ordered the pretzels. The pretzels were to die for and the warm melty beer cheese was fantastic! They are real pretzels with that firm brown exterior and chewy insides! YUMMY. The fries that came with the burger were very good and hubby's burger had the beer cheese as well which he really appreciated. Burger looked very well sized and hubby was surprisingly able to take it down no problem. The place is really busy on Saturdays, an hour wait is typical. There was a really long line at the door, we expected this but since we didn't make it in town as early as we wanted to, we were just lucky enough to catch a few people leaving and got seats at the bar and served there, but it was at least 2 deep all around the bar since so many people were getting beers while they were waiting for tables. The food looked spectacular and I wish we had more time to try more but the tour was scheduled and we didn't want to risk it. Our tour guide RACHEL was absolutely FABULOUS!! She was so knowledgable about the history of the place and the owner and the beer I was really impressed with her knowledge and enthusiasm for the brand and her place of employment. I learned a LOT on the tour and I would certainly do it again when the production facility was up and running Monday-Friday. I so enjoyed our visit here I will certainly be back when in town again and so glad I found this place since I usually hate coming to Chico to visit the in-laws. So now I have a place to come to and look forward to our visits and just come early and come here again! :) Oh for you beer drinkers the tours are free and you get to try several beers at the end and its very entertaining and educational as well even for us non beer drinkers I was able to find one I liked and was surprised by the variety of flavors and colors available. Very much worth your time I recommend to anyone coming through town or even the locals who haven't been on the tour before (if thats even possible). See you again soon. Can't wait! read more

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Oh yes, yes, yes. FInally, a brewery worthy of it's east coast cousins. Yes Boston, I point to you. Typically, I am not a "beer person". But I do love a good brewery (especially in fall when most have pumpkin ales). And Sierra Nevada lives up, and how! Lots of selection, excellent food (including some German staples, as every beer-garten should) and live music from time to time. Just one (very important) suggestion: please leave the ankle biters at home. The rest of us are trying to have a good time and kids kind of ruin the beer-tastic ambience. Adults only, please. After all, this is basically a BAR. read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing offers a great free brewery tour (about 90 minutes long with the tasting), sure to please casual drinkers and beer geeks alike. My friend and I decided to make a spontaneous weekend trip up to Chico to visit Sierra Nevada Brewing. Unfortunately, all of the tours were fully booked online. We decided to arrive as they opened at 11am on a Sunday anyways, hoping not everyone would show up for the tour. They gladly let us on the tour right away, no waiting required. We first watched a video of the history of Sierra Nevada Brewing and the beer-making process, while sipping on Pale Ale. The tour guide then told us more about the beer-making process, making it more understandable for the non-beer geeks. We were then lead on a tour of the brewhouse.This included viewing the whirling mash tun and copper kettles, sipping on sweet wort (unfermented beer), rubbing whole-cone hops in our palms, and walking along the catwalk on the roof to visit the bottling line. Be sure to come on a weekday if you want to see the bottling line in action. At the conclusion of the tour, we were lead to a private tasting area where we got to try quite a few of Sierra Nevada's tasty brews for free, including some special releases. On our tour we tried Otra Vez, Porter, Torpedo Extra IPA, Hop Hunter IPA, Earl Grey IPA, Blizzcane Bock, and Bigfoot. The samples were fairly large in size too, so all in all we got a lot of free beer! We were also given a bottle opener keychain at the end of the tasting. Our tour guide was fantastic and the tour was extremely enjoyable. It is very unlikely you will be able to drive after the tour, so I would recommend going on over to the restaurant and soaking up the alcohol with soft pretzels and pizza. Overall, Sierra Nevada Brewing is a must visit at least once in your life. I'll definitely be back soon to do the Beer Geek Tour! read more

First time here was a couple days ago. I think the deserve a solid 3 stars, allow me to explain... So I walk in the front door and ask a hostess about the super awesome tour that i've been hearing about while on the road. She directed me a couple doors down and said she THINKS they do them every hour on the hour. I'm still not sure if that was so, but I went, stood in line, only to learn that I had to sign up in advance and wouldn't be able to do the tour. Um, okay, wish the hostess would have known so she could explain that to me. So I go back to the bar. I ordered two flights of 4 tasters which, admittedly were the best priced tasters i've come across so far, I mean next to free when you know the bartender right? I was quickly noticed and served, which was good. I went on to order a mushroom burger... But it was not explained to me that it had NO MEAT. It's fine, I had been on the road for days and was very hungry, so I ate it. I went to the bathroom once. It was just number one so I wasn't gone long, but when I got back, my seat had been given away! At that point, I just paid and left. Beer was good. It's what you'd expect from Sierra Nevada. Nothing special, but better than bud... The sandwich was good... would have been a lot better with meat! I mean come on guys! I'm a pretty husky guy, full beard, and I got 2 taster flights... does that sound like the kind of guy that wants a vegetarian meal?? "Hey bro, just so you know, that doesn't have meat in it." would have a gone a long way today. read more

What a great time touring the brewery on Valentine's Day. The staff were so friendly and knowledgeable and the facility and its history is pretty amazing. Where else do you get to sample almost 10 brews for free. Was bummed that the restaurant was too busy to try but it was Valentine's Day and they don't accept reservations on weekends. Oh well, I'll need to try it some other time. read more

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The Sierra Nevada brewery tour is the most thorough and one of the best around, and totally worth the 2 hour drive we made (in a small, packed car at that). The tour completely exceeded my expectations. Our guide kept it interesting, fun, and fast paced. Starting off with a taste of their classic pale ale, the rest of the tour was informative in the beer brewing process and extremely hands on. We felt and smelled hops, tasted the wort, and got to see pretty much the entire brewing process from start to finish. This beer lesson was of course intertwined with a rich history of Sierra Nevada, making you admire and fall in love with the care and respect they have for the craft. The tour ended with about 8 tastings of the beers they had on tap, including some holiday exclusives (we went on Thanksgiving weekend). Every beer had some story behind it, making the tasting more than just a mere chug fest. After the tastings, we were treated to free Sierra Nevada souvenirs (key chain bottle openers, posters). Did I mention this awesome tour is free..?! After the tour we went to the adjoining restaurant to continue sampling their extensive selection of beers and delicious food to pair. Everyone is super knowledgeable about the beer, but I was the most excited to try the beer mustards they had on the table. Good beer + good food = perfect day trip! read more

This place was really good at one time, and rated 5 stars. Now, 2. While the beer remains of high quality, the restaurant and food have unevolved into nothing more than your typical commercialized restaurant. The special foods and unique flavors are gone. The idea of sustainable foods has given way to corporate profits. What made this restaurant special and different is gone. The service is very slow. While the staff is nice and responsive to your needs, it takes forever to get anything. You need to go once just to say you did it, but frankly once is enough. read more

Sierra Nevada Brewery is one of Chico's main charms. They offer free tours of the brewery with a generous amount of free beer samples at the end of your tour! Although their beer is the main event, the food at the restaurant is something you can't miss (especially the beer cheese & pretzels appetizer). If you are visiting Chico, Sierra Nevada is a must! read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - The famous beer cheese & pretzels at Sierra Nevada Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

Quality of food is going down . Called to complain about my meal and an stil wait to hear from Gen manager Bob Litel. That's not good business . I won't be taking my customers there anymore Been here several times with clients , food was good 1st time and that's it . Getting worse! Asked for Gen mgr still waiting for his call! Not acceptable business practices . Great food, server was excellent .. Only thing is the wait is too long and no reservation on Saturdays !!! Over an hour for a table . From 7-4-12 It was only a tip now a REVIEW read more

This is a restaurant review, not a beer review. If I were reviewing the beer, I would have given it 4 stars. The brewery is a must for anyone visiting the Chico area. It is one of the few things Chico is famous for. The restaurant is beautiful, the patio is awesome (when weather permits), and they have a great gift shop. However once you take away the tourist appeal, you are left with long waits to be seated, longer waits to order, and food that is only marginally better than olive garden or applebee's for significantly more money. Come here for appetizers (the pretzel with cheese dip is amazing) and beer, eat dinner somewhere else. read more

Sierra Nevada Brewery's IPA is absolute trash, fresh or otherwise, and has been since I first tried it in the 90s. Sorry, but I do NOT drink bad beer. And SNB IPA is the epitome of harsh, bitter, pucker-you-up dragon piss, err, beer. I gave this bewery a few chances, but no luck. What ever happened to making enjoyable beer? Beer that is balanced and nuanced, a beer that does not require a badge of courage to drink, something so hardcore one is to be proud of, the way that some tough, "cool" people "enjoy" a good beat-down, I guess. Of course, I am NOT your Bud / Miller / Coors drinker. I was raised drinking good old world beer. Despite the American tap room / microbrew craze of the last 20 years, I dare say 90% + of the domestic microbrew output is shite, yes, even here in the PDX. But Sierra Nevada Brewery is at the VERY bottom of the barrel, along with Molson Ice or Miller beers. Alas, not every brewmaster can be Shaun Hill. read more

I went strictly for the tour of the brewery. Anyone who has an interest in how beer is made, homebrews themselves, or just wants to kill some time and learn something - you should take the tour! Tour guide was very cool and had all kinds of neat facts. Tour was absolutely killer!!! Free tasting of 8 of their latest brews are available at the end (2 ounces of each) and they pitched us all a keychain at the end. Sounds like the founder has a real good thing going with how he treats his employees! read more

We visited this past weekend(Labor Day weekend) I had booked a hotel because we are from out of town and didn't even realize it was Labor Day weekend so when I went to call to reserve 2 spots on the brewery tour, they were all booked up since it was a holiday weekend. I talked to Emma and she was absolutely the best! She said come in the morning to put our names on the list and she would see what she could do. When we got there she was so excited to see me and said they had been waiting for us to arrive because she really wanted to get us on a tour. She got us in right away. The tour was also amazing and we ate at the restaurant afterwards and the food was delicious! Such an great experience and would love to come back! Thanks Emma for being so awesome and sweet! read more

Happiness epitomized. After the tour, I had so much more respect for this brewery and its beer- not that it was entirely lacking. Damn good beer. So many varieties to pick and enjoy. In fact, the sampler , which i recommend you split with someone, features 15 different beers, all presented on a nifty little paper placemat that reminds you what you are enjoying. If you're sharing your sampler AND eating, there should be plenty of room left in your tummy to squeeze in larger portions of beer. And you MUST do that. What else would you be doing here? ... unless you happen to be the driver. I highly recommend the tour. (Or at least the little spot in the brewery where they have videos that tell you just about everything they mention on the tour). It will make you feel better about supporting and drinking mass quantities of Sierra. The food goes perfectly with whatever you happen to be drinking. If it doesn't, it's because you've ordered the wrong beer and must stop what you're doing and order another. The menu changes throughout the day. I thought that was pretty significant to mention. There's plenty of parking nearby, but if it's busy and packed, make the effort and just walk. It's not like you're not gonna need to burn some calories after stopping here :) read more

This is what all breweries should aspire to be like! Big huge room!! $3 for a flight!! Mmmmmm the food was so good !! This is a must see if your any where near Chico!! LooKing forward to going back soon!! read more

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What a fun time in Chico. Staff are very energetic and friendly, and the tour includes free tastings. Even if Pale Ale isnt your go-to, there's probably something worth trying - and it's always interesting to see an industrial operation in action. Jenn did a great job as tour guide and we'll definitely be back for other tours and events. read more

I had an absolutely amazing time here! We came here on a Tuesday a few minutes before the tour and they were able to get us in! There were probably like 8 of us in the tour (3 old dudes, and 3 middle aged dudes, plus me and my bf... quite the variety). Our tour guide (Scott?) was very knowledgable and easy going. I think the highlight of the tour (besides the tasting) was the hop room. It was really fun to be able to touch and smell all the different varieties they use! Onto the tasting! Obviously everyone's favorite part... You get to try 8 beers, and the samples are quite generous! We started off with Old Chico and went all the way up to Torpedo. I'm boring, so my favorite was the Porter, but I enjoyed all of them. Okay, now time for top secret Sierra Nevada news: They will be replacing their Spring seasonal beer with a new rye beer. The designer of the packaging actually asked for opinions on the box which was really cool. They will also be making the Pale Ale and Torpedo in CANS! Super exciting for those of us who like to enjoy a beverage at the pool. And of course, we HAD to stop at the gift shop. I bought a sweatshirt and a 6 pack of Celebration Ale which was just released last week. I wanted to buy a case, but I'll prob just pick up a case of the Pale Ale next time I'm at Costco. OH, and this company is the most environmentally friendly brewery EVER! Love it! read more

Very nice place to visit with family. They have a great restaurant and tours also a nice gift shop. Look forward to visiting again soon. read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - Sierra Nevada brewery in Chico, CA - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

This is a review for the Beer Geek Tour. I've been on the free tour before and it's great, I highly recommend the free tour. Unfortunately I do NOT recommend the beer geek tour. It was $50, so I was expecting a lot. I'm also a home brewer of a few years, so I know the basics but was looking to learn more details. This tour covered everything in the free tour, plus: * slightly smaller group (but I think the free tour group size is still reasonable) * better tastings at the end - barrel aged series instead of just standard line up * visit to the fermentation room(s) w/ a couple tastings straight from the fermenters * visit to the hop warehouse (big room full of packaged hops, so you can't touch them in this room) * Went onto the canning floor while it was running * You go into a different brewing room, and get to look into a batch of beer that's currently brewing * You get a t-shirt and a 32 oz (empty) growler (The t-shirt logo isn't that exciting, I would have preferred they just let us pick a shirt from the gift shop, also it's the super thin fabric that I kinda hate, so I've already donated it to goodwill). A growler is a growler, no complaints there, but it's not like having the growler gets you discounts on growler fills (that would have been a good deal). Tour guide: I didn't think he offered anything more than the free tour did from an information standpoint. I think we might have scared him by telling him we were home brewers, but if this tour isn't meant for a home brewer, I'm not sure who it's meant for. I think he knew a fair amount, but it was like pulling teeth to get it out of him rather than him having a good script of things to tell us. For $50 we really expected an amazing tour. Kinda expected to meet a brewer and talk to him for a few minutes. The guy running the tour was knowledgeable but was still just a full time tour guide, not a brewer. Stick to the free tour and then go spend your $50 on tastings in the tap room. Note: if you still want to go on the beer geek tour, closed toe shoes are required for this tour (only reason we knew was we saw it in a review somewhere) read more

This place is awful and the staff is awful and rude. I hate giving bad reviews but Sierra Nevada Brewing should not be the place you go for food. read more

Outstanding...simply outstanding. The tour was long enough to provide you with a feeling you got to see a lot of the brewing process in depth. It was also short enough to were it was not a drawn out boring tour. The tour guides were great and had a lot of interesting and useful information. The factory itself seems to be moving in a very positive and green sustaining direction. Plus you can't beat the 9 free samples of limited availability beers they give you at the end of the tour. read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

Attended a wedding reception in the big room here. Loved the room, the tiered seating was a plus and ensured everyone had a great view of the bride and groom and the dance floor. Food was good here. Bar staff was friendly, and know their beer, they were able to make recommendations of the 16 beers on tap based on your preferences. read more

As noted in another review, I'm a fan of the brewpub experience. Great news: Sierra Nevada gets it right in a big way. Compared to other brewpubs, I'd give it five stars. It's not the French Laundry, of course, but isn't trying to be. The beer sampler is not only a lot of fun to try (and share with someone else) but it's also a bargain. I didn't care for all of samples -- grapefruit flavored beer... really? -- but there were some that I would go out of my way to order again. Without the sampler, I might have never tried them, so that's a big boon. The food we had was very, very good. Their flatbread pizzas are imaginative, tasty and just the right size. The Thai pizza is a real standout. The only disappointment was the scallop special my daughter ordered. Scallops are by nature a subtle flavor, but the whole dish was just bland. I also like the prices. Perhaps it was expensive for the Chico area, but I've spent a lot more for a lot worse food in Dublin/Pleasanton. The service was truly outstanding. Although we had a primary server, everyone made sure our waters we filled, dishes were promptly cleared and just checked in to make sure it was all good. It was. I will not hesitate to return to Sierra Nevada the next time I'm in Chico. (I may even try to encourage my son to go to the CSU here just to give me an excuse to visit on a regular basis.) read more

Off the hook AWESOME! Tour was booked solid, but we did a self tour that was fun. Our main goal was the Taproom. Too many kinds of beer to choose from! No matter what we tried, all were good and decided to join the crowd and get a Growler of the Brown Ale to take home. We had seen many people carrying them out and went with our impulse. The food is terrific. I highly recommend the house salad (with the sugared pecans--I could've eaten a bucket full!) and the roast beef w/onion gravy sandwich. Words can't describe how the flavor hit your mouth, melted on your tongue and left you wanting more. The gravy was so flavorful and so good, I found it gone before I could believe it. Gift shop not as well stocked as anticipated, quite expensive and they have a unmarked 'clearance barrel' in the far back corner. We (and several others) ended up purchasing their $1 bottle openers with the SNBC logo on it. Parking is a bit tight. I'm sure it's much easier during the week but if I lived closer, I'd be here every week! Thinking we may even go back next Saturday, just for lunch again! read more

I think there was a beer making store in Chico started by Ken Grossman before Sierra Nevada Brewing.