I got here on a Saturday afternoon, a little after 5PM. I asked to join the tour and they let me join - the last person on the last tour - I got very lucky. People (even large groups) asked to go on the tour after me but were denied because it was full. If anybody is wondering, the tours are about 15 people max. It was graduation weekend at Chico too. Our tour guide was Paul. He explained the processes well and we went all over the brewery. Unfortunately, on the weekend, the bottling and canning lines weren't running. I suggest you go on the tours on a weekday (but there are less tours on those days). Other than that, the tour was great, full of facts, and of course, a large variety of beers to taste! read more

I like Sierra Nevada, a lot. I always have their Pale Ale stocked at home and it's usually my go-to beer when going to the bars. I'm really glad we stopped over in Chico on our way to Oregon. We have a friend who is local and met us here for a couple beers before the closed the bar. We decided to sit at a table since the bar was closing and ordered some appetizers and talked. a couple of us got pints, some got tasters, and some even left with growlers! It was a pleasant experience and surprisingly busy for the time of night on a week day. The service was good, not frequently checking in on us, and attentive. I would love to return! read more

I grew up around Chico, CA and Sierra Nevada is a great place to eat, celebrate and have fun! It's very well known for its beer as I'm sure you know! If you haven't been there before I recommend getting the beer sampler. It's fun... you can learn about the beer and see what you really like before ordering. It's like wine tasting but with beer. :) I personally think that the food is all good... I've never went wrong. read more

This was a five star experience for the beer, the food, the service AND the awesome gift shop. When in Chico this is your place whether you drink beer or not. The food is amazing! I had the beet salad and added chicken. It's on arugula and was the tastiest beet salad I have ever had. The added chicken was grilled juicy and flavorful. Husband had the Sierra Nevada burger and fries and used many napkins it was so juicy. Nephew had the Brewers Pizza which was an artisan style thin crust. He almost ate the whole thing. Gift shop was so much fun and actually quite reasonable. Now the beer! Check out the pic of the beer menu. It is so extensive!!!! Everyone found a different one to try and we were passing each other's around so we could taste more than a few. Lots of room inside to dine but we ate on their fun outdoor patio. Very busy and lively place but the service never slows down. So we had three entrees, one garlic fries appetizer (huge and YUM), and a total of 6 beers. The bill was slightly over $80. Not bad!!!!! Love it here. Wish Chico was closer. That said we are going back!!! read more

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Old Breweries use to have a small Tasting Room that was at the end of a tour of the Brewery, Sierra Nevada has a Huge Bar and Restaurant (maybe 500 people capacity) and you don't have to take a tour to get to it. They also have live music in another room (I believe it's called the Big Room). Names like (One of my favorites) Tommy Castro (Band) played there (available on DVD not his best stuff). Big selection of Beers on Tap and Full Bar. I would have liked a little more cozy atmosphere but it is still a 5 star experience. read more

WOW, is all I can say about this place. The owner of this company is doing so much for our environment. To be as successful as this company has without a marketing department, is unbelievable. The tour is very informative and the food was excellent. OH, the beer is ice cold and GREAT! read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - VIP tour. Beer on the house. - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

If you come here you HAVE to do a tour. We ended up doing a four person tour (we didn't do a reservation and showed up at 11 am on New Years Eve and thankfully none but 2 people ended up showing up). Mike, our tour guide, was friendly, funny and knowledgeable. My husband and I have done several brewery tours (including Sam Adams in Boston and Heineken is Amsterdam) but this was the best by far. A free tour with free tastings at the end? Yes please! Hit the tasting room before hand and had the Audition Chocolate Cream Stout with the beef flatbread pizza and it was absolutely amazing. Will definitely make Sierra Nevada a stop on out next trip up north. read more

Great food and excellent service. Even though it was a packed house they spoiled us. I had Fish n Chips and my several of our friends had wood fired pizzas and salads. Loved everything. I'm not a big beer drinker but they loved the brews. Will definitely be back. read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - This was us last Sunday having an awesome time with friends at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

The free tour is fantastic. Be sure to make reservations for the tour...and for a meal at the restaurant. Tour is for 12 and over (beer tasting at the end) There is also a self-guided tour available, kids are welcome to participate in that one. Restaurant can be noisy, but it is part of the experience. Beautiful facility inside and out. Delicious food...and, of course, amazing beer. read more

Believe the ratings, this is a Must-Do stop for ANY beer fan. Great draught beer and food menus. And awesome tours to boot. We did the Hop Head Tour and it was a great time. Samples of beer in various stages of brewing, and get your hands stained sampling a variety of hops. Capped with plenty of samples back in the tasting room at the end. read more

place is okay. Nice ambiance and great service. Get the beer sample double shot sizes for each sierra nevada beer. Free bread, and lunch specials. read more

Sierra Nevada has set the standard of craft beer on the West Coast. Now that Celebration Ale is out we finally made the 3 1/2 hours to taste it from the tap. We got a chance to take the tour, which was the highlight of the trip. It really can only been put in bullet points - We got to taste the wart! - Rump hops between our hands to see the different profiles/characteristics. - Taste 8 beers (including an few spring seasonal) - EXTREMELY ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY Something to note: Sierra Nevada employees more than 500 people who seem to all love their job. They have their own medical facility, daycare, and earn "beer bucks." Switching careers anyone? This tour is for everyone, but you get more out of it if you ask questions. I asked a lot. Best beer tour ever! Sierra Nevada has paved the way for craft beer and literally encourage people on the tour to brew beer at least once in their life. Very inspiring. read more

Super busy on a Friday for lunch. Waiting about 15 minutes for a party of 5. Onion Rings - Yummy. Fish and Chips - Excellent. Served with delicious fries, and coleslaw. Employees' Favorite Pizza on Multi-grain crust - good, but a bit greasy. Chico wheat beer - not available in stores, so enjoy it here. Service was good. A little bit loud inside, but expected. read more

I've been to dozens of breweries around the country and this definitely one of the nicest. The building and everything in it is perfectly maintained. Luxurious woods everywhere. It almost looked like a fine hotel inside. As you walk in there's a nice gift shop packed with cool stuff. To the right is where the tours start and you can see bottoms of the the rows of giant fermenters that tower up and stick out through the top of the building. To the left are the giant copper mash tuns and a small bar where you can have a beer at the end of your tour. If you already know how beer is made or you don't want to spend the time on a guided tour you can climb the stairs to the mezzanine and just look down into the various parts of the brewery. There are signs around that tell you what everything is. Very nice. After poking around there for a bit we walked outside and down to the end of the building where the restaurant and tap room is. It's a BIG place decorated in a very classic style. Lots of dark wood everywhere. It feels like a giant Cheers. They also have a very large tree and vine covered patio area as well and since the bar was very full we decided to sit out there. The service was excellent and we were well taken care of. We didn't eat, but we had several beers and as expected they were all awesome. Sierra Nevada is a big brewery, but they still know how to make great beer. So if you're a beer fan, this is definitely one of the cornerstone breweries to check out. read more

OHHHHHHHHH!! This place is MIND BLOWING!!! Besides they fact that they have some of the most amazing beer here that is brewed right at this location, their restaurant is the best in the area, and one of the best in the whole state of California. Get their beer sampler your first time here. Then you can try all their amazing craft brews. You can't go wrong with their pizza, burgers, or any of their sandwiches. This place is always packed and for good reason. The locals vouch for this place, college kids from out of town drive all the way off campus to eat here, and fans of the beer come and leave satisfied. Did I mention they have a gift shop? Stop by there and get a Sierra Nevada Brewery shirt. You'll fit right in with the locals. Best beer? OLD CHICO. Hands down partna read more

Today's brewery tour and tasting were both exceptional. Our tour guide Ben was hilarious and provided a great deal of information about this brewery's history, the process of making many types of beers and finally the chance to taste 7-8 different beers on tap. The fact that this operation Is self-sustaining with regard to energy and power is fascinating!! We highly recommend taking a tour of Sierra Nevada when you visit Chico! read more

I love the beer sampler! It's nice to be able to try the beers before you buy. Always a favorite thing to do when I go to Chico. read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - Sampler, yes! - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

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My boyfriend and I wanted to do the free brewery tour while we were in town, but we were only able to reserve one spot. We arrived early and they were very accommodating. The tour started off with a short movie about the found and a beer. Our guide was very friendly and definitely knew his stuff, I was surprised to find out that he had only been working there for a month or so. During the tour, we got to try wort (yuck), touch hops, see their solar panels, and their bottling facility. It's amazing how conscious of the earth they are. That aspect alone made me want to buy more Sierra Nevada. After about an hour and a half we ended the tour in a little tasting area and we were able to try about 6 different brews, so make sure you eat beforehand! After the tour we hopped on over to the restaurant. They were pretty busy, as expected on a Saturday. We didn't eat before the tour and were pretty hungry, so we went outside to see if they had any seats available. Other guests were very friendly when they saw us looking for a spot and a couple people volunteered to move closer together to make room for us. BOOM, we were able to skip the 45 min wait and sit right away. I think my boyfriend had the ribs and he said they were awesome. I had the vegan noodle bowl. It was really good, but I would not recommend it on a hot day (I had it on a cold day). We shared the beer cheese - amaze. Good tour, good beer, good food & good people. read more

It's the second time driving all the way to Chico just for SNBC. Last year I did the self tour and tried the restaurant. Good service, tasty food, and sensible prices. This year, I took the official guided tour. Byron was our guide. One look at him and you can tell he is a homebrewer: semi-fancy, and he knows his beer (and probably dreams of owning a farm). And you could not get a better person to tour the brewery. You get to see the hop room, rubbing the whole cones in your palms and smelling the essential oil. Byron brings in a little bit of chemistry, which I appreciate, as he walks you through all the tanks. Finally, you also see the green doodads (tracking solar panels and fuel cells) and the massive bottling facility. The tour is well worth the time (an hour to hour and ten). Afterward (for an additional 30-40 minutes), you get a generous tasting of beers (like 7!). Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is just fantastic! read more

Whats left to say? Take the tour, eat the food, drink the beer. You will NOT be disappointed! read more

Went on the free tour since I am new to beer and it was just the perfect intro even for a more enthusiastic beer conisuir one would still have a great time as it was very well organized overview of the brewing process and the history behind Sierra Nevada brewing. Free samples at the end and the restaurant was great as well. Service both from the tour guide and the waiter were perfect. The waiter even gave us some tips on mixing certain beers to create a new flavor. read more

I came here with my aunt, uncle and gf when I was visiting California for the holiday break. I'm a big fan of breweries and this place is definitely a must visit. It's located in Chico, a small college town about 2 hours north of Sacramento. We did the brewery tour which was free. The tour guides really go into depth about the history and creation of the brewery. They take you all throughout the facility and show you the tanks and entire brewing system. The tastings are also great. You get about 8 - 10 5 oz samplings of their beer from lightest to darkest. I highly recommend this brewery if your into IPA's and pale ales. They even have a taproom and restaurant on site which looked very good as well. Overall it was a great experience! read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - Beer samples for everyone. - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

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Backstage Pass Four was so interesting! Our guide Drew made it even better with his knowledge and enthusiasm. I really enjoyed learning the history of Sierra Nevada and the owner and what he did to get to where it is today. The beer was yummy of course! Wherever we where everyone was so nice and engaging - amazing customer service! The food was great! We had chicken Caesar salad's and the chicken was perfect and so was the service. It really stands out how nice we were treated by every single person we encountered that works there. Everyone that works there is obviously very happy and proud to be there. We look forward to coming back soon. Thank you all! Especially Drew! We met Isaiah and he was so interesting and cool and nice! read more

Great Tour today. Thanks for all of the information. At least Jimmy Carter did one thing right by legalizing home brewing. I gave up on US beer after returning from Germany in 1980. Little did I now that when I finished the Wild Flower Century in 1984, what was served at the finish line would start a love affair with beer again. I am not sure if beer is the best idea after 100 miles on a bike, but I made it home on the bike. Thank You for the major leap forward in American beer. The food and your mustard are both great. Mustard on Onion Rings? Never thought I would try mustard on the second best Onion Rings. I have to fly to Chicago for the best. read more

I'm not a beer fan, and I never thought I'd be a fan of a beer company, but Sierra Nevada seems like they can do no wrong. They are environmentally responsible in ALL of their actions, they treat their employees fantastic, and they provide a number of great services to their Chico community. Their big room is a great venue to see a band or film premiere, and the staff and crew are always helpful and kind. Touring the facility is free, available daily, highly educational, and great fun! read more

They got this place right. Only thing is it's always crowded. But that's a good thing. Food is exceptional. I will always go here.

This is the place in Chico to see a concert off campus. Albums get recorded here! Its also the home of Chico's most famous export, next to nuts, rice, and me: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. This is the place for Mother's Day brunch, Father's Day, birthday dinners, etc. They do nice food, nice atmosphere, but not stuffy. You can try a small tasting assortment of beers, or just have nice food sans alcohol. You can also see the copper brewing tanks from the entrance. The whole facility has grown so much over the years that technically, its not a microbrew anymore, but it doesn't matter to me. What matters is when I'm traveling alone on business, far away from home, and I see the Sierra Nevada tap behind the bar, and I realize, I'm never that far away from Chico. read more

Wow, before I visited this brewery, I was only a small fan of Sierra Nevada. Now, I love them & I want to drink more of their beer in support! We called in that morning at 9am & were able to reserve a tour for 2 on Saturday at 1pm. We got there & it immediately reminded me of Stone Brewery in San Diego. I guess all brewery/restaurant combos looks the same. But Sierra Nevada is something special! Not only was their founder a complete engineering genius, he's also conscious of the environment! That really impressed me the most. This brewery practically runs the city of Chico, for providing cow feed from left over beer supplies to powering the city buses with their ethanol left overs. It's insane! They also have more solar panels than most high corporations & they help to power houses in the city. Needless to say, I am thoroughly impressed! And of course the best part of the tour is the tasting! You get 8 samples, 2oz each. My favorite was the Old Chico! And my least favorites were some of the IPAs, man they got serious hops, especially the Torpedo! Just a little hoppy for my taste. Regardless, they're still brewin' up some pretty good stuff. And just knowing that my drinking helps power the city buses & feed cows, I think I just pop open a cold one right now! read more

We had so much fun here! My boyfriend is a dedicated Sierra fan and I found several of their brews that I really enjoyed! We came for the tour but had lunch as well. The food was good. Messy! But worth it. We both got a flight and I was impressed at how many different kinds they had. We took a tour after lunch and it was so fun. Super informative, interactive, and you get to taste at the end. I'd go back and do it all over again if I had the chance! (PS. they don't have a full bar. Some "gentlemen" in the booth next to us were quite upset about this. It's a brewery though, so, you know, champagne and vodka aren't high on the list...) read more

Giggs was our tour guide yesterday and did a great job of keeping it fun and informative. The tour is really amazing and I was really into the sustainability of the brewery. They actually have a separate sustainability tour which I'd like to check out next time I'm up there. A really amazing place and great to get some of the backstory on Ken Grossman's journey in creating Sierra Nevada! read more

Can I just say - WOW!!!! This is a spectacular operation! They brew amazing beer and they have a impressive facility. Went there for an American Homebrewers Association event and was given a tour of the brewery by the Brewmaster himself, Steve Dressler. It is truly amazing how a love for his job really shines through. Steve and his crew are so proud of their work and it is truly a labor of love. I was especially impressed with their level of environmental consciousness (recycling everything, reducing water use, converting different energy systems to run the operations, etc). They also look after their employees! Another amazing part about the Brewery itself is that they took a lot of time to design the place. From the wrought iron work (with a hop plant) to their tiled and granite flooring - they put a lot of thought into making the place beautiful. They have successfully made their place look sophisticated and change many people's preconceived notion of a brewery as a low-brow establishment. LIke a fine wine and a stellar winery, Sierra Nevada should be appreciated like that. read more

Understand that this review applies strictly to the Brewery tour itself and not the taproom. The reason for this is because the taproom was closed! (closed every monday) This may have a large influence on my judgement of the facility, but who's auditing. I thought the tour itself was pretty dry. No pun intended. Well ok, maybe. It is free..yes. woo. hoo. But at least make it somewhat more interactive. The most involvement we got was passing around a jar full of hop and sniffing it. Otherwise, we watched a video on what makes them special, saw display cases of older labels, and got a birds eye view of the tanks. I guess I can't appreciate the process that goes into making the beer, but what I really care about is the taste of what they're talking about! I don't need a pint of everything, but if they're saying how this brew is amazing, and that brew won awards, and this hop in this beer taste like this, lay out the samples! Taste speaks louder than words! Other brewery tours I've been on gave us samples of there beers, which made the tour engaging and fun, so needless to say, I was pretty bored with this one. I hear the taproom is great, but if you go on a Monday like we did, expect the show and tell to leave you quite dry. wah wah. read more

I don't get it. I've lived in the Bay Area for over 15 years, but have never been here. That's not what I don't get though. So we happened to be passing through (give or take 50 miles each way), and decided to take a detour. Unfortunately we missed the two guided tours so we set off on the self-guided tour. This entailed watching a video with 5 segments and then walking down a hallway until we went down a dead end hallway and worked our way back. There are a lot of cool old beer cans in display cases, but I don't know how they relate to the current brewery. And no beer tastings/samples. Since I'm driving I don't need to chug down several pints of 9% ABV beer. Dinner at the tap room didn't fare much better. The food was decent, but when I tried the Hoptimum beer, and wanted something similar, the waiter recommended the Barley wine style beer. Um no. Good beer, but not worth the detour. read more

Great tour! Tour guide was educated and animated. Facility is beautiful. Beer is awesome! The restaurant and gift shop were so good! I am recommending! If you are thinking of it... do it! read more

They're got everything you need to survive!! Free awesome brewery tour! Including lots of free tasters! Extremely happy and knowledgeable employees, because this is the dream job! Gift shop with random badass stuff! Not to mention a huge restaurant with superve food! Best brewery I have ever been to. Incredible food + fabulous beer = true happiness! Nom nom! read more

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Great Beer, Great food, Great company!!!! Although I was already a fan of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., hence trekking my way up to Chico, a 3 hour drive, they've converted me to a Super Fan!! My only squeeze and I took the tour and learned that 1) we are not crazy when we taste a difference between draught pale ale and the bottled version and 2) they are very self sustainable in terms of energy use, recycling, and composting! NYAY! After the tour we stuck around to eat at the restaurant. This place is the total package, great food, great beer, and cheerful employees. Only improvement needed is the wait time, we waited for about an hour and a half. But 2 thumbs up! read more

A hop plantation, Wine tasting should be this fun, Disneyland of Beer. read more

One should be patient when visiting the restaurant at Sierra Nevada; the wait can be very, very long. But to sum it up: it's worth it. They pair up servers, so that you don't have one person waiting on you the whole time, which can obviously result in long waits between server visits. The food is outstanding and the part that was surprising, was how affordable it was. VERY good value. The meals range from $9-16 and the portions were very hardy. I had the fish and chips and the fish was just outstanding. Excellent service, fantastic food (and obviously the beers are outstanding), I hope they expand out into other areas of the state. read more

The highlight of my Chico trip, for sure. A traditional style brewery in many ways- but traditional done right... and with a twist, kicking it up one step- from the interior, exterior and landscape architecture to the warm friendly staff and bartenders/waiters. Great food, great beer, and great gift shop... and the brewery is like the exploratorium for beer geeks... look, touch and smell beer ingredients, see and smell the brewing process, peruse brewing related antiques, photos, etc and soak in the lovely detailed stained glass while deciding which of the samplers you would like to get in a grown-up pint size. The food is a California twist on traditional brewery food- just a little gourmet, but mostly simple and tasty. What especially won me over was Sierra's major strides towards sustainable energy... I absolutely love the solar parking structure which not only provides the majority of the brewery's electrical energy but will eventually use its surplus energy to help supply the California power grid... now that's cool. Bottom Line: Good food, beer, aesthetics and harnessing the hot Chico sun to make cool hoppy brews... I like! read more

FREE BEER Yes you read that right! While up in Chico we decided to sign up for a tour of the facility. This is a complimentary tour that is accompanied with beer tastings. A great way to try the different types of beers they offer without the commitment. I was able to find a new beer I liked from thus tour so really they are earning more. The tour first starts off with their famous Pale Ale (their first beer) and a video on how they got started. This is a great story of a mom and pop that succeeded way beyond dreams could stretch. We then got a tour of the facility. Got to see where they make the beer and the different stages it go through. Another cool part was the hops room! we got to rub them in our hands and smell them. DO NOT EAT THEM. If yoy go youll be warned many other times too. To finish off the tour we got to try a few other beers which is where I discovered a new beer love! Dont forget to stop at the gift shop for cute tees and bottle beer. Oh and theirs other tours like a sustainability tour! read more

Sierra Nevada Brewing - Pale Ale - Breweries Near Me - Chico, California

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