If you're a craft beer fan this tour should be on your list of things to do if you're visiting Chicago. You get to visit 3 breweries/brew pubs. I believe at least one of them you get a tour of, Revolution brewery was the one we got to tour. Our guide Ted was awesome, he gave us some history on the places we were going to visit along with some local Chicago history during the ride. The location were kept a surprise ahead of time so we didn't know where we were going until we got there. They do have a rotation of different breweries they tour so if you decided to go again you could possibly explore some new spots the next time around. The coolest part about the tour is the bus itself, just checkout the pictures. The seating layout makes for great interaction with the rest of the people on the tour. I happened to find out about The Barrel Run when I was looking up Chicago tours on YouTube & came across some video a couple named kovACTION made about 3 months ago. Right after watching that I knew I had to fit this in my schedule when I was in town. read more

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Our tour guide, Ted, was great at providing history of the Chicago beer scene and the chosen breweries all provided different experiences (a flight at one, tour at the next and a tasting tap room at the last one). read more

The Barrel Bus team were a huge help to me in arranging a large team outing, including making sure that all of our stops were to places that had plenty of wine and cocktail offerings, not just craft beer. They were responsive and helpful and took almost all of the planning work off my plate. And my team had a really fun evening. Highly recommended. Will do business with them again. read more

The Barrel Run was a fun unique experience. The vehicle itself was classy and awesome! The driver is very knowledgeable and professional. The tours were fun and exciting. Will definitely do it again! read more

The Barrel Run - Bus Tours Near Me

Went on the Barrel Run brewery tour yesterday to celebrate my husband's retirement. The bus itself was so fun and Ted, our tour guide was awesome. Great stories, sociable, and gave great recommendations. Our family of 5 had a blast. read more

The Barrel Run - Bus Tours Near Me

Such a fun, effortless, and unique experience! With so many great breweries in chicago this has got to be one of the best ways to get to and around 3 breweries in about 3 hours and at a super reasonable cost! So if you're in town for a short visit, want to make the best use of your time on a weekend, or just want to have fun - I highly recommend. Pick up and drop off are by the McDonald's on Clark and Ontario across from the former Rainforest Cafe - again making this whole experience super convenient. Aside from the efficiency of it - Dave was a blast to hang with and handles that barrel bus like it's on rails. He rocks a solid playlist, which I happily sang along to, and it ranges from prohibition era tunes to modern day jams. The barrel it's self is so cool to ride around in - it's roomy and the seats are quite comfy. And for added fun, you are allowed to bring on and consume any beverages you purchase for the ride. It can't be open before - it must be opened and only consumed in the bus. On to the tour - First stop of the day, was Pilot Project Brewing which is a brewing incubator on North Milwaukee and they also have another location in Milwaukee, Wi. They give start up brewers a space for them to brew and test out their product. I was a big fan of the fruited pale ale and the pickle beer. It made me want a hot dog real bad! LOL But, seriously. Next stop was is one of my most favorite breweries, Revolution! We had a delicious sun crusher during the fantastic tour and then had their freedom lemonade on tap. It's like summer in your mouth. Last on the trip was Goose Island - Clybourn Brewhouse. Here we had 3 samples, and had time to order some appetizers if we wanted to and I got a ginormous 19.2 oz tropical beer hug. After that we were back to Clark and Ontario to continue our own journey. Thanks for a fantastic day Dave! Cheers! read more

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A must-do, fun for all, 3.5 hour activity for Adults! TBR is a small "touring" business, operated in a uniquely designed bus/trolley that carries up to 36 guests to several local brewery (or other pre-arranged wineries/distilleries for private groups of 18+). David, the owner, is the designer, builder and driver who guided us on this BARREL Bus to 3 craft breweries. Cost was $75pp, which included your ride, brewery visits and sampling at each of the local craft brewers around Chicago - we had a lot of fun on a beautiful Fall day, made new friends, and sampled many tasty brews! Each stop was about 45 min. I had a 5-STAR birthday treat! Our tour stopped at Lake Effect Brewing, Goose Island Brewery and On Tour Brewery. Lake Effect was a small operation, a growing business by brewmaster/owner Clint. We sampled their First Responder (Kolsch style) beer, a heavy Chocolate Stout, and finally a Sour beer - we bought some other crafts for our bus ride and to take home! Goose Island had a nice patio area, where we each got a Pint of our choice. Oktoberfest was seasonal, plus we also tried a couple newer hazy IPA's, and a Pale Ale - all very good. A suggestion is to bring a sandwich or some munchies as not a lot of food was offered at the breweries except our 3rd stop; fortunately we had picked up a couple Italian Beef sandwiches to share before boarding the bus, so it was a perfect compliment to the crafts! On Tour Brewery was our last stop, where we tried a lighter Belgian style beer, an Oktoberfest and finally their signature IPA. All easy to drink and nice sampling variety. On Tour did have some hot tacos/food, and souvenirs available for purchase. Although I described our brewery tastings, this was all made possible with David's TBR bus, a cool way to ride around town and experience a craft brew tour. Next time I think we'll sign up to try the TBR wine or distillery tour. Cheers, ENJOY!!! read more

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Ted, our tour guide was amazing!!! Knowledgeable with a lot of fun facts, and just a super cool guy! We really enjoyed the tour and hanging with him in the breweries!! The barrel vehicle itself was so unique, and super clean and made the experience that more fun! Would highly recommend it to everyone from locals to people visiting the city! Can't wait to do this again, but this time bringing more friends and family!!! read more

From start to finish, it was a great experience. The staff goes above and beyond to make the experience great. The bus is beautifully built and Ted, the driver, was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of fun facts about the City. read more

I arranged the Prohibition Tour with an extra brewery stop for a work "team-building" activity and it was perfect! David and his team were easy to work with to schedule and the tour itself was a huge success. I think it will be talked about for a long time. I highly recommend giving one of their tours a try for any type of get together, personal or professional. The Barrel Run was very flexible and can accommodate your needs. read more

Ted our host/guide was great! had so much fun at the breweries we visited. would highly recommend this tour in Chicago!

Pick up was extremely easy and convenient at a good downtown location. Our driver was awesome, good stories about Chicago, and took an interest in his passengers. The breweries we visited were okay, Burning Bush was the best and lucky for us, the only time it rained was when we were traveling. read more

I went on the first Barrel run yesterday! Had an amazing time! Such a cool concept! Loved the breweries we went too. Revolution and Goose Island are some of the best in the city! It was so much fun to see how happier everyone got after we sampled! The driver really cared about us having a good time and played a badass playlist! I would buy this again! 5/5! I wasn't ready for it to over when it was! Haha Cheers to our next tour! read more

BOOTLEGGERS This brewery bus tour was fun, despite a few peculiar policies. Our group of 12 booked Barrel Run for a friend's bachelor party on 9/7/19. We were picked up in River North and they took us on a tour of 3 different breweries: Lake Effect Brewing, Revolution Tap Room, and Eris Cider House. The cost was $85 per person, and that included beer at each venue. Shortly after boarding we had to sign a waiver, for what I'm not sure.....maybe so drunk people can't sue if they trip and fall down the stairs? We had to share with another small group, so a strict no-liquor policy was in place and that kinda sucked. The only way we could've had open containers is if we rented out all 20 seats and paid a LOT more money. Barrel Run has guides that talk a little about Chicago and the beer scene; the first guy was a dead fish and couldn't handle our bachelor party. After a bit of heckling, he totally shut down. The second guy was much more suited to dealing with a rowdier bunch and told some good stories. Each brewery had samples ready for us and the guide stayed with us the whole time. I'm pretty sure my buddy Frankie M had a solid time (if he remembers any of it). * TL;DR * To me, this was more like a stylized school bus than a party bus, a limo that we couldn't drink in. Like so many other transportation services in the city, I was under the impression that we'd be able to bring beverages onto the bus with us, and that wasn't the case. Kind of a let-down, really. It was an okay value for the money, considering that everyone was driven to and from the three breweries. I'd recommend Barrel Run to anyone looking for an interesting way of seeing the Windy City. read more

The Barrel Run - The bus is shaped like a barrel! Unfortunately, it's not filled with beer, though it does go on a brewery tour - Bus Tours Near Me

I highly recommend this adventure! Despite being a resident in Chicago and having already explored many of the breweries, I still managed to learn new things, try new beer & have an incredible time! Whether you are exploring the city for the first time or celebrating something exciting, I highly encourage the Barrel Run for large and small groups alike! Our tour guides were also very fun, welcoming and knowledgeable! 10/10 experience. read more

The Barrel Run - Bus Tours Near Me

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Booked the Barrel Run private tour for my birthday and it was a great experience. From planning to going I could not recommend it more! The company provides a few options for brewery stops for the private tour package and then reaches out to them to do the booking. David, the founder, was our host and driver and was very informative and a great guide. We were able to BYOB and snacks on the bus and ice and trash bins were provided. The bus itself was clean, spacious, and so fun! If you are on the fence - book this experience now, you won't regret it! read more

The Barrel Run - Bus Tours Near Me

Such a fun tour, loved the Barrel Bus! We visited 3 locations -District Brew Yards, Revolution and Pilot Project. District Brew Yards was our favorite, we were given a pre-loaded $10 gift card and used it to pour our own beer samples. We then had a full tour of the production facility at Revolution, learned a great deal about the whole brewing process while sipping on a can ! Pilot Project was our last stop and our least favorite, purely based on the beers that were sampled, some of the folks in our group ordered food there though and that looked amazing. Our tour guide/driver, David was amazing throughout- he gave some history on Chicago's prohibition era and ensured the whole tour went smoothly. We had a great afternoon, met some lovely folks from across the globe, definitely recommend. read more

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Such a fun private event!! They made the planning seamless by keeping in touch through very detailed emails and planning ahead with the breweries I chose. The barrel is a unique and cute mode of transportation, you can connect your music and BYOB on the bus as well. You also can bring snacks on the ride which is fun! The driver was very friendly and social too. We all had a great time! read more

The Barrel Run - Bus Tours Near Me

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Celebrating our kids' wedding, they chose this tour company to do a family fun day together after their reception the day before. We went on a brewery tour with Dave in the keg bus. What fun! Dave actually built the bus and it's so unique. The seating is very comfortable in the bus. There were two containers in the middle of the aisle, one with ice, so you can bring your own beverages on board. Dave arranged lunch for us at Goose Island, which was our first stop on the tour. We tasted three different beers there. I recommend having Dave arrange a lunch so you have something in your stomach while drinking beer over the 3-1/2 hours. Our next stop was Revolution Brewery. This was a cool place. There wasn't a tasting there, just order a beer from the menu at the bar. There was a shuffleboard table, which was fun. Our final stop was at Smylie Bros Brewing. We had the place to ourselves as it didn't open until later in the day. The guys running the bar were great and we had a tasting of a couple beers there. We enjoyed all three stops that were on the tour. Dave efficiently navigated the bus through the city streets and also on the highway. My husband made the comment that Dave knew his way around so we didn't get stuck in traffic. That's a plus! The Barrel Run has a couple different other options like a prohibition tour and a gangster tour. I think Dave would work with you on anything you'd like to do. We will definitely be back to do another tour with Dave. I highly recommend this for a unique and fun activity while in the city. read more

The Barrel Run - Bus Tours Near Me

Honestly, one of the best brewery tours I've taken. We used Barrel Run for a company retreat and it was so fun for everyone involved. Ted was our driver and guide, and he was perfection - very knowledgable and lovely. All and all I couldn't recommend this company more. They were easy to work with, responsive, and effortless. Truly amazing! read more

We had a great time with our guide Ted! Highly recommend this tour if you are looking to check out some great local breweries.

Great beer tour that takes you through several interesting Chicago neighborhoods to visit three various sized breweries. Our driver/guide, Ted, was a very cool and very safe driver (even held on to my friend's lost cell phone after the tour had concluded). Plenty of samples, I believe 11 in total on our tour, to help create an intoxicating adventure. read more

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This was an awesome brewery tour! We got to explore three breweries, two of which we had never heard of! It was so much fun and definitely worth every penny! Would absolutely recommend! read more

The Barrel Run - Bus Tours Near Me

They were sure quick to take my non-refundable payment and knew this was a gift for my son's 21st birthday. He drove 4 hours to Chicago, only to have them cancel. They were far less responsive when it meant getting my money back. You can't count on them. What a disappointment. read more

Had a great time with the wifey. Ted the driver was a great tour guide and enjoyed his narrating! I would definitely do it again. read more

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Amazing day spent on the barrel run. Three breweries everything included. Bus was super clean and staff was so friendly. Great tour for locals and tourists. read more

David was phenomenal to work with. We chartered the bus for a two day event and David was integral in the event running so smoothly.

The barrel is fun and comfortable to ride around in. The guides were friendly and informative. It was a unique way to spend an afternoon. It was great to visit some breweries we hadn't tried before. read more

We went for my bachelorette party and it was so fun! David is awesome. He told us about the different breweries, what we were going to be drinking, some history, it was great! Highly recommend! read more

We had some many great drinks and amazing people! Ted was fantastic as a tour guide and very informative while we went between breweries. Highly recommend this tour! read more

The Barrel Run - Burning Bush Brewery - Bus Tours Near Me

Did the gangster tour for my 38th birthday. Why not spend the date you were born learning where people died??! The whole staff is amazing and sweet. This was easy to book even last minute. I can't wait to do another tour. I highly recommend! Thanks to everyone at Barrel Run for making my birthday so special. It made for a very memorable experience! AND we learned a lot!! Fun for all!! read more

The Barrel Run - Gangster tour! - Bus Tours Near Me

As a Chicago native, it takes a lot to impress me. This was probably the best tour bus experience I've had. We rented out a barrel bus for a friends birthday. The owner personally drove our group around to different breweries where we got to taste all types of beers at each. The driver/owner was super nice and was a great storyteller entertaining us with fascinating stories/facts about Chicago history. It was also nice we were able to bring booze/snacks on the bus in between tours. I would highly recommend! Such a fun outing! read more

The barrel bus itself is an amazing structure and an awesome ride. David was a great tour guide and very knowledgeable of the history of Chicago. Friendly staff and a lot of cool info as well as very cool places to stop! read more

Had a great experience from the get go. Called with questions and spoke with the owner directly who guided us into the trip that best fit our needs. We had a group of 7 and our guide was able to keep us seated together even amongst a public tour. The stops were well guided and organized and the production tour was fun and informative. Or guide acknowledged our special occasion and was knowledgeable & helpful along the way. Would recommend for tourists & locals alike. read more

If you're in need of a group activity look no further than booking an afternoon with The Barrel Run! We had a group of 10 and traveled to three different breweries on the ONE OF A KIND barrel bus. The bus was comfortable with plenty of room to stretch those legs. The fellas, Jason and David, were super knowledgeable and extremely easy to talk to. They could get even the most introverted group engaged, hands down! We packed up additional booze outside of the tastings provided from the breweries and could have packed food as well. The fellas also gave us the option to become amateur DJ's in between each stop! This was an awesome afternoon full of fun, beer, and good energy from all involved. Highly recommended for any group outing from corporate to personal! Thank you again Jason and David for making our summer work event so wonderful and memorable! read more

The Barrel Run - Team bonding at its finest thanks to The Barrel Run crew. - Bus Tours Near Me

Ted gave us a great tour. Revolution Brewery was our favorite. Fun people on the bus too. All made for a great experience.

Our tour was absolutely a great time. Our guide David was very knowledgeable on Chicago and beer, and beer in Chicago. :) We will definitely go again since different breweries are scheduled at different times. The breweries we visited were awesome! read more

The Barrel Run Distillery Tour If you're looking for group fun, book a tour with the Barrel Run Company! I booked the Distillery Tours which will allow you to sample locally brewed and bottled alcohol - throughout Chicago! We stopped at the Chicago Distilling Company, CH Distillery, and Rhine Hall. Bring your thirst because you will sample 10-12 different craft spirits throughout the tour. The best part of the tour, the actual Barrel Bus! The wood, brass handrails, and unique door opening captures of the feel of a real barrel and give the vibe of a modern day speakeasy! Check out my review with pictures on my website: www.mybossyworld.com/blog read more

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We booked a brewery tour and had an absolute blast. The cost was unbelievably reasonable too. I highly recommend The Barrel Run.

So much fun, great guides and breweries. Well worth the price! Guides were knowledgeable and made the tour very fun