Why go on a brewery tour (instead of a pub crawl with your mates)?

Recently we were informed in a post-tour review that our tours were “pricey”, which was a surprise to us because most feedback is that our offerings represent excellent value for money. Out of over 6,000 guests (!), there have been almost no instances of anyone finishing the day wishing there had been more to drink or a feeling that there weren’t enough options throughout the afternoon. We promise to keep you well hydrated.

Our brewery tour experiences have a high rate of return guests because they know that they will get excellent service, a unique, VIP experience, the opportunity to talk to brewers on-site (assuming they’re working that day) and more industry information than they knew they wanted! Plus, along with all of that, excellent beer, and a delicious lunch. Our guests can pick our brains, challenge us, teach us, learn from us, and ask questions throughout the day. We stay with our groups from start to finish – it’s not an experience where we act simply as chauffers and servers – which provides plenty of time to sample, discuss, ponder, realize, and delve deeper into the world of good beer.

Think you already know everything there is to know about beer? That’s fine, but we are confident that there’s always something new to learn, be it experimental hop varietals in use, updated techniques in fermentation, or a previously-undiscovered yeast strain becoming popular. Many homebrewers – and even professional brewers! – have hopped on board with us, whether it’s because they don’t want to drive (or ask their other half to do it), they are keen to meet new people or visit different venues, or simply to leave the planning and responsibility to someone else. Either way, even our beloved industry guests haven’t been disappointed with their experience!

Let’s break it down for you, using real itineraries that we run on a regular basis. Is it cheaper to do it yourself? By the time you get between venues, order a paddle (and what’s the likelihood of just one paddle, really?), have some snacks and lunch, and are disciplined enough to leave at a reasonable time to get to the next place… no.

Want to see the figures?

Considering our full day tour options cost $179pp, a self-guided “brewery tour” is only about $70 cheaper if you calculate purely on a monetary basis using the above costings. This doesn’t take into consideration, however, venues that are harder to reach. Have you ever heard of Bacchus Brewing? White Lies? Happy Valley? If we substituted those venues for Milton Common, the additional cost would be $51, $45 and $16 respectively. On the Gold Coast, say we wanted to end at Burleigh Brewing or Balter instead of Madocke, the additional cost would be $10 and $14 respectively. And do you really want to walk between breweries and distilleries if there’s torrential rain?

Besides, with add-ons like virtual reality gaming, go-karting and axe-throwing, we can create the perfect itinerary for you and your friends. Let us take the pictures, do the driving, steer you in the right direction by choosing beers suited to your tastes, plus teach you something along the way. We guarantee that our experience is what makes our experience so memorable.

We’d love to help answer any questions you may have about our tours, value for money, or what beer to try next.

Cheers,
Hop On Brewery Tours Team