This is my second time completing the Miller Brewery Tour. Milwaukee is the town famous for beer, and this is the best and busiest brewery tour around. The tour is about $20, almost double the price from my last visit, but it's well worth it because you get 5 beer samples throughout the tour. (3 smaller ones and 2 full size.).
While you're waiting for your tour there is a timeline with photos all along the lobby wall. They also have props if you want to take selfies, and a massive gift shop where you can buy everything from shoes, socks, hats, shirts, toys, holiday decorations, etc., and with every brand logo that is part of the MillerCoors family. There is also a locker area because you can't bring a purse along on the tour. Not sure why?? There is a nominal fee for locker rental, which I feel should be free since you're already paying to go on the tour! No one told us this rule either; we just happened to notice the lockers while we were waiting.)
Our tour guide was Mike, and he was extremely knowledgeable with the history and brewing operations of Miller Coors. You could also see that he was passionate about his job. The tour started in a theater where there was a short film that explained the Miller family history. (And a fresh sample of Miller Lite.) We then went down the street to the brew kettles, the historic caves, and the Miller Inn. (We sampled Miller High Life in the caves and Blue Moon in the Miller Inn.). The cave was super cool and we learned how it was used to cool the beer in the earliest days, before modern refrigeration, and later served as a restaurant. There were many Miller artifacts down there including soda bottles and a tonic bottle from prohibition days. The final part of the tour included a visit to the production line and a warehouse. We could watch Coors being packaged on the assembly line and see pallets of dozens of products wrapped up and ready to be shipped out to their retail destinations.
The Miller facility is huge and you actually learn a great deal about Miller and all the brands they've squired in addition to the beer making process in general. The final stop is at the bar where you can choose 2 more samples. On the day we visited they had Miller High Life, Lite, Blue Moon, Hamm's, and Peroni on tap along with some cans of seasonal Leinenkugel's, seltzer beverages, and soft drinks.
We enjoyed our tour and it lasted about 1.5 hours. If you are a beer fan or are visiting Milwaukee.....don't miss it! You won't be disappointed. read more