I was staying in the area and happened to notice that they offered tours. Unfortunately, when I stopped by, there were no spots available for the rest of the day or even the following day. So if the tour is something you want to do, definitely book in advance. Even without a tour, the bar is open and worth stopping by. You enter through the gift shop, and I was able to do a small tasting of their beers. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and the bartenders were great. If you're in the area, definitely stop in for a drink. read more

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Doing a Smithwicks tour on St. Paddy's day was quite the experience! Truly one we didn't know we needed! We came here on a of a whim after the parade. It was something like $13 euro a piece for our family. The tour took about 45 minutes and our guide Evan was amazing! Very interactive, engaging, funny, informative, all the things you'd hope for from a guide. We learned a lot about the company, including how they're older than Guinness (who ironically bought them in the 60s). The tour ended with a stop at the tasting room - major tip - pay the extra $5 and get the three half pint tasting flight! They're lovely! It's a great spot to chill for a bit and chat with new friends! The gift shop has swag and plenty of cans to take home with you, as well as glasses that you can have custom etched. This was an amazing tour for the price and something that anyone visiting the area should consider! read more

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We only had time for a paddle hut it was a great time. Friendly staff, cool vibe & you can walk in through the gift shop if you just want a beer. read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Tasting paddle with Original Red, Pale Ale, Kilkenny & stout. - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

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This experience is well worth the stop if you are in Kilkenny. Our tour guide was fantastic (i feel terrible i have forgotten her name) and did an amazing job leading us through the history and science that is Smithwick's. The tour is very interactive and has a great production value. It is super engaging and interacting which was great as it was our 3rd brewery tour on our vacation. I highly recommend checking out the cream ale at the end of your tour. Absolutely delicious!!! read more

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Highly recommend checking this out if you're visiting the area!! The tour was very informative, and our tour guide was amazing! I loved learning about the history of this brewery. You get a free drink at the end, and are also given the option to upgrade if you want to turn yours into a flight instead! read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

Great spot to stop in for Smithwick's beer and retail shop. You can take a guided tour, but we skipped that part and went straight for the beer. Darren was our bartender and he was very friendly and gave us some other fun Kilkenny recommendations. It's pretty much always drizzling so this is a fine place for a dry rest! read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Exterior - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

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Really cool brewery tour/experience in Kilkenny! We sat in their outdoor patio/garden while we waited for our tour to start and then were brought back. Our tour guide was very charismatic and was fun to listen to. They really made the whole thing pretty unique with "moving" pictures and a cool walk through with the history of Smithwick's starting in a room built to feel and look like a cellar! At the end you get to redeem a pint included in the tour so you can choose between their different ales and a cider! Super tasty and fresh. Glad I got to try it! read more

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Excellent tour of Smithwick's. Great gift shop as well! Everyone was friendly and it was really cool learning about a great tasting beer. read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Outside - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

If you are in this lovely small town, check out this fantastic local brewery! The staff is friendly, and you can try all their excellent beers on tap in the back bar room. They also have a lovely shop with great merchandise! read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

We did the Brewery tour with Ruby, and it was spectacular! Ruby was very engaging and funny- the tour was a perfect length- with interactive parts and a lot of humor! We finished in the tap room with our choice of Smithwick's ale to sample. All staff were very cheery and happy to be there. 100% recommend!! read more

WOW! We took in the full experience at Smithwick and had an amazing time. The beer is good, the service is excellent and we felt immersed in Irish hospitality. This is a must-see while in Kilkenny. read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Brewery - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

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This place is amazing. We visit Kilkenny and did the Smitchwick's experience due to it being my favorite beer. What an amazing tour and facility that have built. The have an immersed experience with state of the art technology to tell their story. If you visit Kilkenny and want a great history and beer of course visit this place. Our tour guide Darren gave us a lot of history, a lot of viable information and some great places to eat. Darren also connected the story of Smithwick's to the local history. Great time great experience 100% recommend. read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

We had a very memorable, educational and fun experience here at Smithwick's! We opted for the tour - Master of Ale and we were so happy that we chose this option. We learned so much about our favorite beer. The information was extensive and told the story of Kilkenny and Smithwick's in an unique and clever way. Highly recommend this experience when visiting Kilkenny Ireland. Having taken both tours, we can say that this particular tour was defininatly worth the extra time and money. The added knowledge, interactive opportunities, and education on the different styles, tastes, smells and textures of beer were shared in way that was friendly, fun and informative. Compliments to the entire Staff! Everyone we encountered or even if we didn't encounter, were smiling, happy and absolutely LOVING their job! Simon (we think we remember correctly!), your master work has paid off, you were a pleasure on this tour. We wish you all the best! Thank you to our gift shop worker who had a key role in helping us acquire a very special souvenir. Also, the improvements on this experience and location were phenomenal! Looking forward to joining you again next time we are in town! read more

We got a flight of beer and tasted a great variety. Bathrooms were very clean, the experience is quite interesting. read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Smithwicks tasting flight - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

Chris was an awesome tour guide! He was very knowledgeable in both the history and brewing process. After doing this and the Guinness experience, I can definitely say this was better! It felt like a more personal experience. Definitely worth a visit during your time in Kilkenny! read more

I love Smithwick's beer and being able to visit Kilkenny and hearing about the history is well worth the hour tour and beer at the end! read more

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A must visit when you're in beautiful Kilkenny. Enjoying a cool pint of Smithwick's Irish Ale is the perfect way to celebrate place and history. The visit was made all the better by a fun and friendly staff. Cheers! read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Historic Smithwick's - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

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What a difference! Yesterday we visited Guinness where it seemed as if there were 1,000 guests on each of the building's six floors. Smithwick was smaller, a lot quieter, and truth be told... a lot more enjoyable to visit. Our tour guide walked us through the brewing process as there was one room dedicated to each step along the way. A history lesson on the company was greatly enhanced by some wondrous wizardry in the form of talking portraits of the Smithwick family. They seemed to come to life in front of our very eyes. Our tour led us to the tasting room where we had a choice of one pint of any Smithwick Product. I went for the Smithwick Red and it was delicious. Nice job, Smithwick. Thanks for a very fun time and some great beer. read more

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I would recommend checking out the tasting room but skip the $14 tour. It was an hour long but most of the tour was video stops along the way. Our guide was knowledgeable but didn't share much. They aren't brewing onsite anymore so the tour takes you around a small area of decommissioned machinery. The history is interesting but a quick Wikipedia in the taproom would be sufficient for anyone that's seen a brewery before. read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Red ale usually available to the U.S. market. - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

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Nothing like a Smithwicks! This is a fun tour if you happen to be in the area. We hit it just right, no tour buses or big crowds. It's a cute town w nicer shops and good pubs too. The tour guide was very friendly, informative and patient. It's about an hour. Lots of history and really informative. But note, the beer is not made here but in Dublin which I found kind of lame. Too, Smithwicks is pasteurized so all the neat facts about the original being made from mineral rich hard water from the Wicklow Moutains kinda doesn't apply once you've boiled it. But, it's still good beer w a smooth flavor. The pint at the end is of course the highlight where they stress that it should be served "White & tight". The lounge is nice, relaxed w wifi. Good touristy shop w Guiness & Smithwicks stuff too. read more

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Great place! Enjoyed the tour. Jorg was amazing! Enjoy the beers. Love the red ale and the Kilkenny. One of my favorites!!!! read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

The experience was a great combination of fun and education - so much more than images on a wall and lectures. We got to see, smell, and touch throughout the tour which resulted in interaction with fellow visitors. This made our time enjoying our pint at the end of the tour much more fun as we chatted, helped take group photos, and the employees stopped by to chat. read more

We enjoyed the tour of the old Smithwick's.brewery and soon discovered that it had long ago been purchased by Guinness and moved more recently to St. James Place in Dublin. To keep a consistent flavor with a different water source, the mineral content of Kilkenny (hard water) is recreated in Dublin. You'll learn this and more at the experience! It was also interesting to see the Smithwicks still practicing law next door. What a family history. read more

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Fantastic tour! Great use of modern technology to teach us about the history of the brewery. And you can't beat a few sample in the end!

This was a very cool experience! It was a rainy day and I felt inspired after having a Smithwicks red the night before- so glad we stopped! We showed up 5 minutes before the tour and it worked out perfectly. The guide was knowledgeable and it was nice that the group wasn't too large, I didn't feel like I was being pushed through. She gave great information and answered questions, threw in jokes and it was a lot of fun. We learned quite a bit about their process and then, of course, got to the bar at the end! With a ticket you got either a pint or a paddle sampler so of course I got that. We also did the Guinness tour and I have to say I enjoyed the smaller feel of this one, as well as the beers! read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

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This was a fun, interactive tour. We had a small tour group which made it very intimate. We had a 4 year old along and were worried she'd be bored - but she had a great time with all the interactive bits. The tour was about an hour, and our guide, Chloe, was great. At the end we got a pint and the little one was offered a soda. It would have been perfect if only they still brewed on site. read more

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Smithwick's is no longer brewed at this location. So your tour is really a bunch of videos talking about today's process and the history of the beer. While it keeps your attention, it's very Disney feeling. The tour is pretty pricey as well. The best part of the tour was the pint of beer at the end. And truth be told, the beer does taste better here than on tap in America. There's not a whole lot to do in Kilkenny so if you want to kill some time, this place is not awful. It'a just touristy and overpriced. read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Slainte - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

I enjoyed the tour very much. Our tour guide Oscar was quite friendly, informative, and fun. This is a great tour for beer enthusiasts and those who like to learn more about the process. The audio visuals were fantastic. I also loved the "aroma lab" that allowed us to use our sense of smell for the different pieces of the brewing process. read more

Great place to see how Smithwick's is brewed. Cool quick tour with talking pics and great info. At the end you're given a pint and it tastes excellent. I never thought I'd be here and now that I am I'm so glad I took the time to come and take the tour. read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

My partner and I were going to take this tour but after we had bought our tickets, 2 families with YOUNG children also bought tickets and joined us in the waiting area. These kids were screaming their heads off and hand to god if we had taken the tour we wouldn't have been able to enjoy a second of it. There is no reason a brewery should allow children under 13 to tour it, especially not if they are already screaming toddlers. If you're a parent and you want to learn about Irish beer, get a f**king sitter or stay the f**k home. I give it 4 stars because of how accommodating the front staff was in returning our tickets and being very understanding about the whole thing. The exhibits in the lobby are very interesting, including a window in the ground where you can see a trickling stream that is apparently the original water source since the founding of the brewery. Check it out but watch out for little monsters. read more

Not as good as Guinness Storehouse, but hard to compete with that operation including the sky lounge view. This unassuming place is worth a quick 1.5 hour visit in between castle viewing or lunching. Sure it's not an operating brewery any more, but it is educational nonetheless with over 300+ years of beer making behind them, this is a dedication and museum to the Smithwicks name and brewery skills. You can save time and monies and avoid the tour and go straight into the tasting room for a paddle/flight is their beers. I truly really only like the original Irish red ale. The blonde and Pale Ale are just okay to me. The staff are friendly and they have loads of logo souvenirs for those that need them. read more

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My husband and I were in Kilkenny on vacation and decided that the Smithwick's tour was on our "must do" list. We showed up for an early tour (I think it started around 10am), and there were only 6 people in our group, which we loved. We tour guide was knowledgeable and informative, and clearly has a deep love for all things Smithwick! The tour itself is very interactive, and employs both story telling from the guide as well as some really cool videos and a very fun room of talking portraits. You'll learn all about the process of brewing from start to finish, as well as the history of Smithwicks and the monks who originally started brewing there. At the end of our tour Mr. Smithwick was walking through the area where we were enjoying our DELICIOUS pints of Smithwick's, and he posed for a picture with one of his employees for me. I got the sense that they are all like family at this brewery. I'll be a loyal drinker of Smithwick's because of this really wonderful tour and brewery experience. I highly recommend that you go here! read more

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Best brewery tour I've been to. And not to long just in case you get antsy to drink the beer. read more

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A fun tour followed by a nice pint. I still wish on these tours, ie. Guinness, that you got to see the actual breweries. read more

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One of my favorite experiences in Ireland! It was so cool to hear about the History of the beer but also the family! Amazing people work here and they go out of their way to make your experience memorable. The beer is great (highly recommend the Blonde, you can only get it in Ireland). I think my favorite room was when we learned about the entire Smithwick's family and how they started this incredible journey! (If you have free time go to St. Canice Cathedral, there you will find where the Smithwick's have been laid to rest). A group of us, stumbled upon the beautiful Cathedral and found the families headstone. It was a beautiful way to bring this whole experience altogether. Kilkenny itself has a place in my heart, Smithwick's is an added bonus. I will definitely return! read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

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A tour that is worth its price, though I must recommend that you purchase your tickets online to save 2 euros. Use these savings to upgrade the tasting to a full flight of thier three beers. The 45 minute tour tells the story of a brewery owned by a single family throughout multiple centuries, only to eventually cave into coorporate greed and sell out. When I visited the brewery, they had 3 ales, the classic red, the blonde, and lastly, the pale ale. I suggest you drink them in that order, FYI. Overall, the experience is worth the buy but a fully-staffed bar would have been welcomed to allow for the purchase of an extra pint or two. read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, it was a tad heavy on the gimmicks. If you already have a good knowledge of beer making you can still get a ton of history. They are almost done with a new tasting room, but if the tent is still up don't worry they have plenty of heaters. read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK

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Anna, our tour guide was a delight. Well informed and very engaging. Later on, when tasting Smithwick's Ale, Simon was such a delight. Full of personality and historical information. Would highly recommend this tour. Great time!!! read more

Everything the Guinness tour wasn't, the Smithwick tour is. Unlike the Guinness tour you are in a group with a guide who takes you though each room. Each room is filled with cinematic experience videos, and best of all hands on activities. I had fun spinning handles and mixing stuff. The tour guide was wonderful. She had a great personality and was super knowledgable. The only thing I wish I could have done was pour my own pint. read more

A really insightful, fun and entertaining tour. Our guide Pat had the perfect combination humour and knowledge to keep our attention throughout. The quirky features of the tour including talking portraits and sofas made from bathtubs make it unique and unlike any other brewery tour. Well worth the trip to Kilkenny! read more

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny - The tasting palate, highly recommend upgrading to this! - Tours Near Me - Kilkenny, KK