This is the first time we attended their annual open house at the brewery and will definitely make it an annual event.
The area: Open space with tents setup with tables and chairs for seating, pouring stations scattered on one side of the event. There is also a station for tasting the large variety of jams and jelly (you can buy them at the souvenirs store at the entrance of the monastery), the other side of the event are tents for souvenir purchase and cases of beer for sale. They also have a small pond and large field for the kids to run around. Very family friendly.
Price: We love that the admission is free and you got 2 sample tickets with it. Everything is very affordable: $1 sample beer, $5 pint beer, $5 for 3 hotdogs, $5 souvenir glasses, etc. You got my point.
They also had a food truck for fire dept fundraiser - the line was too long, but I think for $10, you get half roasted chicken, biscuit, side salad, and some type of dessert. Very good deal.
The flow: You must purchase tickets for everything (except the fire dept food truck), they only accept cash for the tickets. you use the tickets as cash to buy drinks, souvenirs, and cases of beer... So if you plan to make big purchase here, bring cash with you. They do have an ATM on site.
The brewery area is open for self walk tour, you can find monks manning the various booths, walking around and greeting visitors. They are super nice and we really enjoyed talking with them and learning about the monastery.
Miscellaneous: The church and grounds are open to the public, after the brewery tour, we drove down to the church and walked around for a bit. We love the peacefulness and scenic view here.
100% fan of the event, we hope they continue to offer open house and affordable price!!! read more