Macro breweries in the U.S. have gotten a bad rap over the last few decades and for good reason. Their flavorless beer is enough to hate them, but breweries like Anheuser Busch have tried dominating the craft beer market we love by buying up smaller craft breweries and destroying them. Craft beer nerds deserve to hate them. The damage they've done to the craft beer industry has been irreversible.
However, many macro breweries offer something that the small craft breweries cannot; a unique, history filled brewery with arguably the best brewery tours around. We may hate these breweries, but the history of the buildings and the company itself demand respect. The architecture can return us to simpler yet more ornate times when the way something looked still mattered. Hell, the beer they've brewed paved the way for the current craft beer industry they are trying to destroy today.
So what's your favorite macro brewery to visit? Have you visited any?? Below is a few of these macro breweries we love to visit. We may despise the corporate structure of today, but we have learned to appreciate these breweries for the history, the architecture, and in some cases their positive contributions to the craft beer scene. We encourage you to hate what these breweries have become, but respect what they have provided.
Coors
The Coors Brewery in Golden Colorado, like most on this list, is a major tourist destination of epic proportions. So what's so great about the Coors Brewery? First of all, it may have the best scenery with the foothills of the Rocky Mountains surrounding the complex. To this day Coors Banquet beer is only brewed at this location and uses local water sources. The self guided tour is interesting and takes you through the winding halls and is filled with great photo opportunities. Coors even has a separate "craft brewery" on the premise called Colorado Native. Best part? At the end of the tour you end up in their taproom and receive a few free beers. Can't vouch for the quality of the beer, but can't argue with free.
Miller
Like the Coors Brewery, Miller is a destination. Unfortunately, the brewery has limited tours of this iconic brand, but we were lucky enough to get a guided tour. This macro brewery has a bit more history than the previously mentioned Coors. The brewery complex has grown over the decades, adding a building here and their. You will notice the Cream City brick that's common, not only at the Miller Brewery, but the entire city of Milwaukee. The tour snakes through corridors and up and down flights of stairs and even travels through underground tunnels. And as usual, you are treated to some free macro beer at the end.
Anheuser Busch
Probably one of the most hated breweries in the world has one of the greatest brewery tours. Walk through the grounds of this famous brewery and look up in awe at the massive brick structures filled with brewing history. Check out the stables of the fames Clydesdale horses and, of course, end with some terrible yet free beer. The stories are interesting, the history demands respect, and most importantly, the brewery is visually inspiring both inside and out. Anheuser Busch almost makes you forget how they are destroying craft beer. Almost.
Yuengling
The oldest brewery in America doesn't let you down with their tour and overall experience. Walk through the ancient brewery and cave system for free. It's truly amazing to see how breweries kept beer cool before the invention of refrigeration. Some of the workplace hazards of the day would have OHSA at your doorstep in minutes. Once you're done with the tour you head across the street to the old ice cream factory and get your free beer. This is were Yuengling manufactured ice cream during Prohibition to stay afloat. You may even run into the billionaire owner himself, Dick Yuengling, like we did. Just wish we got a picture ..
Saranac
This upstate New York gem leans more on the craft beer side in more recent years, but has its roots as a macro brewery of the pre-prohibition era. Actually, Saranac claims itself to be the second oldest brewery after Yuengling. Saranac reminds me of a smaller Anheuser Busch brewery with that similar art deco advertising decor and the architecture, with tall red brick buildings, is also reminiscent of Budweiser. The free beer of this tour is unique since you will get experimental brews only available here. In fact, one we tried here became a widely distributed brand not too long after
Guinness
No, not the one in Ireland. This one outside Baltimore MD is the United States manufacturing facility and focuses mainly on the craft beer aspect of the brewery. Yes they make more than one beer. For a craft brewery the size of this Guinness is massive, especially the outdoor area which is suited more for concerts than lazy Sunday afternoon beer drinking. They do offer a tour here, although I'm sure the tour of the original brewery dwarfs this one. Unlike other breweries on this list, Guinness Open Gate features a full scale restaurant making it perfect for an all day adventure.
Goose Island
Goose Island sold its soul to Bud many years ago and craft beer nerds have hated them ever since. However, you can't argue with two things about the brewery. First, they make amazing stouts STILL and, second, the original brewery in Chicago is surely worth a visit. Not as large as others on this list, Goose Island has kept that craft brewery vibe in the old warehouse (and brewery rich) district of Chicago. Get some rare beers only available at the taproom and take part in some craft beer history, even if you despise Goose Island for selling out.
Samuel Adams
What once started as an original craft brewery, Sam Adams now falls into the category of macro beer producers. However, the tour of the original brewery in Boston gives off old school vibes that other breweries die for. The brewery in Boston mostly produces experimental beers leaving the more widely consumed products to much larger satellite breweries. The highly in depth and informative tour is worth the trip, but trying some fresh batches of experimental beers is the cherry on top. You can even enjoy them in their very own biergarten.
Dogfish Head
Another equally influencial craft brewery as Samuel Adams is Dogfish Head in Delaware. This daunting structure rises up and over this small town and like others, comes with an in depth tour and the largest list of brewery only beers we have seen in a macro brewery. The brewery even has its own metal treehouse in the the middle of the massive biergarten and paying customers can walk up the spiral staircase and look down on all the regular folk.
Hope you enjoyed this list of our favorite macro breweries to visit. You may want to argue about what they stand for today, but you cants argue with the rare experience these breweries all offer. Make sure to let us know if any we missed!
Commenti