Sam Adams Brewery (Boston Beer Co) - Jamaica Plain, MA

Our second day of our trip kicked off with a 9:45am tour of Sam Adams Brewery.  You can tell this place is efficient. Now let me start by saying, they run tours all day but the 9:45am tour is the only one you can get tickets for in advance..although they do disappear quick!  The other tours just fill up fast, so get there early. Upon arrival, there was a good amount of people but plenty of parking..we parked basically at the entrance maybe people didn't know they could get that close?

Once inside, they give you a Sam Adams beer label to represent your tour time.  We had about 10 minutes to look around at different displays..like a bottle of every Sam Adams beer ever made, a basket of hops to smell, and you could even write a post card to someone that they would mail for you for free. 

The tour started, and our guide was awesome.  They ask for a donation at the beginning of the tour or at the end since the tour is free. The first stop is discussing the malts and hops.  He had us actually eat some of the different types of malt, and then rub the hops between our hands...cool stuff!

Then he explained all the bottling and brewing processes. 

Lastly, the tasting room! We got great seats right at the front.  Over the next 30minutes we were given 3 beers to sample while he explained different aspect of drinking. For example, how to properly drink a beer, the creation of the perfect Sam Adams glass, etc. 

Then you pop out at the gift shop and you're on your way! The tour was amazing and I actually learned stuff. I am not a brewery tour type of guy...I only go if I'm forced to by the brewery but this one is worth it.  You also get to keep your sample glass! The tours are very large, and the gift shop was insane afterwards but hey at that point most people are buzzed and that's okay.

Check out their website for more details, and get your tickets in advance..www.samueladams.com

Country Boy Brewing - Lexington, KY

 

After West Sixth we stopped at Country Boy Brewing. They were only about 6 minutes a part, perfect! Country Boy had a sign out front, but like many breweries it's basically set in a warehouse/garage setting. Once inside it's basically a few tables and a bar with some tvs. This place was much more of a grunge feel than West Sixth which is good because it gives people options.

-For merchandise they basically just sold tshirts and pint glasses. 

-The beer list was great! Many guest brews and TONS of their own brews. I had a flight of 4 beers, served in a flight in the shape of a truck which I find unique and creative. I ended up having 3 flights because there were just so many choices. 

-First flight was the Belma IPA (very good), Knotty Pine Double IPA (very hoppy and tasty), Cliff Jumper IPA (decent), and the Pale Ale (very good). Next was the Bourbon BLL Black Gold (tasted like candy, tasty), Double BBL Shotgun Wedding (tasty), Amos Moses (good) and Nacho Bait (good). Lastly was the Amber (not bad), Nacho Bait with jalapenos (interesting, decent taste), a Brown which was decent and one other I forget.  What was awesome is that they also had Three Floyds Gumball Head, pretty impressive!

-If you are in Lexington, make sure to go check out Country Boy and West Sixth.
Check them out! www.facebook.com/CountryBoyBrewing

West Sixth Brewery - Lexington, KY

 

On our way to Asheville we wanted to check out Lexington, KY for two breweries. Our first stop was West Sixth. Walking in, this place is huge. Lots of open space and very clean. It's only about a year old, but I was very impressed with the scene.

-Lots of board games to choose from to play with your friends, plenty of sitting room and a wrap around bar.

-The bartender was very nice and friendly.  They can a few of their beers and sell them in the cooler next to the merchandise. One major plus I will give them is the price of their merchandise.  The glasses were only 2 or 3$ depending on which type of glass.

-As for the beer..I tried a sampler. The Wheat was good. The Amber was a little different but very good.  The Brown was decent. Loved the IPA, it's one of the things they can so we bought some to take home.  The Stout was eh. The Tripel was good. Black IPA wasn't bad.  Irish Red was okay and the Double IPA was pretty thick but I liked it.

-Overall I highly recommend this place if you're ever in the area. Most the beers were very good and the setting is relaxing and nice. Check below for a video tour and pictures.
Check them out! www.westsixth.com/

Selins Grove Brewery: Selins Grove, PA

 

On our final trek home from Asheville and Hershey we stopped in Selins Grove because their IPA had gotten rave reviews it also just was tapped days earlier. Very cute little town it's located.  A little confusion with their sign outside since it said they opened at noon, but online it said 11:30 and we got there at 11:20. Luckily, the owner was outside and said it was an old sign they have to change.  He let us take a look into his little brewery shed.  Very impressive!

-We say for lunch and thank God we made it on time, by 12:30 the place was PACKED and there was a waiting line. The food was tasty, nothing spectacular.  The waitress was very friendly and knowledgeable.
-Although we went for the IPA I decided to try them all just in case there was another gem.  The IPA was good but not GREAT as we hopped. All the others I tasted were good but nothing I was amazed by. I would say their Pale Ale was actually my hands down favorite after the IPA.

-One problem with Selins Grove however. We had people at home relying on us bringing home this awesome IPA. So we had 2 growlers filled with the IPA and one with the Pale Ale.  Well the next day when we drank it..flat. No where near how it tasted when we were there. And I believe this is why: when most places fill growlers they let the growler overflow until all the head is out and they cap it and you're on your way. Selins Grove the waitress filled it about 80% and let the head settle, then 5 minutes later filled 10% more, let the head settle, etc....Well I'm not beer expert but I have a good indication this will ruin the beer. Yes..you waste some beer by letting it overflow but hey that's the sacrifice you take.

-Besides that however I highly recommend trying it out if you're driving through and have some time. Very neat place. I just wouldn't plan on filling growlers.
-Check them out! selinsgrovebrewing.com/

Oyster House Brewing - Asheville, NC

 

-We went for a feast here for dinner. They only brew a few beers but only had one on tap unfortunately and apparently always only have 1 or 2 on tap,  so no beer was drank here unfortunately. The food was very good however, and we got the feast for 4. Lots of fun and lots of good grub! Check them out! oysterhousebeers.com/

French Broad Brewing - Asheville, NC

-Well we showed up mid afternoon in hopes of getting a fresh beer when they opened their doors only to find out they were under construction. I have no problem with a place doing construction for a few days but A) have a massive sign saying CLOSED or B) post it on your website! We walked in like idiots and had no clue...so basically all I got was a picture at this place, but have no other comments since I didn't drink their beer. Check them out! frenchbroadbrewery.com/

Lexington Avenue Brewery - Asheville, NC

-We stopped in here after our second trip to Wicked Weed. This place is HUGE! Giant restaurant in front, nice hallway where you can see the brewery itself, huge very nice bathrooms and then the back room has live music set up with an additional bar. I bet at night this place is fantastic.

-I only tried the IPA here, their beer list was very minimal.

-For a merchandise guy they didn't have too much but a few tshirts and pint glass..and NO coasters.

-Our bartender was very friendly and it was a nice experience.
Check them out! www.lexavebrew.com/

Asheville Brewing Company - Asheville, NC

For dinner we went to Asheville Brewing Company. It was a Tuesday night and the place was pretty packed! It is in a great location in the middle of the city, easily walkable from our hotel.  The menu is a movie theme and some of the names are awesome. I had the Tombstone burger..nothing out of this world but it wasn't bad.

-As for the beer I had the sampler..of course. I had the Shiva IPA, Scout Stout, Fire Escape, Escape Artist, and Ninja Porter. None of them blew me away, but with the exception of the Porter they were all drinkable beers to me, I realized I wasn't a Porter guy.
-The setting is nice, typical restaurant style and less of a brewery feel but that's okay.

-I recommend going here towards the end of the day, having a sampler and a bite to eat.

Check them out! www.ashevillebrewing.com/

Pigsah Brewing - Asheville, NC

 

-Our next stop on our Asheville beer tour was Pigsah. I respect Pigsah since I was told it was one of the original breweries that really helped Asheville gain it's microbrew popularity. Now I read all over yelp that the place was damn near impossible to find and boy were people right. It truly is hidden! I don't mind hidden, but what I don't like is that there is next to NO signage anywhere to be found. Luckily we saw a couple people drinking at a picnic table so we determined this must be it.

-Stepping foot through the garage door you are blasted with a yeast smell that is extremely over powering.  I have smelled this faintly at other breweries in the past, but this was the potent I've experienced.
-As for the negatives...the lay out is huge, but a lot of wasted space.  All the tables and chairs look like street side pick ups or garage sale furniture.  The bathroom is further into the warehouse area and is the type of bathroom I expected in this area.
-As for the beers..I had a sampler of about 10 of their house beers.  I will be honest I came strictly to try the Bacon Stout (wasn't very good). I also had the Vortex II, Nitro Stout, IPA of course, Pale Ale, Porter, and a few others that I didn't get to write down.  All the beers were decent as best, with my favorite being the IPA but unfortunately my least favorite IPA on the entire trip.
-All in all I will say that the drive was worth it for the history but if I ever went back to Asheville I wouldn't waste the gas and time.  I wasn't there for live music but I think once the party starts at night I'm sure its a fantastic place to hang out for the locals. As for the beer however I will say I wasn't impressed by any, and the setting would look so much nicer if they just bought a few sets of bar height tables and stools.

Check them out!  pisgahbrewing.com/
 -They also had my least favorite pint glass of the bunch I purchased. Asheville citizens don't like to hear this place bad mouthed so I do apologize, but hey we are all entitled to an opinion!
A couple videos around the area so you have an idea..