Widmer Brewery Tour

The Friday before Aaron's birthday (I know, I'm behind. Grad school.) we went to the Widmer Brewery because a) it was almost Aaron's birthday, b) we both love the heck outta Widmer, and c) it's right down the street. Oh yeah, and d) it's free!

And it was awesome! We got the usual rundown of how beer is made and the "please taste from lightest to darkest" speech, but all of that stuff is fascinating. I also discovered that despite my previous proclamations that I don't really like IPAs, I really dug Broken Halo. Like, a lot. Like way more than I ever thought I would.

After learning lots about beer, we crossed the street and went into the brewery itself, where we got to see huge silos of grain, so much beer, and many, many things made out of metal that turn grains, yeast, and water into delicious magic. Plus, we got to smell hops. It was a fantastic time.

See, giant silos of grain

Aaron and the mash tun

Aaron's hand and hops

My hand and more different hops.

One of these was the spicy hops, which smelled amazing. I wish I could remember which was which, but that's what happens when you take a while to post.

Barrels and barrels of delicious Widmer Bros. beer

This is when the tour got even better! Not only did we get to learn a lot about beer in general (like why IPAs exist in the first place), but then, at the end, our guide says thanks for coming and oh yeah, you get a free pint glass and key chain bottle opener. Yeah. We were stoked.

Cutest picture of Aaron ever. Aww!

After the tour, totally excited by our swag, we decided to go drink some more beer at their restaurant, the Gasthaus. And it happened to be happy hour! Yes! Aaron's drinking Drop Top Amber Ale and I'm having their special blueberry honey mead. Oh yeah, it was good. And then we had a pretzel, Aaron bought a growler of hefeweizen, and we walked home, tipsy and happy.

If you live here and haven't done it yet, go! If you don't live here, come visit and then go. They have tours every Friday at 3 pm and every Saturday at 11 am and 12:30 pm. Call ahead to reserve a spot and that's it. Check out their site for more info.