Before you invest an hour in this tour, there is an important question you need to ask yourself. Do I really like beer enough to find out how it’s made? Think before you answer, because the guides here are passionate about what they do. This is not the Heineken tour where they show you a video and then turn you loose on free samples for an hour.
If the answer is an unequivocal “yes”, then you are in the right place. No detail will be spared in explaining how this factory produces beer. First stop on the tour is the bar where they pour four, four ounce samples.
In a wise marketing maneuver, the higher ups at Deschutes placed the bar right in the middle of the gift shop. Don’t drink and shop. You really don’t need a Black Butte beanie.
Deschutes brews all of its own beer in house. This is a remarkable feat for a microbrew. As most of them expand, they have to contract brew. In other words, that’s not really a Sam Adams you’re drinking. It’s a Budweiser.
I think this was the point that Mai officially gave up on pretending to be interested. Just so you know, those brew kettles were custom made in Germany and are rolled out of one sheet of steel so there’s no welding seams.
Some La Verne and Shirley action.