Saturday was a hot one, but, man, was it a good time! Our first tour on Saturday was a stroll to three of Royal Oak's finest breweries, and fine they were. River Rouge Brewing set the tone with some awesome beers and an always-engaging host. Ed entertained our minds and delighted our palates and had the group enthralled with his past-life Hollywood stories (ask Ed when you see him). Next up was Royal Oak Brewery and our host/brewer Jeremy, who showed us the ins and outs of beer production at this Royal Oak staple. Great beer and great hospitality sum up the stop at Royal Oak Brewery. We finished up at Jolly Pumpkin with a Pick-Your-Pint round. I relish observing the beer knowledge that the group has shared at prior stops being utilized when ordering at the last stop. Comfort zones are shattered, adventures are embraced, palates are stimulated. Great group, great beer, great tour.
Tour number two on Saturday was our Dearborn tour, one of our newest van tours and you can be sure that we'll be scheduling this one regularly! Starting at Dearborn Brewing, head brewer/bartender/amateur beard grower Dan gave us the VIP treatment, sharing loads of info about the brewery and the delicious beers he brews and serves. Dan made us feel like regulars, which we just might become. From there, we moved on to Rusted Crow Distillery, where head distiller Andrew implemented his "inebriate and educate" tour which left our guests - you guessed it - highly educated and slightly inebriated. No corner of the distillery was left off the tour, from mashing to fermenting, from distilling to packaging. We saw how the magic happens and, Andrew, it was magical. Thanks!
Finally, on to Downey Brewing Co. and a flightful of delightful (patent pending). Dean and Lynette were SO accommodating and friendly that we didn't want to leave. Dean's chemist background was evident as he guided us around the brewery giving us the science behind the art. No question went unanswered, no beer went unenjoyed.
Thanks so much to ALL the stops on both tours this weekend. You made our tour guests truly feel like guests in your establishments. We can't wait to come back!