Thursday 26th of May 2016 10:29:40 AM

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Great beer in a beautiful brewery. Fortunately for us the day was nice, so sitting outside was not a problem. However the very small bathroom, that was a total mess, was a problem. I agree with other users that an indoor tap room should be part of the equation here. I won't go on a bad weather day. And please add porta-potties or something. Such a huge place and a small bathroom seems like your architect didn't know what you were building.

Saturday 23rd of July 2011 01:15:37 PM

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The New Glarus Brewery is someplace that any fan of Wisconsin craft brews wants to visit.

The location on top of a hill is beautiful. The purpose built building is a sight to behold. The beer is delicious.

Unfortunately, I wish it could have come together just a little better.

The tour was self-guided, but there were no signs or labels on anything. I can only look at so much copper and steel before getting bored because I don't know what anything is doing. A helpful employee did stop and explain one of the operations to us. When I mentioned the lack of signage he indicated that they were working on some fancy audio tour headphone things, but it was expensive. I would rather that they just put up some economical signs and get it over with.

I came to sample all the beers and that is what I did. My wife and I went with the pint glass option. Six dollars for the first one and then three dollars for refills. (There were some special beers that were 8 dollars for the refill!) The taps are located in a gift shop and the line is shared with people buying all kinds of stuff. This was a little irritating when all I wanted was another beer.

There was no indoor seating. We sat outside at picnic tables. The weather was beautiful the day in July that I visited, but the sun did get to be a bit much since there is no cover. I really wish they could make the tasting experience better.

Overall, I am glad that I visited the New Glarus Brewery. But honestly I would probably not return. Once is enough for me. If only they had a cool tap room, then I could recommend it.

Tuesday 31st of May 2011 01:04:30 PM

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Stopped in on 5/28/11 to take a tour and try some of the beers. The location is pretty new (2007 I think) and really cool as you drive up the hillside to get to the facility. They had a really cool stone walkway up to the brewery. The tour is self guided, so go at your own pace, although they did have a guy who worked there giving tours. Everyone is laid back, so they said if he is explaining the process to just walk up and join the group with no problem.

The facility is really clean with a great outdoor tasting area that over looks the surrounding area. On Saturday they were pouring under a tent outside which was fantastic. I opted to get the souvenir pint glass with cheap refills. My girlfriend got the smaller tasting glass that came with three samples. I believe they had seven different beers available and the prices were very low.

New Glarus probably had one of the best looking and visitor friendly facilities I've ever been to. I would highly recommend stopping in if you have a chance. The drive was only 2.5 hours from Chicago, so you could day trip or spend a night in New Glarus. If you are staying the night, you can get many of their beers in the local bars, so no need to drink the more popular offerings at the brewery if you are limiting the number of beers. Go for the limited quantity beers and then try the popular offerings in town.

Wednesday 2nd of June 2010 03:50:45 PM

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This is one of the nicest breweries I've been to, (the new hillside location.) My wife and I managed to be in New Glarus for the 2009 Octoberfest celebration. That was a lot of fun. The town was hopping with brats and live music. The beer tent was serving local wines and all New Glarus beer.

The brewery itself was shiny and new, located about a half mile from the old site. There was a large gift shop with two tasting bars. since there was a festival going on and the unveiling of the Staghorn Octoberfest, there were no samples, just pints of cheap beer. They had live music and food, as well as another beer trailer located outside the building.

The beers are always amazing. The Raspberry Tart and the Belgian Red are the best fruit beers to be found anywhere. The unplugged series is always interesting an worth the money. The brewery has a shop downstairs to buy beers in bulk or mix and match.

There are guided tours and self-guided tours of this state-of-the-art brewery. Hard-hat tours are less common and show off the old brewery as well--reserve months in advance.

Monday 22nd of February 2010 10:11:05 AM

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I've been to the riverside and hilltop breweries, and the new one was exciting to see. We actually went twice over the weekend, saturday when we got to town, then again on sunday to pick up some beer and take a self guided tour. Saturday is when the tourists flock, so if you're not big on crowds, sunday is much more relaxed.

Case prices might be a little higher than Woodmans, but you can be sure you're getting fresh beer at the brewery. Downstairs is the beer depot, sort of a warehouse feel, with pallets stacked high. They had a good selection of 4 Unplugged series, available in singles, 4-packs, and cases.

The tasting room and gift shop upstairs is also nice, stone floors and a patio with a lovely view of New Glarus in the distance. They were pouring the R&D Golden, 9+ oz. for $3.50, and they were generous.

The tour was fun, and there was a "beer expert" on hand to field questions. I learned all their beers were pasteurized, and that Cranbic was indeed filtered after barrel aging :)

Monday 9th of November 2009 12:56:22 PM

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Nice place. My wife and I went, I believe the tour was a self guided tour. The tasting was cheap, had 4 beers and you get to keep the glass. They also gave us a ticket to take to several restaurants in town and get a free beer. Gift shop was nice. We loaded up on beer since we cant get this back in IL. My fav. is always the Jumping Cow, Nut brown ale is good to.

Tuesday 25th of August 2009 07:05:14 PM

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I stopped by the new Hilltop facility the last weekend of June on my way to MN. As Izzy posted it is a beautiful place and the self guided tour is nice. All tho I heard they will be doing a hard hat tour in the near future. The tasting is for a sample glass and some of there most popular beers.

Nice gift shop and again a very nice view!

I recommend this as a stop and the Beer depot on the ground level sells most of NG beers!

Tuesday 25th of August 2009 08:49:08 AM

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I've now been to both the Riverside and the new Hilltop brewery. Both are beautiful facilities, but the new one is outlandishly beautiful. Not just the brewhouse, but also the setting, the tasting hall, the gift shop and the outdoor area for imbibing.

The tours themselves are self-guided, which is great if you want to look at a brewery, but there's something about a human being showing you around and telling you stories that I wish were here.

You pay like $3 for the tour and 4 samples, but you get to keep the tasting glass and you're assured of great beers. Every beer these guys brew is incredible. That is all. On our most recent visit, we got to try the new R&D Golden Ale and the Iced Barley Wine. Great stuff.

I recommend.

Sunday 23rd of August 2009 02:36:53 PM

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I visited the old (original, riverside) New Glarus brewery about a year ago, and about a month ago I visited the new (hillside) brewery. The old brewery was interesting and it had nice shinny copper kettles, but it was a pretty quick visit, not a ton to see.

The new hillside brewery on the other hand is really amazing. It is really set up for tours, with windows on all aspects of the brewing process to show off all of their stainless steel. Their tasting room is nice and pretty affordable for a few tastes. Their beer store has all their standards as well as the current year's Unplugged series and their new R&D series. Go out of your way to visit this brewery.