Brewery Tour

Take a peek inside our pioneering craft brewery.

An in-depth, hour-and-a-half tour of Sierra Nevada treats you to an inside look at our brewhouse, grounds, sustainability practices, and packaging facilities. You will also learn the history of the brewery and Sierra Nevada’s role as a pioneer of the craft brewing movement. Visitors over 21 years of age can enjoy a guided beer tasting of new and limited release beers at the end of each tour.

Ingredients

We pride ourselves on only using only the finest two-row barley, whole-cone hops, yeast, and water. Take a tour to learn about how ingredients affect the flavor, color, and type of beer.

Brewhouse

Visit the copper kettles at the heart of the brewery and see exactly how Sierra Nevada beers are made. Learn the steps in the brewing process and what the individual ingredients do in the development of an award winning ale or lager.

Fermentation

Take a trip to our fermentation tanks and learn how live yeast converts malt sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Learn how the type of yeast and the fermentation temperature determine what beer is produced and how different types of fermentation yield different styles of beer.

Packaging

Learn about natural bottle conditioning, the history behind the practice, and how bottle conditioning has become a signature part of Sierra Nevada beers. Also, check out the busy packaging facilities to see exactly how we are able to ship our beer to thirsty customers everywhere.

Sustainability

During summer months we offer a sustainability tour, a rare opportunity to learn about the infrastructure that is foundational to our triple bottom line approach to business. Learn about our 10,000 plus solar panels that comprise one of the largest privately owned solar arrays in the U.S. and groundbreaking hydrogen fuel cells that provide the brewery with one megawatt of power. Then discover our comprehensive recycling programs that allow us to divert 99.8% of our solid waste from landfills. Check out our CO2 recovery system that recovers this by-product of the fermentation process for beneficial use throughout the brewery, and end your tour with a beer tasting in our beautiful estate garden and organic hop field.