We’ve run over two six packs of private tours since launching last September. We have had the pleasure to serve guests from: Mars (the company, not the planet), a law firm, a tech company, a bachelor party, a bachelorette party (they were wilder than the bachelors), a group of friends from all over Ohio who had not seen each other in a long time, a collection of co-workers who lived less than a mile a way from our last stop and many families looking to celebrate a holiday or birthday together.
The link on our website provides the basics about Private Tours. Now that we have several under our belt, we thought this would be a good time to share what we have learned and add a few tips on taking a private tour to the next level.
No two tours are alike. The groups of people we guide definitely help set the tone for each tour. Some just want to have fun. Others want to go into more depth about what makes the craft industry tick. A private tour can be one of our standard itineraries or we can mix and match to create an itinerary that works best for you and your group.
What do we have to choose from? Quite a bit, we continue to add to our list as we partner with sites that can deliver what we need for all of our guests: a great product, exceptional staff and many stories about their craft and how they grew their business. Here is a list of our partners. As you can see from the link, we have some fantastic people to work with.
Over the Christmas holiday, we ran a Monday tour which took us to Wolf’s Ridge Brewing to learn about the brewing process and how Wolf’s Ridge pairs beer with their exceptional food. Then we visited Brothers Drake Meadery and Bar to learn about the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage….Mead and how it is made. Then we wrapped up with Watershed Distillery for a full tour of the distilling process and samples of gin and bourbon. We made a reservation for our group to meet up with some other friends at Columbus Brewing Company Restaurant at the end of the afternoon so they could enjoy a full meal together and share tales of their tour with friends.
Another memorable tour was a birthday party for an authentic Irishman. We ran our Grandview Tour for this party of expatriates from the Emerald Isle but we added some twists by having presents waiting for the birthday lad at each stop and we helped coordinate a bagpiper and Irish Step dancing to wrap up the evening when we returned to Smokehouse Brewing. Mix in several bawdy Irish Toasts and it was truly an evening to remember.
In the world of custom tours, almost anything is possible including out of town tours with partners such as Rockmill Brewery, Jackie O’s Brewery and Pub, Homestead Beer Company and more. We’ll be adding more itineraries including some wineries as demand grows.
If you have a group over 14 people, we partner with local bus companies and choose locations that can accommodate larger groups. Whatever your needs, we can create something that will be entertaining, educational and memorable for your group.
If you are planning a group event this year, contact us and we will put together a special tour for you. To get a better sense of our tours take a look at our reviews link or watch our Downtown Brewery tour video.
Cheers, Prost and Slainte!
