Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Tours & Tastings Reviews

Our guide Kelsie was fantastic, she was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The facility is really impressive and the brewhouse bar provides an awesome place to taste and chat through a few more beers once the tour is over.

really enjoyed the tour , thanks Sierra Nevada ! My family was very impressed learning about the history of Sierra Nevada and learning the process of Beer production.

Order of fries came out cold-ish. The food was lackluster despite the price.
I advise getting hammered on beer before partaking in the restaurant!

Service was good!

Our family enjoyed the tour of the Sierra Nevada Brewery. It was interesting to learn the history of the founder and to learn how the different brews are made. We especially enjoyed the tasting at the end. After our tour we had dinner at the restaurant. We had an excellent meal. I particularly liked the chicken schnitzel.

Nice dinner, good service, great beer. Only complaint I had was the wait time which means this is a popular place. The first time we got there at 8pm on a Friday night and it was over an hour wait for 5 people. We went there the following Saturday night at 4:15pm and there was still a 15 minute wait.

We really enjoyed the 90-minute brewery tour! Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and fun. We learned a lot and by far the best brew tour even. KUDOS to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company for being so environmentally conscience and for treating their employees so well. Of course, the highlight was the beer tasting. Also, we attended and evening concert of the Birds of Chicago in the Big Room which was a treat. Chico is such a great place with so much to offer!

We just visited Chico and toured the world famous Sierra Nevada Brewery - home of my fave beer! The building is a beautiful maze of polished copper and stained woodwork. Emma, our tour guide, was a font of knowledge and history for the dozen folks that participated. And the tasting room was as wonderful as I could have hoped. (I almost said 'hopped', which would have been Freudian slip - the hop room was chilled and aromatic!) I look forward to visiting again.

Great sights and sounds and great eats. Love the craftsmanship. Especially love their efforts towards 0 emissions and buying all local ingredients.

This was a great experience. First I toured the brewery. Having been through other breweries before, I thought I knew what to expect. Ben, the tour guide, gave a wonderful tour by not dwelling too much on the science of beer making (he did talk a little about it) but more on the experience, the environment, and the history/future of Sierra Nevada. Then I had dinner in the taproom. Colleen providing excellent service and the steak was top notch.
Whenever I'm in the area again, you can bet I'll be back!

If you enjoy a friendly atmosphere in a more upscale dinner/beer-bar setting, you will like this place. They have very good food and a very nice beer menu including a beer sampler platter. As expected, it is busy, so take that into consideration. If you want a quiet sit down for dinner, a nice lunch or a happy crowd for a weekend evening, this place can handle it. They have plenty of room and an outdoor patio as well. Prices drift from moderate to a bit above moderate, but the food is tasty and the setting will not disappoint.

It is a very busy and happening place. Lots of people around happy hour here. I has a nice patio place that can hold office party. We had our office party there last xmas the food was very good.

We like to go here whenever we get to Chico. The food is GREAT and we have always had a good meal. Take some time to do the tour, it is worth the stop.

The tour is fine, even interesting. This is for hard core beer drinkers. And there is plenty of beer. If you plan to eat there, expect a long wait. And it is extremely noisy, so conversations can be difficult. This si not a place for a quiet dinner, mostly large groups. The beer makes the food taste better than what it is, so, drink up! Outside dining? Only in the spring and summer months otherwise you will freeze. Our wait for our meal was very long and at the end of our meal the coffee came cold. Like I said, this is for Beer drinkers, food is not their forte. There is a cute brown jug you can purchase and have it refilled, and t-shirts.I rate this average, as we have been to other breweries that surpass this one.

The Sierra Nevada Brewery offers several types of tours (see their website). The basic ones tell you about beer-making, but if you already know about that then I strongly recommend their Beer Geek tour, which is essentially a behind-the-scenes look at how a brewery operates. Our tour guide was highly knowledgeable and there were only three of us, so it was easy to see and learn about everything. Well worth the cost. Reservations are required, so plan ahead. There is also a very cool gift/souvenier shop.

I have enjoyed Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for years, it was my beer of choice when tailgating at 49er games. It has a perfect balance of hoppy bitterness to malt flavor in my opinion. So when my nephew was graduating from Chico State in the very city where this brewery is it was a slam dunk. Did not have time to go on a tour, but they have an excellent restaurant with all their current beers on tap. Had a sampler of 4 beers which is an excellent way of finding the perfect one to enjoy. I did enjoy the nooner pilsner which I grabbed a six pack of in the gift store before I left. If you like craft style beers this place is worth a stop.

Really interesting and fun tour! I learned so much about beer and beer making; our tour guide, Brenna, was terrific; and the beer samples were great and generous! Really well done! Good supply of interesting beers for purchase in their gift shop, and don't miss the beer brittle! Fabulous!

This brewery, which has been in business since 1979, provides an excellent introduction into the beer brewing process. There are several tours to choose from, depending on your knowledge and interest. They are well presented and interesting, especially when you get to taste at the end!

Food is so so but high priced. They are always busy so there is always a long wait. I think everyone drinks so much beer, they don't notice the food.

Great place to go to if you are in the area. We were traveling from the national parks back to San Francisco and had to go through Chico just to go there. We had visited the east coast location in Ashville so want to hit both coasts. Sitting at the bar - we got to talk to the bartenders about what was available only there, what we couldn't get on the east coast, and they even made some mixes that the bartenders had worked on. A great experience.

We have enjoyed Sierra Nevada beer for many years. Recently did the fun Lagunitas tour in Petaluma and decided to make the trek to Chico for this tour. Be sure to make a reservation so you are not disappointed. We stayed one night at the Oxford Suites just across the freeway from the Brewery. Excellent hotel. Our guide was the bubbly, knowledgeable and crazy Emmalae. The tour starts with some videos, tasting of grains, and a taste of their flagship Pale Ale. During the tour around the facility you get to go into a room and experience hop oils. Also got to see the packaging room, but since it was a Sunday, nothing happening there.. The tour ends with generous tastings of 7 more beers poured by fun Dwight:

2) High Sierra Festivale - very light and made for Festivale and drinking all day, not available for sale in stores
3) Oktoberfest
4) Kellerweis - wheat beer - hefeweizen
5) Torpedo 7.2% alcohol excellent ipa - my fav!
6) Harvest IPA - experiment - earthy herbal
7) Hop Hunter IPA
8) Hoptimum 10.4% IPA - super strong - good!

We returned to the restaurant that night for dinner and more beer. It was excellent.

We are from Napa and thoroughly enjoyed our brewery tour today with our daughters and friends (ages 19-25). Our tour guide, Ben, was informative and funny. The tasters were generous and provided us with the wide ranges of types of beers.

Started out with the free tour (be sure to book in advance), Fun informative tour of brew works and finished with a nice sampling of beers, Went to the restaurant for lunch, great menu and amazing prices. Everything the 6 of us had was excellent. Nice sized portions, great service, and atmosphere.

I live in Mills River NC where the eastern brewery is at. We visited Chico to see where it all started. Very impressive place and a great staff. We got the royal glad to see you treatment.

I admit, I'm a picky eater. I don't like sauces and nearly everything is covered in sauces. My wife likes this restaurant and their beer, but I like neither. I prefer PBRs and Coors Light. I get iced tea because I don't like any of their beers. When I go, about the only thing on the menu without sauces is the fish and chips, which I get. Even these aren't very good as fish and chips go.

Rose was out tour person and gave us a lot of knowledge and we got to see huge vats and actually pick up the hops swirl them amour day in you hand and then smell the leftovers. We ended our tour with a 4 different Sierra Nevada beers and Rose was very interactive with all of us. We left with a souvenir glass from the tour.

fun and informative. great beer tasting at the end. tap room and restaurant await you after the tour.

Just got back from sierra nevada brewery tour in Chico. It is awesome. Our guide Rose was excellent. You are right in the brew of it. Don't miss this

We have taken several brewery tours and this was by far one of the best. It is very informative and a lot of fun. You get to sample 7 different beers at the end. All this and it's free.

If your timing is such that you are in Chico on one of many spring or fall weekend days (where high temperatures will be < 90) Get to the Pub early (opens at 11:00.) Get a table outside. Order a porter or amber depending on what is being brewed/served, relax and enjoy life in the slow lane. The patio is lush and beautiful. Pick whatever food might help fulfill the moment but nothing heavy.
This is Chico. Welcome. Enjoy.

My whole experience was great tours service knowledge restaurant and presentation cleanliness,location and even places to stay all in one place

An awesome place to relax and have a meal with friends during the week or weekends. It also has the added attraction of being an award winning brewery so be sure to sample the wares.

We had a great tour of the brewery& highly recommend Ben our guide who is awesome& super informative!

Very informative. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about beers and the beer making process. Get to smell the different types of hops and try several types of beers on tap.

So many good choices, what else can one say? Especially like trying the ones that aren't bottled or served elsewhere. Only thing I didn't know was that they don't fill non Sierra Nevada growlers... :( Brought one up for a fill up and they don't/wouldn't fill it... so that part sucked, but other than that, will continue to frequent this place. Will just fill my growler down the street or elsewhere where they will. Guess this place got too big as most all of the other true micro breweries will fill no problem... Oh yeah, will plan ahead and take the tour next time too.

It is a very thorough tour. You learn a lot about the brewery. The tour samples are fun. The goody bag is pretty good. If you like beer, I think it is a must.

Excellent timing and presentation was simple and easy to follow.
Best part? It is a free tour that includes the tasting but don’t forget to tip your guide!!!!!!

Fantastic interactive tour. It was really interesting and our guide was really enthusiastic. Loads of tasting and a great, reasonably priced, gift store. I couldn't believe the tour was free. Just make sure you register beforehand.
Beautiful food in the restaurant too. I cannot recommend this place enough.

The tour was awesome. We had Kristina as our tour guide and a very small group of 4. One couple was from Australia and added their prespective tothe beer as pub owners.

Sierra Nevada offers 3 tours. This is for the 1 hour brewery tour. For $10 / person, you get a great history of the brand and a tour of the facility. You get a taster at the beginning of the tour and a few more at the end. Just a great ambience. Will try one of the other tours when I get the chance.
Can't miss (unless you hate beer).

A group of us motorhomers took the tour, then tasted beer than off to the restaurant for lunch. What a beautiful place. Excellent Service, Excellent Food. Just plain over the top.
We will return!!

this company known for craft beers excels in many areas. It it a great place to work that listens and rewards its employees. It has a great shop to get SNB glasses, t-shirets and posters (more stuff too). The food in the big room is great. i love the food and the variety of beers. For newbies, i recommend the beer flight. I recommend trying any new products also. In the summer you can eat outside under misters. The main restaurant is loud with all the people there Nicer out on the patio. It is very beautiful in design. The staff has always been wonderful. I think they only take reservations for 8 or more. go early as it's usually busy. they have this big room where great concerts and dinners are available. this place is my FAVORITE place to eat.

My wife and I took this tour with Anna. The tour lasted about 90 minutes. It included a free pint of Pale Ale and 4 samples at the end of the tour. It was a great deal @ $9 each.

Anna was a great guide and explained things very well. It was sometimes difficult to hear/understand her, though, as the acoustics were terrible in a few of the rooms. Absent that issue, I would give the tour a solid 5.

Besides the tour the facility is nice but not nearly as good as their Asheville, NC facility.

Never miss sierra nevada when in norcal, good beer. Great food, family atmosphere, always enjoy salads and sausage

VERY popular lunch and dinner. The little beer samplers are cool. Even the sauerkraut is delish. Have separate venue for gatherings, small and large, as well as a stage for music, etc. Definitely worth the visit and taking out-of-town guests on the informative, free tour. Outdoor dining, plenty of parking, and an on-site hops garden! Home brewery product now found all over USA.

Having accompanied my partner on a business trip to the small city of Chino I was looking for points of interest to keep myself occupied. Most everything of historic note was closed because it was a Tuesday, but then I realized that this was Sierra Nevada's home base. I felt like I struck gold and quickly signed up or an afternoon tour. The first impression is of a top notch operation, this place is huge but impeccably maintained and it is apparent as soon as you get into the parking lot. They start the tour with a brief history and video and before you start walking you are treated to a taste of the flagship pale ale. They take you through the entire brew process showing you many different rooms including the amazing antique copper tanks that are a focal point of the plant. The last stop is the bottling line where we were fortunate to see a new beer leaving the line for the first time. The tour warps up in a tasting room where you are treated to several samples. I have always been a Sierra Nevada fan and love to find the pale ale on tap but everything that I tasted was exceptional. My favorite specialty beer if the day was the chocolate cherry stout, a perfect hearty beer for winter.
I will have lasting memories of this visit every time I drink their beer. They should be commended for representing their brand with an exceptional experience and for the environmentally friendly components of their business. One tip would be to give yourself enough time for a tour and then enjoy dinner in their adjoining restaurant, you won't be disappointed.

We've visited several breweries and this is by far the best. It's entertaining, interesting and educational. Our guide, Chris, was great. Good sense of humor and knows his stuff. You can tell he loves his job. Sierra Nevada is extremely eco-friendly. You can learn about everything they have done to protect the environment. And then at the end of the tour you can taste 8 wonderful brews. This tour is not for little kids. It also takes about 90 minutes. The beers are great so beware of the gift shop. Once you have tried the beers you will be hooked. Be sure to make a reservation for the tour.

They also have a wonderful restaurant as part of the facility - The Taproom. The food was excellent and the staff very friendly.

It was a really interesting tour but I think it was above and beyond because of our guide,Mike. He was very dedicated to his job which makes for a very interesting tour. I am not a beer drinker but had fun and even did the tasting (still not liking beer). If in the area you need to take this tour and hopefully you get Mike as you guide!

Seeing the behind the scenes production areas and learning about the history of the brewery. Our tour guide Brenna was fun and knowledgeable my favorite part was getting to touch and smell the fresh hops

I went to tour the Sierra Nevada Brewery with my friend on Sunday of Labor Day Weekend 2016. We reserved our places on the tour list online about a week in advance and I'm glad we did as the tour was full. It is free but requires reservations. When we got there, we were handed badges and told to sit in the lobby area where we first watched a video about the founder of the brewery and how it came to prominence since the 1980s. Then our AMAZING tour guide, Leroy, passed around 3 different types of barley for us to taste and then took us into the brewery where our first stop was the hops room. We got to play with the hops - rub it in our hands, smell it and dump it on the floor. Then we continued with the tour seeing all of the different areas of this massive and hi-tech brewery. The tour lasted 90 minutes but our guide was so great and the tour was so interesting, the time really flew by. I am so happy we decided to do this. It was great to see how this iconic Northern California beer is made. Bonus: you get to taste about 2 full pints of beer when you add up all of the tastings and that is included in the free admission. I was ultimately pleasantly surprised they made brown ale and a stout (my favorites). I didn't know Sierra Nevada made beer that wasn't crazy hoppy. They were both delicious!

I'm not even a beer drinker and I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. It is long but you learn a lot about the company history (interesting), sustainability efforts (impressive) and beer making (nothing like the hops cooler on a summer day). After the 1+ hour tour, you visit a tasting room where we tried 8 or so beers. The brewery likes hoppy beer--not my fave-- and the entire experience is free. Wow!

I finally took the brewery tour and it was a lot of fun. This is quite the facility. Everything is shinny and clean. I took an hour tour and was amazed at how large this is. Totally environmentally friendly. I couldn’thear all that theguide said,but she was very knowledgeable and was able to answer every question that was raised. The bottling line was amazing! The tour ended with a sampling of 6 or 7 brews. Great experience and highly recommended. Come early or stay after for lunch or dinner in the restaurant - good food and good prices.

The restaurant is always busy and very noisy. Not as noisy on the patio. No reservations. The food is good, not spectacular, but consistently good. Try the lentil burger. Sierra Nevada puts on great shows in the Big Room. I'm not into beer, but I like to support them because they are local, good to the community, and environmentally friendly.

We went there with 17 people to do the heritage tour...they only do tours fir 12 but they accommodated our whole group which was awesome. Our tourguide, Leroy, was great and knew the history and had some good jokes along the way. The beer was fantastic, I think all of us would do this again. To top off a great tour they made sure the restaurant would be prepared for our large group to have a meal after our tour, which was awesome since they don't take reservations. KUDOS Sierra Nevada Brewing, a job well done.

Great travel this time of year. stopped in for lunch and shared a flight.
Very cool like Disneyland for adults.
Of course don't forget the gift shop,picked ups tshirt or two.

Meh...everything's cooked with their beer. We get it you love your beer, but maybe mix it up. Tried to have a meeting, won't make that mistake again! Way too loud! The food was just okay, but not great. The new thin t-shirts the female servers were wearing cheapened the place.

SNBC has great beverages, food and entertainment all at reasonable pricing but, plan on waiting to get in. This is one of our favorite places to go for I nice meal or enjoy the shows. Of course the beverages are what made this place and they stay true to their abilities there. I always recommend a visit to SNBC to anyone that enjoys the good things in life.

I recently went on a tour at Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico with my RV Group & there were 20 of us! I called & set it up with Beba & she was excellent! The tour was wonderful & we were given excellent treatment. After the tour we went into the tasting room & were given samples of 4 different varieties Beers. They also gave us all very nice Glass Beer Glasses as well as their pens. I highly recommend this tour!!!!

Our guests (family) loved the tour. AND we learned a lot of history of the company and the owner. Also received some nice gifts at the end to memorialize our experience.

Fun your for only $14 but you get to sample several beers at the end of the tour.
The food next door is amazing, best burgers in town. Great activity on a rainy day in Chico.

We have toured many breweries and wineries and our experience at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company was absolutely outstanding! ! ! Our tour guide, Chris, was phenomenal, energetic, and compelling. He has great knowledge and passion for the Sierra Nevada product and experience.

Brewing quality beer is a complex endeavor and the folks at Sierra Nevada do a great job of explaining the process and making you feel comfortable asking questions to increase your brewing knowledge. The tasting at the end of the tour is generous, and gets you to experience a full range of the beers produced at Sierra Nevada. They have a very complete gift shop (souvenirs) where one can purchase limited release beers which are only available at the brewery.

The Sierra Nevada brewery is a destination in and of itself. If you plan to be in the Chico area, and if you care anything about beer, you won't want to miss the opportunity to visit Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. We called last minute, and got a return phone call from Rachel. She was pleasant, and let us know we could replace a cancellation (lucky for us). They have an on-line reservation system, so we would encourage you to plan ahead a few days, but by all means GO on this great tour.

I've eaten curry in a variety of situations, with and without meat. When I saw curried vegetables on the Sierra Nevada menu, I was all in. Their approach to curry is different from any I've ever seen. It was good, really good, but I'll probably choose something else from their menu when I eat here again.

I'm accustomed to a variety of vegetables and possibly meats in a rich, thick sauce, almost a gravy, that is highly spiced. It's all served over rice. No rice came with this dish, and very little sauce--just enough to coat and season the wide variety of vegetables and to flavor the tofu. My husband ordered the same. He agreed with me; it's really good, just not our favorite approach to curry.

Around us, other people ordered other meals that all looked splendid. We'll try this place again.

I was in expectation to visit them since 2014 when my father and I went to San Diego and tried one of their IPA’s.
The place is amazing and we could feel the warm reception from all of their staf and realized they are there because of love to this brewery.
We were able to join a guided tour and check all about the factory and after it they offered us a free beer degustation.
Thank you very much Sierra Nevada for it!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👊🏻

We love to take our out of town friends to Sierra Nevada Brewing. It's fun to tour the brewery and then eat at the restaurant. Their house salad is excellent with candied pecans. I'm not a vegetarian but I love their veggie burger made with lentils. The service is excellent, the prices are reasonable and we're all around pretty proud of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and all the success they so deserve.

I've been here in the past and was really excited to make the 2 hour drive for a second experience. Overall, it was a big disappointment. We couldn't take any of the tours due to our daughters age. They state 12 or older because of safety concerns but really that's a little old given the hazards they explained. And besides an adult could touch the hot barrels just as easily. After doing the self-guided tour which was just walking around the second floor (which can be done in less than 5 minutes) we went to eat lunch. We started with the salmon rillettes which was a odd item highly lacking overall and the sausages which were dry. The fish and chips were ok and the beer really good. For the food quality the prices were really high.

If you are a beer lover and find yourself in Chico, be sure to make a reservation for a Sierra Nevada tour! We have enjoyed the free 45-minute tour several times, and found it to be interesting and informative without being too taxing on the brain. The beer tasting at the end is a treat! Our guide, Daniel, did a nice tour, and it was clear that Sierra Nevada employees enjoy their jobs. It is apparent that teamwork and camaraderie are priorities. The gift shop is well stocked with souvenirs (both potable and non) and we finished up with a delicious lunch at the Tap Room. Highly recommended!

Had the opportunity to take the beer tour at sierra Nevada brewery.

It was a great experience, with a small group touring/tasting, and experiencing all that sierra Nevada brewery has to offer.

It was well worth the $30 charge. If you have an opportunity and are able to take this tour I highly recommend it. Our tour guide, Marie gave a great education on the history of beer, Sierra Nevada Brewery, their Philosophy in going to market as well as their commitment to the community and the environment with their sustainability. We also got to try a number of beers including several that are not even out of the market yet.

4 girls did the Beyond the Pale tour. We enjoyed the tour so much. It was informative and fun. We laughed a lot. Rob our tour guide was very knowledgeable yet fun at the same time. We really enjoyed meeting Jim the brew master and getting those barrel tastings. We will do it again.

We lucked out and were able to walk onto a tour. Word to the wise, if you're planning to come to the brewery, call ahead to be a part of a tour. It is a 90 minute free activity that shows their process and there is a lot of beer tasting!

I am not a beer drinker but the tour of the brewery is great. Company strives to be energy efficient in their beer making and food service operations. Food is delicious too. Can't comment on the beer. Gift shop has inexpensive but nice items to purchase.

Go for the beer. The menu is limited and a fairly simple, pizza marguerite was undercooked in their wood fired oven with the very thin crust still doughy, I was with a large business group so I did not complain.

Were in Chico for a graduation and had to stop in and taste a flight. well worth the visit with great atmosphere and good food. Staff was great, even on a busy day.

What perfect outing to take friends who enjoy beer. We took our friend from Ireland and he enjoyed the tour, tastings. Our guide, Juan was excellent & knowledgeable and did a great job! We headed to the taproom for a nice meal and more beer. Plus went home with some items from the store :)

A wide variety of good food . A beautiful bar. Try the beer sampler. It lets you explore the wide variety of beers that Sierra Nevada offers. Take time to tour the brewery.

A mix of restaurant and bar, the copper and wood space features a mixed menu plus lots of great beer served by a friendly staff

Service was good. Tried a few of the beers which were also good. Got the steak special no complaints

My sons won't come to town without going to Sierra Nevada. I really like their soups and salads.,,but the beer is the best! They have different selections of beer every time I go.

Jordan did a tremendous job as our Tour Guide, answering questions with patience & thoroughness. He gave us so much interesting information that there were few questions to ask though! Our favorite part of the tour, in addition to the tastings of course, was the hops room. We had no idea that there are so many varieties of hops + feeling & smelling them was very interesting. Very classy operation; we highly recommend a tour! : )

After a day of shopping i stopped by the Brewery for lunch and it was great. I had a juicy hamburger with a very generous side of a wonderful pasta salad. The pasta salad wasn't sweet and mayonaisey, but rather light and flavorful. The waitress was very nice and attentive to our needs without hovering. The resturaunt was busy and noisy with lots of holiday energy. The Brewery offers an incredible tour.. I am not a beer drinker but the tour was very informative and fun.

I thought the tour was very informative about the beer making process and history of Sierra Nevada Brewing. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. Tasting at the end was a nice bonus.

Went to both the pub and on a brewery tour. The service is great and the food was exceptional! Lots of great choices especially the mozzarella pizza. Of course the beer selection accommodates for every single person. Do not miss out on the great tap options available. On the tour, Andrew found a way to engage every single person in what was going on, for the beer fans or just manufacturing interested people. Makes you want to crack open a pale ale!

Love the ambiance and food. We were famished and tired but the mood and the food gave us our second wind. Must visit. Must see place in Chico. Great beer!

First toured Sierra Nevada when they were still in two metal buildings - 40/50 years ago. Tour conducted by one of the owners who still wore his rubber boots and we (my wife and I) sampled the product in his tiny office around a metal desk piled with invoices and business mail. Thirty or so years later, SN had relocated into a modern, state of the art facility, with a restaurant. The tour was impressive. Twice in the past two years (2014 and 2015) I've taken the tour again. Building seems to have doubled in size. Tours better and better. Sampling even better. Once a tiny micro brewery, it has blossomed into a major destination. Try it. You'll like it.

I've taken the brewery tour with out of town visitors. The background, sustainability, eco friendly, and family oriented information will gives most folks a warm place in their hearts for the owners. Dinner, however, was my most recent experience, and I would definitely recommend the outdoor patio, as well as the food. Everything was tasty and cooked to perfection. The meringue dessert was a new one for my family, and we were fighting for the last crumb.

Great selection of craft beers. Be sure and take the brewery tour.very good dining as well.i would give 5 stars but for the noise in dining room could have been an unusual night, but was hard to communicate.

We are visiting from out of state in our RV. This is a tour we have been meaning to take for some time as this is one of our favorite off-the-shelf craft brews.
The tour was very nice and informative. It starts with a well produced video and continues with a tour of the brewing facilities. We have been on a variety of brewery tours and knew what to expect. Our tour guide did a great job, seeming to be well informed and a lot of fun to talk to. The real highlight was the Hops Room. I was unaware Sierra Nevada uses fresh hops instead of hop pellets. We were encouraged to get our hands into the hops, to feel and smell them.

This was a so-so brewery tour. Being a beer geek, I knew I had to get to the Sierra Nevada brewery for a tour. I credit Sierra Nevada for opening up the world of craft brew to me so have some reverence for the brand even though its Pale Ale is no longer my favorite. Living in Colorado will do that to you.

Their bottling facility is huge and on full display. For me this was the highlight of the tour. Seeing a working bottling operation is impressive and at the scale that Sierra Nevada is operating on makes it even that much cooler. My only complaint is that the observation deck it too far removed from the action. Sierra Nevada has a lot of sustainability technology incorporated into their operation but that's a separate tour.

I was hoping for more tasters or to hear about their small batch operations but that was not part of the agenda, oh well. All and all a decent tour but next time I would probably go to the tasting room instead.

I went here with a large party of about 30 people. It was good to go behind the scenes see how the beer is brewed and packaged. The tour isn't the most interactive and there is an opportunity here for the brewer to make it more so. At the end of the tour we were given 30 mins or so of free beer in a small tent in the breweries garden. The variety of beer is great but the tour was a bit rushed and could do with a little more interaction

If you have an opportunity to come to the Octoberfest at the Sierra Nevada do it!!! Tickets sell quickly and it is an amazing food and beer experience with great entertainment too!!! A wonderful way to celebrate the Octoberfest German tradition!!! For adults 21 and older,no children can come to the Octoberfest!!! They have shuttle service and you park at the near by fairgrounds.You can get a meal with beer or a designated driver ticket, with a meal.Well worth it!!!

The wait is long for the restaurant but I would recommend the brewery tour and beer tasting. The staff is very knowledgeable. Be prepared for strong brewery related smells and a cold room experience.

If you're in the area, you should make time to check out this awesome Brewery. Sierra Nevada takes pride in their work and it shows in the quality of product. Take time to eat in the restaurant as well. Very great!

We had lunch here .... sat outside and enjoyed excellent food and tasting a flight of beers! Very fun. I had the Butternut Squash Ravioli appetizer and Caesar salad. My husband had the prosciutto salad. Everything was well prepared and very tasty. Staff were friendly and attentive even on a busy Saturday.

Nice tour...it was not too long and I enjoyed the tasting afterwards with four different kinds of beer starting with the pale ale otra vez Oktoberfest and narwhal. The gift shop had beer products and souvenirs. They have their own restaurant for food as well

Visited the brewery and was amazed how very nice it is. Food was delicious and wait staff perfect. The brewery tour is well worth it.

Sierra Nevada Brewery is a nice place for lunch or dinner. The Restaurant can get very busy, so you may have a slight wait. I would recommend getting the Brew "Sampler" and find a favorite to have with your meal. The service is great, and the food is very good. You will enjoy yourself at this place.

We were coming to Chico far a running event so decided to stay a couple more days. Searching for what to do, we found the tours for Sierra Nevada Brewery. We chost the teo hour “behind the scenes” which was $45 pp and worth every penny. We started with a short talk about the history of the founder and how he is still working and still making al decisions on brewing and sticking to old practices that cost more but makes for great beer. We got the first sample at the briefing and several more along the tour. We saw the vats, the processes, watched work in action ant the outer areas with sustainability everywhere. The tour guide Drew really was enthusiastic and friendly. At the end we had ...... more beer samples and a free glass. The Back Stage is the way to go.

Sign up ahead of time for the free brewery tour if you can! It's awesome and they a fun tasting at the end. The gift store is great too!

Follow up with a trip to the taproom, the beer mat is a fun way to sample all the brews (I found this was best to split with someone else!) and a bite to eat. Their burgers, pizzas and salads always hit the spot!

Great shows too!

This is a MUST STOP in Chico, the tours are incredibly informing and the Beers are off the chart. The Food is very affordable and very tasty.
If there was a down fall to your visit it would be the noise level is always a bit noisy.

We took the free tour and enjoyed the history, seeing production first hand and of course - sampling the brews. Lots of fun and our tour guide was very knowledgeable.

Dinner was also good - great service. Get the pretzels and beer cheese for an appetizer! Only downside was - it was noisy. We sat very close to the bar and it was a Thursday evening, prime time. Everyone was having fun though 😊

This place is fantastic! Take a tour of the brewery and visit the gift shop. There's a bar and restaurant on site where they serve wonderful food and you can taste the many beers available. There's plenty of parking, and you can eat outdoors or inside. I've been here several times, and I've never had a meal that was less than wonderful. You won't be disappointed!

Stopped by on a Sunday at lunch. Cool place for food & drinks. I did not have time for the tour but food was good & beer was great.

Well prepared. I had roasted chicken and my friend had pork tenderloin. Good Value. Very good service. Excellent selection of beer. Nice atmosphere.

One of the best tours we have done at Sierra Nevada. If Cody is your tour guide... you’re in for one great tour. He is very fun and knowledgeable. Once your done with the tour, stop by the restaurant for some delicious food! I’ve never had anything bad at Sierra Nevada. I usually order off the specialty menu but the regular menu looks great too. I highly recommend the sweet spicy wings for a really good appetizer. Enjoy!

I am a loyal Pale Ale drinker from NJ. This was a must see on our cross country trip.

The tour was very informative and explained the brewing process in general and their's in particular.

You get to walk around the actual brewery and taste the wort. The hops area was interesting too. They even let you rub the hops to release the fragrance.

Everyone was so friendly and I was impressed with the Company's efforts in reducing their carbon footprint.

The tour ends with a tasting of several beers along with a very detailed analysis of each selection.

We had a couple more beers at their restaurant, the place was packed although we didn't order food.

Sierra Nevada gave us an awsome private tour! I cannot remember the name of our tour guide but she was awsome! We tried many beers right off the assembly line and others that were not released yet! Highly recommend this place, their beers, and their private tour!

This was a pretty cool tour, our tour guide was really nice and we learned a few things along the way. I didn't know how Sierra Nevada came to be so that was interesting but also you get to see and learn about their beer brewing process. We went on a weekend so there wasn't a lot of activity but still cool to see. The tour is free and there were four tastings at the end.
We went to the restaurant after the tour and the food and staff were good there too.

The tour was very informative, especially if you're a beer connoisseur or beer lover. The history behind Sierra Nevada makes you want to drink their beer even more. We loved our tour guide that seemed to know everything about the beer. Kelly had lots of energy and had a great sense of humor. If you're in Chico, California this is definitely a place to stop by. The beer tasting at the end was a perfect finisher. I would recommend planning to take an Uber after this trip.

If you're into beer or food, this place is a must visit if you're anywhere near Chico, CA. This nationally famous craft brewery should be the standard by which all others are measured. The food in the restaurant is fabulous, with something for just about any taste or preference, and the brewery tours are great too. If you don't have time for a tour, stop by the gift shop and pick up some Sierra Nevada swag or a case or two of some of their brews to go. The bar in the restaurant sells Growlers of many special brews that are not available anywhere else--not even in the above-mentioned gift shop, so bring a cooler so you can take some home. By the way, dining in the restaurant is either inside out out, weather permitting. The dining room can get noisy (it's usually packed) so be prepared, or plan to eat and drink outside. You can sit at the bar until your table's ready and sample what's on tap--usually 10-15 different brews at any time. Bottom's Up!

The tour is 1 and 1/2 hours long. You need to book a little ahead. We went on the weekend so packaging operations were closed. It makes for a great afternoon and beer tasting at the end.

I am a lover of micro beers, I do not enjoy the weak, tasteless slog that Coors or Budweiser puts out. Therefore I am always happy to see microbreweries open up in our state. Sierra Nevada has been here the longest on a national level and when my friends and I went to the brewery, not only did they have fantastic beers on tap that you cannot get anywhere but the brewery, but the food and service was excellent in a nice oak paneled restaurant . The area around Chico also has some historical points of interest including a monk's winery that dates back to the 1850's along with the Bidwell Mansion.

Was only one on a 12:30pm weekday tour but the tour guide was as invested as he would have been for a group of twenty. Very informative and very good beer

Our Rotary lunch here for 200 was exceptional; fresh veggies and beef and veggie options; cold beers on tap; and wonderful salad, all served to our group fast and with great bonhomie! I love this establishment, both for what they have done for our city and for their food. The Tap Room is another great venue if you are with a group or alone.

Very informative and fun tour to see behind the scenes of the brewery. Definitely recommend this and will take our out of town guests and family when they visit us in Chico.

This is a must see in the area!
From a couple guys brewing beer in their garage to an international company it is exceptional! Great food, outdoor seating many months of the year and outstanding beer, it's not to be missed. The tour us very interesting as well

Sierra Nevada is consistently great, its been awhile since my last visit. The service is great, meals served are excellent, I am recommending the "Butternut Soup" with a turkey bacon sandwich, outstanding! Service is prompt and with genuine smiles. Prices are also great for this upscale brewery. A must visit while in Chico.

I've been on quite a few different brewery tours, both large and small. This is a great tour, my favorite in fact.

One piece of advice, great if you don't have to drive afterward, or you'll need a designated driver. Lots of opportunity to sample the product.

It's an amazing story to learn how this brewery was built up from a garage operation to what it is today!

Then add on top of that the fantastic beers they produce. Such a variety of high quality brews of so many types. I'm also impressed by the inventiveness they have used, such as their "Torpedo" hopping process.

The restaurant is also very nice, a definite go to if your in Chico.

The tour typically requires a reservation, which you can do online. I've also gotten in by being a stand-by guest, hoping for no shows to the tour.

The restaurant is also typically busy.

You can't miss in this stop. Enjoy!

Just took the Sierra Nevada brewery tour in Chico, CA and loved it! What a bargain, not only did we get an informative and entertaining tour, but the beer tasting, before and after the tour, was so well thought out. The selection and order of the beers really made for a delicious and delightful ending. Well done Sierra Nevada!

Used to love this place and always stopped when passing through. The food and service were always excellent and the beer, of course. But...the last 2 trips have dissuaded us from going back. On one visit we sat in the waiting room for 20 minutes with our buzzer device. We noticed that there were many open tables in the dining room with many wait staff milling about. We were eventually seated at a table that had been empty since we began waiting. Our waitress was relatively pleasant, but disappeared for long periods of time. Took way too long to get a beer. The food was plain awful on both visits. Pizza was bland, fish and chips was crumbly and way over priced, eggplant dish was undercooked with layer of plastic-like cheese, fries were inedible, salty. The beer remains excellent.

I have dined at Sierra Nevada on several occasions, both for lunch and for dinner. Both in a small group and with a large group. They can accommodate a larger group if you call ahead and make a reservation. This is a loud venue. Not a good place for a first date, unless you don't value hearing your date! They have a patio which is nice when the weather cooperates. The food is good pub food. You really come here for the beer. Plan ahead and you can take a tour of the beer making facilities. Ample parking and a fabulous location for enjoying music. As a musician, I have played this venue as well as enjoyed it as a patron.

The current Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico is not exactly where it call started, but it's pretty close. Just a few miles away from SNB's 20th Street location in Chico is the small warehouse where owner Ken Grossman and his partner back then perfected the flagship Pale Ale in 1980. Today, the brewery is a Chico landmark where some of the best beer in the world is made at perhaps one of environmentally sustainable breweries in the world. That leads us to the tours. The brewery tour is free and you have to be 21 years old, but you have to make a reservation. It's easy to do. Just go on their web site. The tour begins with a complimentary glass of Pale Ale, if you so choose. After a brief video and intro into SNB's history, you're off. The tour takes about 45 minutes and ends with a beer tasting session. They offer about 7 to 8 separate tasting choices. So if you do partake, plan on having someone who hasn't had a lot to drink or do an Uber. Afterwards, head over to the Taproom for some great food and more beer. By the way, if you're visiting family in the Chico area during the holidays, tell your relatives to book a tour. It's a fun thing to do that time of the year.

The tour here is excellent, the facility is super clean and the restaurant has inside and outside seating with really excellent food. The beer they make of which there is plenty to select from is listed based on IBU (International Bitterness Units) the higher the number the more hoppy your selection.

Had a chance to take the free 45 minute tour of the brewery that walked us through how beer is made and history of Sierra Nevada. After we popped over to the tap room for a late lunch. Good times!

I'm visiting from England and staying with some friends in San Jose. I thought I'd make the 8 hour round trip to Chico to do a tour of the Sierra Nevada brewery - the lengths men go to for beer! I went on the 4 hour long beer geek tour ($25) on Friday afternoon. It was great fun, had access to all sorts of areas which most places probably wouldn't allow you in, and was really informative (our tour guide, Brad, did an awesome job of taking us round. He was very knowledgeable and a good laugh). Beer tastings along the way definitely help make it an even better experience! If anyone is staying in the Bay Area, I would say it is definitely worth the long trip!

My husband and I were driving through Chico and stopped in for some lunch and beers.
I had the flight and then chose the IPA!
I ordered the swordfish sandwich and it was awesome! My husband ordered the locally sourced burger. He said it was delicious.
We go to a lot of brew pubs and this one is at the top of the list. The food was really good and the price of the flight was great!

After lunch, We went into the store after our meal and bought a t shirt and water bottles for our bike riding.

Went on a complimentary tour and beer tasting. Was only 45 minutes but a quick tour telling how it was started and how the beer is made. Tour guide Ben was fun, knowledgeable and excited about the process. There are more detailed tours, at a cost, but this one is perfect for the novice and tourists!

I was pleasantly surprised with a breweries food and service. I have the chicken sandwich which came out perfectly cooked and extremely tasty. I highly recommend the half of wise in as it was very similar to Bavarian beer. The next time I'm in Chico I will definitely stop here again!

We did the brewery tour which was about 90 minutes followed by tasting in their bar. Our tour guide Leeroy was brilliant! You get to taste 7 beers which they have on tap that day, fantastic, one of the best things we did on our trip. The food in the restaurant was first class, had Thai red curry....superb! There's a very well stocked gift shop at the end of the tour where you can buy your favourite beer you tried or a cap, shirt or memrobilia. Very good trip!

Great food, amazing service. An overall must experience if you have never been. Great tours and the best gift shop ever.

The tour is always a go to item on the list for new visitors to Chico. Visitors really enjoy the end of the tour which is a sample tasting of 4 types of Sierra Nevada Beer. I hace taken this tour 3 times with Chico visitors. At some point I plan to take the tour when I am not the designated driver so I can participate in tasting.
After the tour you might want tp have a meal at the restaurant..
Reservations are definately recommended vor both the tour and restaurant.

This tour was one of the best tours I have ever taken. Our guide was super knowledgeable, the tour was very educational ,and the beer tasting was awesome.

I have taken 3 different tours here now, the basic free one is great, but the sustainability tour is awesome. I love when companies are so open and educational about their practices... also free beer at the end! The new and improved Otra Vez with lime and agave is perfect.

Sierra Nevada has a wonderful taproom - gorgeous and upscale, with great food. No reservations (I think) so if it's busy you'll have to wait for a table, but meanwhile, enjoy a beer! And do try to get into a tour of the brewery - so interesting!!! and ends up in the tasting room.

Enjoyed the different hands on experience & the tasting @ the end was great!
Our tour guide was awesome!

Thanks a lot for the really familiar treat and guide. The guide with the group (I and my friends) was friendly and well trained. And the beer is perfect!

Enjoy a mouth watering steak, or an appetizer while sipping specialty beers off their beer sampler platter. Then take a tour of how they make their famous beers all in one trip. Make sure you call a couple days ahead to find out the tour schedule. It can get a little crowded at the bar area, so be patient or call for reservations for their restaurant seating inside or outside.

OK, it may seem strange but I have been drinking Sierra Nevada pale ale for years and really wanted to go to the brewery. SO when the opportunity popped up I took it. They have a taproom that has excellent food and of course many beers that Sierra Nevada brews not available in my hometown Yea! If you like great beer and good food this one is for you.

Happened to be in town for a birthday celebration and since they were all meeting at a location I am not fond of we decided to get to town early and try this place out. It was Saturday and rather busy and we were lucky enough to get in on a tour so we just sat at the bar and ordered a few things. Hubby ordered a cheeseburger and I ordered the pretzels. The pretzels were to die for and the warm melty beer cheese was fantastic! They are real pretzels with that firm brown exterior and chewy insides! YUMMY. The fries that came with the burger were very good and hubby's burger had the beer cheese as well which he really appreciated. Burger looked very well sized and hubby was surprisingly able to take it down no problem. The place is really busy on Saturdays, an hour wait is typical. There was a really long line at the door, we expected this but since we didn't make it in town as early as we wanted to, we were just lucky enough to catch a few people leaving and got seats at the bar and served there, but it was at least 2 deep all around the bar since so many people were getting beers while they were waiting for tables. The food looked spectacular and I wish we had more time to try more but the tour was scheduled and we didn't want to risk it. Our tour guide RACHEL was absolutely FABULOUS!! She was so knowledgable about the history of the place and the owner and the beer I was really impressed with her knowledge and enthusiasm for the brand and her place of employment. I learned a LOT on the tour and I would certainly do it again when the production facility was up and running Monday-Friday. I so enjoyed our visit here I will certainly be back when in town again and so glad I found this place since I usually hate coming to Chico to visit the in-laws. So now I have a place to come to and look forward to our visits and just come early and come here again! :) Oh for you beer drinkers the tours are free and you get to try several beers at the end and its very entertaining and educational as well even for us non beer drinkers I was able to find one I liked and was surprised by the variety of flavors and colors available. Very much worth your time I recommend to anyone coming through town or even the locals who haven't been on the tour before (if thats even possible). See you again soon. Can't wait!

Visited with family and friends for daughter's 21st birthday. Took the free tour: informative, interesting and tasted 8-9 beers, some only available in the tasting room. Had lunch in the restaurant after tasting, service and food were very good. Hint for eating at the restaurant following tasting. Send someone over to the restaurant right after tour and before tasting to put name in at restaurant and they will give you a pager, especially on busy weekends, when you finish tasting table should be ready.

I found the range of boutique beers fascinating. The ambience at the restaurant with the brewing viewable through the glass windows made it just am awesome dining experience.

I've been to many functions at the Sierra Nevada Brewery. All are good memories for me. The food is good although they are busy, busy, during meal times of the day.

Their tours are fun and informational. Everyone nneds a Sierra Nevada T-Shirt from the gift shop.

Oktoberfest each year is great fun too.

After a long drive from SF airport, we arrived to find that the tours were full. However the staff went out of their way to work us into the next tour. It was a blast! Being a big fan of craft beer, and from 2500 miles away, I was like a kid in a beer candy shop. The tour had a little of everything from history to chemistry and the tour guids were a lot of fun and very well informed. I was very impressed at the lengths that the company has gone to in order to be a eccologiclly friendly industry.
The tasting at the end was awsome. We chatted with the "bartender" for quite a while and never felt rushed to leave. We didn't go to the resturant, we were were there for the beer.
Sierra Nevada is about to open a brewery near Asheville, NC (our favorite vacation destiation), so we will make the trip as soon as it opens.

A Chico landmark, this place is always busy and has good food and drink. Best known fro the beer, of course.

I lived in Chico for over 20 years and have been a fan of Sierra Nevada since before I moved there. I loved the beer back when there was no pub and once that was opened I became a regular. The food is outstanding and I love the fact that they source their meat from the Chico State farm where they feed the animals with their spent wort(grain). The outdoor beer garden is fantastic and if it gets too hot (and during a Chico summer you can expect that) they turn on the misters. Can I give this place ten stars? Also, check out the music scene there in the Big Room. Some of the best talent goes through there.

On my final trip to Chico, finally had a chance to do a beer tasting and self guided tour. We had just an awesome tasting guide on this Sunday afternoon after graduation. He taught us so much about the making of beers, he had so much knowledge, enthusiasm and charm that we had a terrific time. The 8 tastes were fun and we had some two very different and distinct beers that you should not miss. It is amazing how clean, classy and profesional this place is. Although we wish we were on the guided tour, the self tour was good. You get a strong feeling of family at Sierra Nevada. THey founder is still active after 35 years and lives in Chico. THey have great days of fun, grow some of their own hops and are big on sustainability. Sierra Nevada has always been one of my favorites, but now they are held in higher regard after viewing their philosophies, family values, enthusiasm and smiles (yes, everyone gave us smiles). I even got a great hat for only $15, they are not out to gouge you here!

A one hour tour is a Great way to work up a thirst for this world famous family owned brewery the scope is so large one would get lost without a tour guide like Emily that ends with a four beer flight only served at the brewery *

Stay at Oxford Suites. They provide a shuttle! We loved the breakfast and service! My husband's birthday was over our stay and they made him a gift bag! The brewery was so much fun! We laughed with our tour guide and had an amazing time in the restaurant afterwards! Loved the info on the tour and the gift shop!

I took a pale ale tour to the Sierra Nevada brewing company. I’m really impressed by the tour and everything I saw. Thank you for all small presents you gave us. Really enjoyed the beer tasting. Our tour guide did a great job.

We took the Brewery Tour with my parents, my sister and her husband. The facility is clean and beautiful and our tour guide was knowledgeable and fun. We loved the Hop Room best of all, but the bottling room was pretty amazing, too. At the end of the tour we tasted a few brews, then we went next door to dinner. The food is terrific, and Sierra Nevada uses produce from their own organic garden. So, very fresh and tasty salads, but watch for a little extra protein (worms; I got one, and the staff was extremely gracious about it). We'll definitely go again and we'll take our friends, too.

The granddaddy of microbreweries!!! Great taproom with great beer. Beautiful wooden bar where you can order your choice of great beers. Usually 20+ beers on tap. The food is about what you’d expect. Good but it won’t blow you away. I usually order the sausage trio starter for my entree. It’s damn good and will fill you up.

On a lark, while heading out of the gold-rush area of CA and heading towards the Cascade Range, we decided to tour the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company located in Chico, Ca. We have toured other breweries, big and small over the years, and have always found the process and the art that goes with it to be fascinating. We were expecting a small to medium sized factory-type operation and an interesting but unremarkable tour. What we got was anything but. First, the place is enormous. Second, it is gorgeous - architecture, magnificent cut/beveled glass, wonderful woodwork, hand-painted tiles (in the work areas!), frescoes depicting both the process and the company heritage and incredible amounts of copper makes it truly unique in the industry. Third; it was spotless - everywhere. Everything gleamed. Fourth, the tasting room was beautiful and the beers were absolutely delicious. Fifth; Emma our tour-guide was the perfect hostess and ambassador for the company. She really loves her job and it shows. She is extremely knowledgeable about the product and the company and never missed a beat. She also never made you think that she was reciting something for the thousandth time like many such guides unfortunately seem to do. She kept it moving, sprinkled in appropriate humor and never seemed to be at loss with even the most technical question. It was a thoroughly enjoyable tour and a must-see for beer enthusiasts anywhere.

Sometimes a wait during peak hours,but worth the wait. Try the beer sampler and the malt pretzels with the beer cheese. Always like the beer bacon burger or the taproom burger for lunch.

We met friends here and shared a beer sampler over lunch! Soooo fun! Both the beer and he food were delicious, and the atmosphere was very pleasant. I have not taken the brewery tour, but I understand that it is fun!

Sierra Nevada is a fascinating company and a wonderful corporate citizen of Chico. Their beers are outstanding and they give excellent tours. They have great food in their pub (the patio is beautiful in nice weather). And they have wonderful concerts in their "Big Room". Plan ahead because the concerts usually sell out and expect a wait at the pub because it is so popular with locals as well as visitors.

At check in I was told we would get a beer sample before we started and that didn’t happen. Juan was a great tour guide and kept us entertained. When we returned and got our flight, we were told about the self tour, but were not told we could bring our beer upstairs and enjoy the games. We wish they made it more noticiable, we finished our beer downstairs and then noticed we could have gone upstairs and played some games. It also would have been nice if we had the option of the beer flavors on the flight, or at least offered a price list to try other flavors.

As a local Chicoan, I have watch Sierra Nevada grow from the brew we couldn't afford in college to a staple. It's a small Mom and Pop brewery that has grown to a nationally known beer but has maintained all its integrity and thought for its patrons.

A great tour provides tons of information that other large and not so large breweries don't share. Tour guides feel a sense of pride that revels in their presentation. It's a green facility and there is much to learn here about beer, brewing and how this company has grown and stayed environmentally friendly. Special times during the year groups are allowed to help out in the process and lay people have even been known to name a beer or two.

Once done with the tour; the restaurant next door is five star, fun and friendly. Food is exceptional, servings are large and the beer flows. Try some of the beers that are offered in the restaurant only. Service again is great. Love this place.

I wanted to go on the tour so I was excited. I like the beer but afterwards, I was definitely disappointed. The tour guide was very knowledgeable however she was definitely burnt out on giving tours and I think she had marbles in her mouth and on top of that she seemed like she was in a cult instead of on a tour. I mean it's interesting walking through the place dont get me wrong, you get your knowledge of the place and you touch and smell a lot which is cool, but unless they keep you riveted, watching beer being made is kind of like watching cheese being made; if you're not in love with the process of how beer is made then there's really no reason to be there except to get some tasty treats at the end. Speaking of which, the tastes we got were not that great and I think that the qty of and type of beer samples given were not representative samples of the brewery and were not generous and management said, its our beer, and if you want it, then go buy it but don't expect it for free. Our guide gave us four beer tastes and I set three them back on the tray and my daughter put two back on the tray. You would think that Sierra Nevada Brewing Company would understand that you were on a tour because you like their beer and you bought a lot of it so at the end of the tour they give you some pretty cool samples and some pretty cool stuff and maybe give you more beer. The feeling that I was left with at the end of the tour was this: Hey, I took you on the tour... I'm tired of you being here...i need a beer...Why am I here... I want to go home...try these beers that I like but you probably won't.. and oh, hey..don't take too many key chain's at the end because the owner doesn't like to just give you free beer or stuff and he want you out of here. If you want more beer samples then go buy them at the gift store because we're not going to give them to you here.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is definitely profitable and at the end of the day, they're getting by on reputation, a couple of good beers, but bottom line is, you're just a number and a mral ticket and they want your money so shove off.

Ben our tour guide was excellent. He answered all questions and provided excellent insight into the making of the various Sierra Nevada beers. We enjoyed the tour and the beer tasting at the end of the tour. We highly recommend visiting and touring the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Chico is the birthplace of Sierra Nevada Brewery and has grown into one of its most successful businesses without any formal advertising in the beginning. Their products (beer, food, clothing, gifts) are of utmost quality and consistently so. The brewery itself is beautiful, with the landscaping changing seasonally as does the menu in the taproom restaurant. They are committed to the environment and reuse or recycle most everything. The tours give you an in depth look at the brewing process including their gardens, if you choose. They are supportive of this community, and will soon have a presence in the Ashville, NC area where their 2nd brewery is soon to open. The restaurant food is good and their staff is wonderful! We love to sit out on the patio in warm weather for drinks and often, a meal. If we are in the mood for music, their Big Room has great entertainment weekly or more often, for very reasonable ticket prices. We are proud to promote this company to our friends and family!

We took the 45 minute tour because our son is a few months shy of his 21st Birthday. They tell you that you need to make tour reservations well in advance. My wife called the day of the tour and asked if there were any cancellations. They had added tours that did not show on the website. The tour starts with a short video providing the history of the company. We then walked through the major steps in the Brewing process. We were allowed to rub our hands in the hops to get the feel and aroma. We ended up in the tasting room where we had samples of four of their many varieties of beer/ale. We were given a Sierra Nevada Logo glass for attending.

They have beer. Food is pretty good (most of it.) Place is great for taking selfies to post on Instagram with a location setting. Your friends will be jealous.

Took the tour it was very informative and we had a great time. Would definitely recommend it. Would advise maybe a different time of the year. It was extremely hot here pushed 108 the day we went.

Quintessential Chico - a couple of very smart guys with a garage start small and develop a business that gives back so much to the community!! Best craft beer in the U.S., in my opinion. I put this tour on my "must do" for all friends and relatives who come to visit.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour at Sierra Nevada. Our guide, Kelly, was so knowledgeable and personable. This is a great success story about someone following their passion. The free tour includes a beer tasting at the end which was unexpected and much appreciated. The gift shop has a wide variety of items including special beers only available at the Brewery and are fairly priced. Lunch in the restaurant was excellent. Highly recommend this tour.

We've been on lots of brewery tours but this one was still fun. We learned a lot and liked that it was hands on. Our tour guide was good, it was easy to make a reservation, and the tasting at the end was thorough. Dinner at the restaurant afterward was very good! If you like beer there is really no reason to go to Chico without stopping at Sierra Nevada.

Awesome, nice over view of the history of the company and how ale is made. Plus you get a tasting at the end.

A group of us drove up to Chico specifically to take a tour of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. I'd recommend you make a reservation for one of their 90 minute tours as they are quite popular. We arrived in time to have lunch at their adjacent restaurant and taste a glass or two of their beers with lunch while enjoying some mighty fine food. Being this was the first time many of us had taken a tour of a brewery, we, of course, didn't know what to expect. The tour guides are very well informed and explain the beer making process from buying hops, mixing the new beer all the way up to bottling the finished product. It was really hot the day we were there and part of the tour is outside so if heat bothers you make sure you go in the coolest part of the day. After the tour all those 21 years or older are treated to a tasting of at least 6 beers - seems they pour different beers daily. There is a gift shop where you can purchase their products too. Found the experience really enjoyable.

What an amazing place! We ate at the restaurant and enjoyed their beer, pizza and a burger. Every thing tastes so good but the fries were outstanding; I don't know how they cook them but they are the best tasting fries I've ever had.
Definitely will be coming back to the restaurant real soon.

I've had the opportunity to tour many breweries, distilleries and wineries but my experience at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company was the greatest of all. Our tour guide, Chris, was phenomenal. For such a young gentleman, he has great knowledge and passion for the Sierra Nevada product and experience. While you won't have a choice of tour guides, if you are fortunate enough to have your tour lead by Chris, you'll also be impressed.

Brewing quality beer can be a somewhat complex endeavor and the folks at Sierra Nevada do a great job of explaining the process and making you feel comfortable asking questions to increase your brewing knowledge. They also have a very complete gift shop where you can buy souvenirs and also purchase limited release beers which are only available at the brewery.

The Sierra Nevada brewery is a destination in and of itself. Whether you plan a trip based around this tour - as we did - or whether you're simply fortunate to be in the Chino area, if you care anything about beer, you won't want to miss the opportunity to visit Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

Went on a group tour of the brewery. The appearance of the tour guide was off-putting, but the tour was interesting. Lunch was just OK. I had the Sierra Nevada Salad (Local organic mixed greens, candied G & G Farm pecans, gorgonzola crumbles and grape tomatoes. Malted balsamic vinaigrette). This salad used to be one of the best things on the menu, but this time the greens were old & rusty and it was truly average. Very disappointing. My husband had the soup of the day & a salad. The soup was just OK.
The beer, on the other hand, was great. My husband had a flight, which allowed him to taste 4 different beers.

Every time i come to Chico on business, I stop by this local institution for the different beers they have on draught, which are always fantastic. I like the food as well, but it doesn't always live up to the amazing beer. Still, the beer alone should make a stop here well worth it!

The best parts was learning about everything Sierra Nevada is doing to be sustainable, oh after the beer of course. Seeing the Tesla batteries and turbines was impressive. But the gardens was the most fun. I liked seeing the native bee houses.

The tour ended in sampling some great beers. We enjoyed the publication the spaces, gift shop and stayed for lunch at the restaurant. The outdoor areas looked so welcoming in good weather. It’s worth taking the tour to learn about the history of the beer maker and the company.

The Sierra Nevada Beer Geek tour was WELL worth every penny! Our tour guide was amazing and made the tour unique to us! The company is dedicated to its history, employees, community, and sustainability! I would do it again!

Leroy was unflappable. He knew the answer to every question. Entertaining and engaging, he kept the group focused on the history of beer and how the Sierra Nevada brewery fits into the landscape. I've toured Coors in Golden and Budweiser in Fairfield but they're like a theme-park ride; all show and no substance, compared to this tour. If you're truly interested about the process of making craft beer, I can't imagine a better way to spend 90 minutes.

This is the third tour we have taken of the brewery and it is still one of the best experiences ever. Cody, our tour guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. Clearly he enjoys his job! Hard to beat the eight free beer samples at the end too!
Not real thrilled with the current stock of the gift shop. The colors are drab, the quality has gone way down and the prices way high. Somebody at the top needs to reevaluate this!.

The history of their brewery and the discussion of how they sustain the energy needed for brewing are most interesting- even for a non-beer drinker!

Probably as good as good as a set (they offer several types & lengths) of brewery tours can be.
Suitable for drinkers and non drinkers alike. For drinkers an opportunity to taste the many different kinds of beer they make. For children a good educational experience and a great deal gleaming copper. Good restaurant.

Whenever in Chico I try to make time to go the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co for good eats and if you want a beer they have a very large selection.

As always SN goes the extra mile for it's customers. The staff is lively and polite, like Lucas and Josh they were very helpful and attentive. The beer rotates fairly frequently and the tap menu is extensive enough for everyone in your party (save minors, of course) can find a brew they like. The food is great! But some changes have been made to the menu it seems. The beer cheese doesn't have the nice char on top anymore, and is a bit too garlicy and gritty. Seems like they stopped using cream cheese as a base maybe. There's only one burger option now, and while it's still very tasty and large you have to make additions since the beer cheese burger for example no longer exists. Also if you ask for beer cheese on your burger you get like a teaspoon's worth. The mushroom burger is very flavorful! And the menu features more from the SN garden which is a refreshing change, but we do miss the pickles.

Such a great experience! We loved the tour and beer samples…and the food at the restaurant was delicious. Will definitely be back. Highly recommend

Really enjoyed our tour. Cassidy was perfect!! It was interesting to see all the stages of production. Loved being able to taste as many beers as we did. We found some new favorites. It's a don't miss experience for Chico.

I love this brewery. Always friendly happy employees wherever you look. It's always clean and organized. Their commitment to the community and to the environment is outstanding. Whenever friends visit from out of town we make this stop a priority. This tour, specifically, is a great insight to how Sierra Nevada makes their product. I've been on this tour three times over the last 10 years and it's been slightly different every time. If you're a fan of their products or are interested in seeing the inner workings of a brewery, definitely check this out. Will have to schedule in advance, so call ahead!

We visit the Sierra Nevada Big Room several times a year. They offer outstanding (live) music and food at a very reasonable price. We have been coming to the Big Room for more than 5 years and have never been disappointed with a performance. Since it's a small venue, it usually sells out. We also visit the restaurant several times a year and enjoy the offerings on both the food and beer menus. Everyone should make time to go on a brewery tour. Very educational.

The brewery has several tours and we opted for the shorter tour which turned out to be very informative and included several tastings of very fresh beer at the end. I would highly recommend taking a tour of the brewery. My friends and I also enjoyed dinner and one of the many live shows presented in their Big Room. A great experience for all ages.

Really awesome experience! Our tour guide had a lot of passion and excitement about beer, the facility was clean, and you got what you paid for!

The Hop Head Tour was amazing from start to finish. My wife rarely drinks beer, and she talked for days about how amazing it was to tour the brewery. The engineering and building is impressive, but the grass roots story and delicious beer are superb. The food at the restaurant was great. I really wish I could love more companies the way that I love Sierra Nevada. They are one of the true greats.

We started with the Burger & Beer Special in the restaurant. The food was excellent and the beer variety and flavor was too! We had some time before our tour, so we played shuffleboard in the upstairs lounge area. We went on a tour with Brenna, who was a wonderful guide - funny and informative. The tour requires a fair amount of walking, but they do accommodate people who need a wheelchair or an elevator. I would recommend this for anyone who loves beer or is interested in the brewing process. The tour is worth your time.

A, “don’t miss,” in Chico.

We took the free tour. There are others that are offered for a fee and are much longer than the 45 minute tour we took.

Tours are limited in size and reservations are suggested.

The docent, Cody, was excellent. A man that loves what he does and who he represents. We found the tour to be quite comprehensive and detailed. Cody covered the process in detail, more so than any other brewery tour we’ve taken. A particular component is, of course hops. The brewery has a refrigerated room where hops are unbaled, sorted and stored. We had never been told that hops start to deteriorate very quickly and must be refrigerated.

The brewery is first class. The copper is gorgeous and gleams. It is spotless.

While viewing the introductory film you are given a small pour to sip while watching the film. After the actual tour there is a stop in the tasting room for four pours (tastes). All-in-all a great tour and a very classy operation.

This place is huge. But comes across as friendly and fun. Indoor and outdoor seating, great menu. There's also a gift shop and brewery tour. If you enjoy beer, this is a great place to visit.

This is worth a stop. Sounds like a company that keeps employees happy and dedicated to making good sustainability choice. The tour is well done.

Tour guide Megan was fantastic…taproom and restaurant was exquisite in both service and food. Our server didn’t miss a beat and I think we tried everything on the menu except for salads and pizzas.

Friends had never been on the tour of Sierra Nevada Brewery here in Chico. it is easy to make reservations online. Even my 16 year old could attend.Drew was well informed as our Tour Guide. The employees have a great passion for Sierra Nevada and impressive respect for the Founder, Ken Grossman who is very supportive of our community.
We were lucky enough to sample their potential production of Cider. It was fabulous!
Hope to see it on the market soon!

Sierra Nevada is my husband's favorite brewery, so I arranged a private Beer Geek tour for him when the two of us were in Northern California on vacation last week. Kelly was a fantastic tour guide! She spent three hours with us. Not particularly loving beer, I expected to be bored, but I had a great time as well. I think we sampled almost every Sierra Nevada beer, even a few that haven't been released to the public yet. My husband was super excited to drink his favorite beer, Celebration Ale, straight from the tank. We were both feeling a little tipsy at the end of the tour. After our tour was over, Kelly was extremely helpful in giving us some suggestions about other places to visit in Chico. The tour was well worth the time and money!

I've been on a dozen or more brewery tours, and this has to be the best so far. My wife (who didn't want to go) thoroughly enjoyed it. An enthusiastic tour guide walked us through how beer is made, and what makes Sierra Nevada different. Of course, the tasting room at the end of the tour capped off the day. Several folks in our group were on their 2nd or 3rd time on the tour.

Beer tour was great! Full of fun facts, first had experience, and friendly staff. Great for everyone of all ages.

The Brewing Co is a great venue for a meal - food is good but the dining room is very loud and unless you have a large party there aren't any reservations which can lead to a long wait.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and a good sense of humor, she made it very enjoyable.

I learned a lot about beer making and finished off with great beer tasting.

Everything here is gr8. The food, the atmosphere. All is really good. The wait kinda sucks, but it is definitely worth it. The variety is awesome...

A great tour of the facility and a great introduction to how beer is made. Had a half pint at the beginning and a beer tasting at the end. Kelsie was a great tour guide.

I admire everything about Sierra Nevada Brewing and think Chico should be very proud to have them in their city. We enjoyed learning more about the company by taking their "Sustainability Tour" which showcases their environmental practices. Have I mentioned the wonderful beverages they produce? Yum!

Kind of yuppy for my taste. Menu was over my head. Had prawns and they were ok. Family enjoyed the food and liked the sampler platter.

Excellent beer and appetizers at a recent visit. I had the Old Chico beer, which is a lighter beer and a friend had the "Golden" beer served in a water goblet type glass; it was slightly sweet -- really good! We had soft pretzels with beer cheese, which was delicious! A friend wanted calamari, which I don't care for due the the rubber band type texture it usually has. At Sierra Nevada the calamari is excellent -- no rubber band texture here! It came with fries which complemented the calamari well. I will return again very soon.

The beer we keep at home is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. We have driven from the SF area to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for years. We decided to make a detour this trip to Chico to see where our go to beer is made.
Impressive facility, with thousands of solar panels and fuel cell generators providing much of the power they need. They also capture waste CO2 to put back into their process (I think the kegs). You learn about hops, malt and the beer making process. Get to handle some dried hops. watch the bottling. then taste about 7 different brews. Loved the Estate brew, with fresh, undried hops. the coffee brew was just a bit too strange for me!
Many of the rooms are noisy, and our guide talked pretty fast, so I know I missed some details. But i got enough to have a really enjoyable tour, and to be impressed by the attention Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (privately held) is paying to the environmental impact of its process.

A must tour! It`s worth it. It`s inspiring. It`s an experience that will enrich your apreciation for craft beers and for business. You get to taste, see and smell things that are not available to the public.

We love visiting Sierra Nevada. The beer and food are always delicious. We love the rotating menu, and we always order the Pretzel as an appetizer. It has a great atmosphere, highly recommend!

You have to go to here. You Won't find a better brewery and the restaurant was awesome with my Rib-eye cooked to perfection.

Our guide knew her stuff! She was so friendly and spoke loud and clear so we all could hear and understand. Delicious beer to top off the tour!

Yes, this is everything you can hope to find in a brewing company. A company museum, tours, tasting, a restaurant, a beer festival and everything is taken seriously, no shortcuts.

The brewing company is also a great place to eat.... The food is A+. If it is a Friday or Saturday night make sure to call ahead for a reservation.... it's well work it.

Longtime fan of Sierra Nevada so visiting was like Disneyland and Willy Wonka to me. Great tour and superb taproom

Best tour and beer ever! Nothing to dislike! We ate at the restaurant and the food was awesome. Dining outside on the patio was great!

We tasted WGH right out of the tank! Amazing experience for a beer fan. Make sure you check out the innovation bar next to the gift shop. The Innovation Bar has beer on tap which not available ANYWHERE else in the world.

Brought out of towners to the brewery tour. It was a trip for the senses. From smelling the fresh hops, feeling the heat of the brewing in action, seeing the bottling plant, to tasting generous samples and learning about the history of Sierra Nevada and how they address environmental concerns. Everyone enjoyed it. We walked over to the restaurant for dinner (I snuck out of the tasting room to put our name on the waiting list and then ran back). I've eaten at Sierra Nevada many times and was never wowed, but they have definitely improved their food. We had large appetizers (calamari and chicken wings) and great salads and burgers, which we couldn't finish and had to doggie bag. It was a fun evening.

Had lunch with my wife. We both ordered a burger with beer cheese and the fixings along with fries and a couple of beers. No complaints. Service was good. Servers were friendly. Highly recommend.

We've toured the big name breweries. Sierra Nevada offers a tour as good, if not better, than the best. This brewery is proud of their product but avoids the blatant propaganda that it is a magic elixir that other brewery tours tout. But it makes up for it in its hero worship of the guy who founded it. As a science type, I appreciated the occasional technical info that was tossed out at a level that was easily understandable by the public, but accurate enough to not make me cringe. Our tour guide was an absolute joy, but difficult to hear, especially near the gift shop. If we ever revisit, it will not be mid-afternoon on a Saturday. Reservations were a must. No brewery tour would be complete without the requisite product tasting. This brewery provided about 8 small samples sequenced to educate the palate. Excellent, except for two things. First, the distribution method resulted in too many hands touching others' glasses. Second, the employees were drinking also. Very unprofessional. Since the tour was free, the gift shop is where they get ya. And get me they did. Some great stuff is available at competitive prices.

Sierra Nevada Brewing gives a great tour and tasting for free. Our tour guide was terrific, well informed, and personable. Don't miss it when in Chico.

We had a great time on the Still the One Tour at Sierra Nevada Brewery. It was a real treat to tour the original East Brewery and we enjoyed the historical information on this new tour. My family was visiting Chico and this was definitely a highlight of their visit.

Sierra Nevada Brewery is definitely a place to visit whether you’re in town or somewhere in California. People might say, Once is enough for me.” I beg to differ. There are different types of tours each with different agendas. I believe that each tour is worth experiencing. I registered by myself, however, there were others that registered for the same date and time. I was grateful for them because they asked questions that I did not. They were also very friendly. Robert did an awesome job in being our tour guide. He is very knowledgeable and comical too. Who likes a boring tour? Robert was definitely not boring. I highly recommend visiting every part of Sierr Nevada Brewery, gift shop and restaurant.

We stopped for a brief tour and to have dinner at the restaurant there. Food and beer were great, lively atmosphere!

Generally, I go to Sierra Nevada for the beer. They always have something on tap that hits the spot. For food, my wife and I usually split a pizza (wood fired oven). When I go with my son, we tend to get small plates and share. The restaurant tends to be a bit loud, but not overly so. I hear they've gone back to gumbo for lunch on Fridays. That used to be my reason for going for a long Friday lunch. Service is good, servers are personable and helpful. If Disneyland opened a brewpub/brewery, it would look like Sierra Nevada. Attention is paid to every detail.

Staff is great. Excellent hosts at the front of house like Lucas he was very welcoming. Great food, I recommend the ribs it's a huge portion and full of flavor paired with hop hunter. This place is emasculate

Went on the very informative brewery tour at Sierra Nevada Brewery...learned history of brewery, from hops to beer-how the beer is made, how leftover mash goes to feed local cows, Tessa power packs, self-generated power from their 2 megawatt solar, micro generators, etc. Excellent beer tasting at end of tour. The tour and tasting are free.
Enjoyed lunch afterwards in their Tap Room restaurant adjacent to the brewery. Camp Out Porter was delicious!

I highly recommend this tour. 45 minutes long with a great beer tasting at the end. Our tour guide was Enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and friendly. Book ahead online to ensure you have a spot on the tour! I

Wonderful beer, great food and an excellent tour. Sierra Nevada is everything a brewery could possibly be. They are environmentally neutral, a wonderful employer and a pillar in the community. An excellent attribute to the Chico community.

An amazing day out. The tour is informative, amusing, in-depth and relevant. Any fan of quality beer knows that this is where it all begins, and should definitely have Sierra Nevada on their bucket list.

Super informative, got to learn about the history and the ethics/morals of the founder and the company. Tasted a bunch of beers at the end and learned I loved this years Oktoberfest almost as much as my all time fave Pale Ale! Had a great lunch at the restaurant after.

The Brewery food is not as good as it used to be. But it is still a novel place to eat and has a fun atmosphere. Go early to avoid long waits.

Well informed guide, great detailed tour, great tastings and free beer glass. Highly recommend the tour!

I enjoyed the tour and learning all about Sierra Nevada brewery. The free 45 min tour included samples at the end and some free swag!

I must admit, I am not a beer connoisseur.

A friend and I stopped in after dining somewhere else because they were packed here(!), so we didn't eat here this time. We were told there was an extensive menu of desert beers though. Never had heard of that, so had to try some.

The thing about coming here is they do have great tasting flights. I had 4 this time.... the Beer Camp - Baltic Joy (one of my favorites), the TITW Biere De Garde Belgian Ale, the TITW Narwhal with Currants (my favorite), and the TITW Bigfoot with Ginger. So yes.... now I can say I've experienced desert beers! Worth a taste.

We sat on the back patio... just love the ambience and all of the laughter every time we are there.

We go camping in Lassen every year and stop on the way for lunch and beer. It's a great place to stop. Comfortable. Always has a good crowd. Food is very good and I love trying the beers only available a the brewery. ThE outdoor patio is especially nice. Only gave the 4 star ranking because they won't fill my Hydroflask growler for me. They insist you buy one of theirs. I don't want to buy and store a growle from every place I buy beer. Most Brewers fill it so I know it is legal. They just want the "branding". You'd think they would want to since it's not particularly cheap to fill one and they don't have to bottle or ship it?

A great experience with Nick our tour guide and then lunch with our waiter Shane who was exceptional. I would recommend this brewery to anyone interested or not in beer.

Visit the amazing Sierra Nevada brewery and sign up for their great brewery tour! You get an insiders look into how the beer is made and packaged. A Must try in Chico.

Perhaps because I do not drink any alcohol, I knew the name "Sierra Nevada Brewing Company," but had no awareness of how big this outfit really is.

The dining room/taproom is huge, with even outside eating as well, and decorated beautifully with high ceilings and wonderful light. The menu ranged from appetizers to steaks, and the servings were generous in everything I saw. My burger was done exactly to my specification and the fries outstanding. I was amazed at how busy this place was on a Wednesday evening, as we waited about 10 minutes or so just to get a table for 2. Chris tried their 4 x 2oz taproom beer sampler which was only $3.

The parking area is HUGE, and with the crowds this attracts necessary. There are TWO (2) electric vehicle charging stations (220v, Level 2, ChargePoint) free in the parking area EAST of the entrance and under the HUGE, HUGE solar photovoltaic array.

This was my second time taking the brewery tour and it was just as interesting as the first. The tour guides are friendly, fun, and knowledgeable. Sierra Nevada is an exemplary company which also makes great beer! Love the tasting at the end with the specially shaped mini-glasses to match the beers.

Very interesting; we learned a lot. Leader was very knowledgeable and personable. Plus enjoyed sampling 4 of the beers being brewed that date.

Siera Nevada is an awesome place to visit either at the original location in Chico, CA or Mills River, NC. The tours available at the Chico location range from a free 45 min tour with tasting up to a 2+ hour “beer geek” tour. The tap house restaurant has excellent food and a great atmosphere. If you enjoy beer and are visiting either Chico, CA or Mills River, NC then take the time to check out Sierra Nevada.

When our son started college at 18, we made plans to do the SN brewery tour for his 21st birthday. 3 years later, we booked a brewery tour a few weeks ahead to celebrate the big birthday (which was noted on the reservation notes).

Our group (our family of 4, plus 3 others - all over 21) showed up at our appointed time. They asked for ID's - no problem! When my son, who had just turned 21 the day before, gave his driver's license, he was told, "your license expired yesterday". My son told him that he hadn't yet received his replacement in the mail. Worker said it didn't matter, it was expired and they couldn't accept it, and asked if he had a passport (he has one, but we did not have the passport with us).

We discussed with the worker that the license clearly shows he is 21 years of age, which is ALL that's required. I remembered that our son has the Mobile Passport App on his phone with his scanned passport on it (ACCEPTED TO GO THROUGH CUSTOMS at the airport) and the worker again said "nope, it has to be the actual document." Worker again told my son he can go on the tour, but literally said "you cannot taste the beer, hold a beer, or even SMELL the beer" (which is a joke because the whole place smells like beer).

I've checked the website - all it says is that you have to be 21 years of age to taste on the tour - NOWHERE does it say that your license can't be expired (seriously, the day before???). It also doesn't say anywhere that an official Mobile Passport App isn't acceptable. All it says is that you have to be 21 years of age, which his drivers license and officially scanned, UNEXPIRED passport CLEARLY show.

It's not about the drinking - seriously, it's a few tastes of beer on the tour - it was about the really heavy handed and honestly, horrible way it was handled. It wasn't like he was there with a bunch of drunk kids. He was there with his parents, sister, and a few friends for an event that had been arranged well ahead of time. He had proof he was 21, we weren't asking for an exception to the drinking age!

So, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, I completely understand your policy requirements to have proof that anyone you allow to drink on the tour is 21 or older. I could also understand if you require an unexpired license. What I don't understand is that you were jerks about unpublished specifics about a policy that doesn't exist on your website, and is clearly outdated if you won't consider an official passport app as a secondary verification that someone is 21! It wasn't like he had one document proving his age - he had 2, and you still didn't accept it. So disappointing.

As for the tour itself, it was fine and the tour guide had script well memorized. We certainly don't feel the need to go again based on our experience, and recommend their team do some website updating posting SPECIFIC requirements.

After our sons graduation, we went here for dinner. Great food, great service and nice atmosphere. We ordered pizza and 2 salads and it was wonderful! I would recommend a stop here for sure!

Great food, great beer, nice gift shop..loved their mustard..bought a gift pack to bring home. My husband is always getting compliments on his SN baseball cap with Big Foot!

I want to like the food here, I've eaten here many times over the years hoping it would get better. They just recently changed the menu and sadly it still is poor to mediocre. I ordered the market steak medium rare but it arrived well done and the potatoes that were served along with it were just enormous french fries. I was so disappointed I doubt I'll be back.

As an integral element of Chico & Chico CSU, Sierra Nevada is a great way to learn more of the history of the area. Especially if you love the craft beer story! Ironically, John Bidwell, the founder of Chico was a leader of the temperence movement

We stopped for lunch and beer on a Friday. We arrived around 11:30 and had to wait about 15-20 minutes. The bar is very ornate and they offer a sampler of four 2 oz sampler for $3. The Beer Camp Across America series offers some additional tasty selections. I had the Tikka Chicken salad which was fresh and delicious. The Brownie sundae dessert is life changing in its decadence. The tours looked very fun and we wished we had time to fit one in. I would absolutely recommend the stop.

There are 2 daily "walk up" tours at 11:30am and 2:30pm. Tours at other times require advance reservations. All of the tours are free and last about 1 hour. Of course there are free tastings at the end of the tour - for those of age. Kids get a can of lemonade.
The tour is informative and requires a lot of walking & stairs. It is not wheelchair or elderly friendly.
Prices in the gift shop for beer and other items are cheaper than Costco or other off-site retailer, so take advantage of your time there.

Went on the sustainability tour it was great seeing how they are so energy efficient and the owner really cares about the environment! Tour is less than 1.5 hours. You walk some and ride around the estate on a golf cart! Awesome touch was a free water bottle and the tour guide Leroy brought water on the tour to keep us cool as it was triple digits out! As well as a cooler of beer OF COURSE! Call ahead for reservations! Now off to the brewery tour! Cheers

What a fun family tour! Our guide Emily was personable, knowledgeable and did a great job touring us around the facility. The beer tastings were well explained and delicious. I highly recommend this tour.

State of the art, highest quality, green certified, forward thinking company! Highly recommended tour of this organization. The Oxford Suites offers free shuttle rides to and from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. The tour is very educational, historical and inspiring in a way to do business right. Very large solar array next to building.

The Sierra Nevada Brewing company has a variety of tours you can take ranging from free 45 minute tours to the Beer Geek tour for over 3 hours and $50 for the full story and experience. This review is for the free tour. The beer guides are friendly and very knowledgable about their beers. There was a nice hands-on section for the hops as well. The tasting at the end was great! The portions are definitely enough to get the flavor without it being so much that you are drunk when leaving. The attached restaurant is also lovely if you would like to get a bite to eat and have a couple more beers.

We always go to Sierra Nevada Brewing Co for dinner. Good food and good beer. We took the free tour and it was informative, interesting and got a few beers with lots of variety out of the event. Good stuff!

Free tour of facility was well done. Very interesting and worth the time. Happened to be there on a busy weekend without reservations, so if timing is important do suggest calling to reserve your preferred time slot.

Ken Grossman's brewery and restaurant is more than a successful business. It fosters creativity and evolution for higher consciousness. Plan to look at its multifaceted demonstration of beauty, tastes, environmental consciousness, education and community building in celebrations and entertainment. One has to participate over many visits to appreciate Ken's actualization of his dreams. Read his book "Beyond the Pale" and discover a genius in our midst. Reserve ahead.

My wife and I enjoyed a very nice lunch and some tasty beers the other day. We dined on the outdoor patio (Very nice and relaxing). Service was excellent. We ordered two different flights of beers, then a pint of a nice IPA. My hamburger and my wife's portabella burger were delicious as were the fries. Top notch brewery.

We had many out of town/state guests and this was a great venue for everyone to meet each other. Tour was about two hours and ended with sampling. Afterwards everyone was in a great party mood ready for the weekend of wedding activities.

Great tour! (Pioneers and Pints - women brewing history). Fantastic venue. Awesome beer and the best burgers in Chico. My tour was 1.5 hours with a beer tasting.

This is the place where most Chicoans take out of town guests for a Chico favorite. Though it is a great place to go see the brewery tour and have a meal afterwards, if you are not into beer, it's just a little above OK. My biggest objection to the place is the noise level.

Hubby and I took the Beer Geek tour yesterday. This is their most expensive and most comprehensive tour. Our guide, Cody, was fantastic. The tour was well constructed and interesting visually as well as informationally. And the beer was really good. We drove 2-1/2 hours EACH WAY for this tour and felt it was well worth our time. We both learned a lot. Book ahead, because this tour is very popular!

I recommend that you include lunch at the on-site restaurant. The food was excellent and very reasonable. My lunch was a spinach, goat cheese, artichoke, and pecan pizza which was SO delicious. Hubby enjoyed an enormous pulled pork sandwich with a large helping of fries and slaw.

Great place for a lunch or dinner. Fun food selections for vegetarians and meat eaters! Great beer selections, tours on site and affordable gift shop.

Excellent tour. It begins with a sample of their pale ale. Then on to see the lay out of the plant. Actually was able to handle the hops...very interesting. Guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgable. Tours end with a tasting of about 8 different beers. The easiest way to book a tour is online and arrive 15 minutes before the tour. We ate in the restaurant after the tour. We had eaten there before, but had never taken the tour. The tour is definitely a must...the restaurant is good...a bit noisy, but good. There can be a bit of a wait.

The tour was great and I learned a lot about beer and beer making. Way better than tours at the big breweries. Our guide was very knowledgeable and was eager to answer questions. We had lunch in the restaurant (not included). The pastrami was excellent.

Sierra Nevada is a great place! Food is all food to table! They grow there own veggies and raise the beef! Service is great , would recommend to anyone, ALSO IF YOU LIKE BEER , this place is for you! They also have a tour you can take to see how the beer is made and at the end you get to try it! They also have a music venue! So highly recommend a visit💜💜

We like drinking the dark types of Sierra Nevada beer so on a recent trip to Chico Cal. we made sure to take the tour of their manufacturing plant located in south Chico. It was quite an experience with a great culmination! The tour last the better part of an hour and includes all aspects of the beer making process from growing the hops to the bottled product.
TWO WORDS OF CAUTION: Go online and reserve your spot in the tour, the tour books up well in advance during the peak travel season. Also there is a fair amount of walking, stair climbing, and such on the tour. You can take your own "short tour" if need be.
The culmination of the tour is the very best, sampling of the nearly one dozen beers produced in the Chico plant! And they are not stingy with 3-4 oz. per sampling! There is a restaurant on premises but our main focus was on the brew. Beers and gifts available also. We like a particular brew that was only produced in the fall so was not available at the time of the tour.

Food is blah- decent, overly expensive pub grub! Beer is better than you'll find in stores and is wonderful- especially the taster menus! Music can be good but the guy who books does it all to his personal taste- if it's not yours- tough! Lots of great musicians out there but unless you are willing to let him play with your band-- UR screwed! Owners should be looking for a well rounded person to do bookings- this guy even tells people with suggestions that he makes the deals and screw you! The owners/ Operators are great people and truly good for the community. Get rid of their music booker and this would be 5 stars- at least once they hired a true chef for their kitchen!

Always a favorite. But if you go any day around usual meal times, be ready to wait. They don't take reservations. Good news is wait times aren't too long unless you go at the more popular times.

Good tours, good product. A bit noisy in the restaurant when busy, but food is worth it.
Try their brew sampler.

Also a great help to the victims of the Paradise Camp Fire. We'll done, guys!

Just the free swag and beer tastings is worth the experience, but three hours of beer making heaven is whole other treat!

Sierra Nevada Brewing is a wonderful part of Chico, and a must see if you have time to enjoy good beer and food to go along with it. Ken Grossman who started the brewery has put together a wonderful team,and making beer is a passion for them. I love their IPA's, but if your a beer lover they make one you will like, and making friends at the bar is part of the charm. They give tours of the brewery and show how it's made, the equipment comes from Kitzingen Germany,also people who know how to make beer. It's a fun tour, and worth the time to do it, and if it makes you hungry just stop in their restaurant for a meal. It's a great place to visit if your in town and would like some great beer too, this is the place for you.

This review is not about the resturant. There are plenty of those. But the tour of the brewery is well worth 1 1/2 hours of your time. You do need to sign up for a tour time, and depending on the time of year they can fill up. But if you do not know the history behind SN, or the brewing process they do an excellent job. At the end of the tour you get the chance to taste about 8 different beers, and the guide does an excellent job of explaining the susubtleties of the different types of beers and how to best experience them. Very interesting. Highly recommended! Children under 12 can not take the tour, so if you have children of that age in your group you can either take a mini walking tour or someone will have to stay out with the children and plan another activity for them.

I took the 90min tour and regret not taking the 4-hours one! Nice factory, very nice sustainability project, great beers!

We loved our visit here and really enjoyed the information from the Sustainability Tour, we highly recommend it!

We went to Sierra Nevada for a concert in their big room and went on a brewery tour before the concert. The tour was very interesting and came with free beer tastings at the end. The venue for the concert was very nice, not a bad seat in the place. The food served prior to the concert was just ok but the food in the restaurant was very good. We will definitely be back for the restaurant, another concert and more beer.

Did the 90 minute tour and tasting with Cody. Got to taste Hazy Little Thing straight from the holding tank: it was the tastiest beer I've ever had! Also got to taste wort, and touch hops. I was very impressed by all the sustainability initiatives that the brewery takes: solar panels cover all the buildings. Finished with a guided tasting. So worth the drip and price!

The brew house food is always good, the beer is great and the free tour is definitely worth taking. The tour guide we had was very entertaining and all the beer tasting at the end lets you try things that aren't available or you never would have paid for.

we went here last Friday. I never seen in my life like that big resturent. it's really big. good choices of drinks. my wife love old chico really good taste. good drink prices. but food cost is littlebit high. we will coming back there next month

Thee place to have a few Sierra Nevadas but the dining area is way too noisy to carry on a conversation over food. The food is way overpriced and only fair to middling.

We arrived just before closing. Our waitress was patient and gracious. The only flaw was that she didn't suggest the beer flight; we had to ask for it.
My husband's salad was just-picked fresh. Very impressive.
The dining room was still immaculate at the end of a long day. Beautiful bar, stained glass and copper pipes.
I look forward to returning for the tour, but for now I'm happy with my free poster.

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour after failing to tour the Anchor Steam Brewery in San Francisco (available tours too far ahead) and the North Coast Brewery in Fort Bragg (no tours at the time of our visit to Fort Bragg). Our tour guide Chris was excellent being very informative answering all our questions, the icing on the cake being the free sampling of a number of brews. The attached tap room looked as if they served good food, we would have liked to eat there but did not have enough time.

Great Burgers and suds. Large dining room efficiently run. Staff will customize your burger completely. Large filling portions

We stopped for lunch while traveling through Chico. What a great stop. Beautiful outdoor seating. Friendly staff, great food and beverages. Will go back if we are in the area again

This is a must stop if you come to Chico. Take the tour and view the brewing process and taste the wonderful beers too. There is a small long bar area that gets very crowded so many times you have to wait for a table. The food is very good and if the weather is nice the patio is very nice. The owner has received a lot of awards for his green efforts in his restaurant, and buildings, and production, and the use of local food as much as possible. There is also a separate gift shop where you can buy Sierra Nevada labeled products, beer, and many gift ideas.

They have a good music schedule in the Big Room so check that out when you are in town to see if anyone is playing there but keep in mind tickets sell out so book in advance. It is first come first served on the seating so many times you have to sit with others to enjoy. The acoustics are very good and it is a smaller venue with great sound.

Sierra Nevada has become a landmark for Chico. Always an experience. I have some food allergy issues and I found the menu to be too limited for me. The waitress was great and tried to alter some of the items, but the cooks were not willing to do so. It is a very noisy environment. I believe it is probably a great place for young people to experience. I find they tend to cater to the "beautiful young people". Kudos. But this is not the restaurant for me.

The missus and I are both big SN fans so we were pretty excited to see the place. The sustainability tour was free and focuses mainly on how SN reduces / repurposes it's waste, reduces emissions, and grows it's own produce. It also includes a beer out in the veggie / hop garden which is a great touch.

Our tour guide, Byron, was super knowledgeable and informative, but also very casual.

What a unique and beautiful venue. The building is impressively large, housing not only the brewery, but a gift shop, open kitchens, and a restaurant consisting of many open rooms for tasting and eating. In addition, the property includes an outdoor terrace for drinking only, an outdoor stage for concerts, as well as an herb garden used by the restaurant. All the rooms had visitors of all ages, many with infants.
The wait staff is very friendly, helpful and patient.
We were told there is a "special" tour that must be booked in advance and includes a tasting room with unique beers that are not available anywhere else on the property. It would be necessary to reserve this particular tour on line.
If you don't have time for a tour, go for the beer and the food! We enjoyed a few "beer flights" where the menu describes the selections by the alcohol content and the bitterness which is related to the hops...not the color. The craft beers were from the very light tasting to the full bodied and it was terrific to order a wide range in order to develop and educate one's palate.
The perfect dishes to accompany the flights include PIG CHEEKS...tender pork morsels braised in a balsamic reduction and served over creamy grits and the trout salad and huge shrimp. The pig cheeks were the best choice--honest!

Great brewery tour and restaurant. Concerts with Buffett dinner or not. Concerts about $20. Buffet $15. Good time and food always

Who doesn't love great food, great drinks and a super fabulous venue?
I have been to Sierra Nevada for different reasons over the years, and have never been let down!Steak, pasta,salad..all delicious! Just go, relax and buy yourself a sweatshirt, they are the best; )

Had dinner there a few night ago had to pick up our Alpha Hops Beers I am sorry the new remodel does not have that pub feel but is very nice the food was perfect as was the beer

The brewery tour was fantastic! The tour guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The tour took about 1.5 hours and I would recommend reservations on the weekends. It was actually more interesting to go on this brewery tour than the winery tours I've been on. In the end you get to taste 7 beers.. and they send you off with a trinket. And it's free!

Great products and great tour guides telling their story. We have taken the Hop hear and beer geek tous as well as general tour. All excellent

Everything Sierra Nevada does, they do first class. I highly recommend their facilities tour. Their tour guides are well educated and know how to answer questions. The tour is interesting and just the right length of time to keep everyone’s attention.

After the tour there is time for beer tasting. And once again, the guides know how to explain the various beers and how they are created.

This is a great experience to share with out of town guests, for townies. And it’s a great tour to go on for visitors to Chico. Sierra Nevada brewery is one of the prides if Chico.

Great local beer. Try the sampler. Good sandwiches and appetizers. Plus, check them out on the their web site. Find a show to see in The Big Room. Great acts come from all over to preform.

Juan was our tour guide and he was amazing! Vetting knowledgeable and answered all of the questions that came his way. He was kind and respectful!

My Husband & I love beer. So we went to the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company tour. Getting tickets was easy, on-line and FREE! The tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and a delight! Tour comes with history, a walking tour of brewery and many beer samples...with description of the types of each. Even some hands on activities if you dare. So belly Up to the Bar! Afterwards we dined at the Brewery Restaurant on the brewery grounds. The food was awesome! Appetizers, lunch and dinner...plus dessert. We had the Thai Noodles with Prawns and Rock fish and the Fillet Fettuccine (beef). OMG! so good. This is 5 star bar/brewery food. Outside dining patio...beautiful. Definitely going back.

The tour was awesome. Had my cousin from Virginia here and she enjoyed it tremendously. We then had lunch in the restaurant and that was also excellent. I encourage everyone to go.

We took a detour to Chico to visit the home of one of my favourite beers, and I'm glad we did. We were lucky to get stand by places on one of the tours and it was great. Our young guide was fun and super-enthusiastic and it was a really interesting look behind the scenes at the brewery. The tour is a good 90 minutes long and they're not stingy with the beer tastings either, which is great considering that it is free! Definitely worth a visit.

The welcome beer and the hops room and the beer tasting at the end. Juan our tour guide was also a good story teller.

Wow!! This is a great brewery. They offer wonderful tours of the brewery and samples of beer. If you haven't taken the tour this needs to be on your bucket list. The gift shop offers lots t shirt of their different beers, hats you name it. Posters are free so you can have your favorite beer framed. The Resturant has indoor and outdoor seating. Out door has a spray system that keeps you cool during the hot summers. All the food is excellent we enjoy the burgers with a Sierra Nevada brew Yum! All the food is fresh off the farm. Chico State partners with the resturant and provides the fresh vegetables. Lunch is always packed so if you are planning lunch arrive early as there is alway a line. Parking is plentiful.

Excellent tour. We just the the basic, but it was very informative and fascinating. The “tastes” afterwards were very good and ample.
Highly recommended for locals and visitors.

This Brewery has an excellent tour, more samples than you'd expect, a great restaurant, and a really fun and informative staff. No fee, one of the best brewery tours I've been on! Worth a stop. Don't pass on the restaurant.

We have spend many afternoons at Serra Nevada brewery. Our favorite go to place for a cold Summerfest on a hot day. The covered patio is a great place for lunch, the outside bar or inside the resturant. You can sample Sierra Nevada beers or go to the" Big Room" for dinner and concert when open. Carlos Reyes was playing in the Big room when we went. Carlos makes the electric harp sing and his electric violin mesmerizes the audience. Serra Nevada Brewery is a one stop fun place for the whole family in Chico Calif and The newest brewey in Mills River N.C

Excellent pub & restaurant. Sierra Nevada makes outstanding beers and ales. Restaurant offers a full range on their menu and fair prices. Clean and always busy. Wait staff are always helpful and informed

We couldn't fit a guided tour into our schedule, so we did a the self guided version and though it probably was not as thorough as the guided tour, we learned a lot and saw a bunch of interesting things. The observation room is awesome and to be in it is amazing. And it also smells so good!!

We liked the gift shop as well, as they sell a bunch of brews we cannot get back home. Highly recommended if you are stopping in Chico.

Went here to continue our mini tour of local breweries. This place is much more commercialised than most /all of the other local breweries but still offers a great experience for all the family. Offering a great selection of beers as well as some decent grub if you need something to eat. Service was excellent as well.
Given the number of beers they have on offer you can order a 'flight' of beers which is basically a selection of 4 x beers as samples.Have to say all the 4 beers i choose where very good but ended up trying the Barrel Aged Imperial Brown Ale (12.1ABV) and what a great beer this was. We also had the meat selection board followed by some pizza pieces which again were very good.
Really enjoyed this place. Excellent service,great beer and good food.