If beer is adult candy, then a brewery tour — an invited saunter around the liver-thrilling, whistle-wetting premises — is the Willy Wonka Factory.
And here’s your golden ticket: Vantigo, a new brewery tour service with a single vehicle — a cherry-red 1971 Volkswagen Transporter Deluxe — taking reservations now.
We’re talking you, a few friends and one sweet VW van on a five-hour tour of the North Bay’s beer country. Simple as that.
As for your pilot and guide, you get Vantigo co-founder Erik Hormann, a bit of an expert in all things Bay and beer, plus he practically grew up in V-Dubs.
He’ll start you off with a ride up Petaluma way for lunch and a pint at Lagunitas (plus a look behind the scenes) before whisking you away to Fairfax and beyond for pints and flights more rare.
If beer’s not your thing, Vantigo offers alternatives in the way of seasonal outings to wine country or charters by the hour for explorations of your own devising.
They do a mean crawl of the city as well.
Leave the shuttles to the hotels. This, my friend, is how you were meant to tour.
Join America's Fastest Growing Spirits Newsletter THE SPILL. Unlock all the reviews, recipes and revelry — and get 15% off award-winning La Tierra de Acre Mezcal.
