Strange brew-ery tours: A couple options to enjoy a COVID brewery tour in Calgary

Brewery tours are a common way for Calgarians to enjoy all that the local craft beer industry has to offer, but COVID-19 has changed the tour landscape with Spud offering Backyard Brewery Tours and Pedal Pub having to slightly modify the way they operate. 

Spud’s Backyard Brewery Tours aren’t what most people would traditionally call a tour — with no guide and no leaving the house required. The company delivers small variety packs of beers from local breweries for customers to enjoy at home. 

“The idea is you get a couple of beer from four different breweries and you get to enjoy them in the privacy of your backyard or home and you do it safely and respecting social distancing,” says Paul McGreevy, director of food and liquor at Spud. 

They currently offer four different packages in Calgary, three of them including eight beers from four Calgary breweries, and the other offering eight beers from eight different breweries throughout Alberta. The customer doesn’t get to pick what kinds of beers will be included, but McGreevy says that’s kind of the point. 

“When you go in, you don’t always have that beer that you want. You know, they tap out. So it is a true experience right?” he says.

“You may not get what you want but you know if it’s the brewery you love, you’re gonna just get a really great beer made by a great team.”

Spud does their best to include a variety of styles in each pack, allowing the customer to get a true tour-like experience. 

“What we’re trying to do is give a balanced brewery tour,” says McGreevy. 

With each purchase of a Backyard Brewery Tour, the company is also donating $2 to Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids, a charity that aims to bring healthy lunches to kids in the city, and the three Calgary brewery packs also include a discount coupon for a Pedal Pub tour. 

See the full article here: https://www.calgaryjournal.ca/news/5122-strange-brew-ery-tours-a-couple-options-to-enjoy-a-covid-brewery-tour-in-calgary.html