CNY Brew Tours takes you to local
brewery tap rooms
Michael and Lauren Braico of Liverpool
recently launched their business, CNY Brew Tours. They have a 12-seat repurposed
school bus (soon to get a fancy new 'wrap') that will take guests on brewery
visits and even the occasional beer fest.
Cranberry Jammer is a limited edition sparkly beer made in
partnership with Assault City Roller Derby.
On Saturday (June 9), for example, CNY Brew Tours is
steering the bus to the Craft Brewers Fest at the F.X. Matt (Saranac) Brewery
in Utica .
Each basic tour hits four local breweries for samples or
pints, with a stop for lunch or dinner. Those tours cost $75 a piece and
include the price of food. Book tours online.
"You only need to reach back into your wallet if you're
buying something at the brewery," Mike Braico said.
They have a growing list of partner breweries. In Onondaga
County, that includes Eastwood Brewing
Co., Stout Beard Brewing Co. and Willow Rock Brewing Co. in Syracuse; IBU
Brewery and Full Boar Craft Brewery in Liverpool; WT Brews in Baldwinsville;
and Seneca Street Brewpub in Manlius.
Other tours include those guided by a local brewmaster, or
private tours to selected destinations. There's also a special tour to the
breweries (and a distillery) in Madison
County
The bus picks people up at home for private tours, and
designates starting and ending stops for the others. (There is designated
driver price for those who need to take others home).
Starting in the fall, CNY Brew Tours will offer "pre
game" tours for Syracuse
University
Each tour provides its guests with information about the
breweries and the beers they serve. The Braicos drive and serve as tour guides.
"We really want to educate people about the culture of
craft beer," Lauren Braico said.
For the Braicos, the business grew out of something they
were doing anyway: Taking their friends to check out all the new breweries in
town.
"We've been to all of them, and so we've learned what
makes each one special and what their beers are like," Mike Braico said.
"And we're keeping up with the new ones, too."
A sign of how much the Braicos like breweries: They lived in
Cooperstown for a while, and became fans of
Brewery Ommegang. They named their dogs Ommie (for Ommegang) and Hennie (for
one of its beers, Hennepin.)
The Braicos modeled CNY Brew Tours after similar businesses
in places like Burlington , Vt.
They are also aware of the bus and limo tours to the Finger Lakes wine region. But they want to avoid the
reputation that the tours are designed for people to get trashed since someone
else is driving.
No open containers or drinking are allowed on the CNY Brew
Tours bus. There's plenty of opportunity drink at the breweries, the Braicos
say, and the distances between stops are relatively short. They also expect
their guests to behave properly at the breweries.
"We don't want to do anything that drives away the
regular customers of the breweries," Lauren Braico said. "We partner
with the brewers, and we like them."
CNY Brew Tours also gives each brewery they visit at least
one day's advance notice, so they can work out details.
"It's great that they support other local
businesses," said Peter Kirkgasser, owner and brewer at Eastwood Brewing
Co., on Walter Street
behind the Sacred
Melody Plaza
"And I like that it promotes a safe way to come to the
breweries."
CNY Brew Tours is still new, so the Braicos expect to make
adjustments and add things based on feedback from their customers.
"The craft brewery business has grown and changed over
the past few years," Mike Braico said. "So now we're jumping and
seeing where it takes us."
by Don Cazentre NYup.com
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