From Michigan grown hops to homebrewing, slow sipping to Saccharification, and Prohibition to prepared palates, Detroit is a beer town, with a long beer history. From Joseph Parent in 1706, to Bernhard Stroh in 1850, and Konrad Koppitz in 1934, Detroit’s brewers guaranteed we’d be drinking and talking about their beers for years to come.

Join Detroit History Tours as we explore the history of Detroit’s suddusy past, on this three brewery, guided, beer tasting tour.

Hop aboard our luxury motor coach as we depart from The Detroit History Club (3103 Commor, Hamtramck MI 48212). In route to each brewery your expert guides will entertain you with the history of brewing in Michigan, Detroit’s Prohibition follies, trivia, prizes, and generally nerd out about the history of beer. At each brewery guests will enjoy a flight of carefully selected beers, inclusive of your ticket price, on this fully curated night on the town. Along with brewers from each location your guides will walk you through the tasting process, and examine what makes Detroit’s beer scene so unique.

Stories of great invention, great failure, and boozy success all await you on Detroit Beer, A Heady History Brewery Tour.

Meet Your Guides:

Patti F. Smith Current special education teacher and former legal aid lawyer Patti F. Smith is the author of four nonfiction books Vanishing Ann Arbor, Downton Ann Arbor , A History of the People Food Co Op Ann Arbor and Michigan Beer, a Heady History. She has written for CraftBeer.com, Washtenaw Jewish News, West Suburban Living Magazine, MittenBrew.com, and the Ann Arbor Observer. Patti is a frequent public speaker around town curating HERsay (an all woman variety show), as well as several other wonderful events and organizations. She is a proud member of the Storytellers Guild and a DJ for WCBN. She lives with her husband, Ken Anderson, and dog, Pugsley Anderson-Smith. She loves a good Pilsner in the summer, an Oktoberfest in the fall, and stouts all year long. (Patti will have copies of her book: Michigan Beer, a Heady History available for sale before and after tours for the awesome price of $18.00 cash or credit.)

Kevin Walsh is the radio/television productions instructor at Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology and president of the non-profit Digital Arts Film and Television where he is co-director of the Michigan Student Film Festival--the longest running student film festival in the country. He created the blog MyMediaDiary.com featured in Huffington Post and hosts and co-produces and edits Digging Detroit., an historical documentary series. His freelance production company, MMD Productions, LLC, specializes in professional, corporate and event video and photography. Previously, Kevin taught language arts and video productions in Royal Oak and West Bloomfield.

The Details:

Because drinking and swearing come with the history, this public bus tour is strictly 21 years old and older.

To best enjoy the tour, guests should be prepared to walk up to 100 yards at a leisurely pace over uneven terrain. We highly recommend comfortable, flat shoes.

Photography is permitted (encouraged) on this tour.

Please, eat before boarding the tour as none of the stops offer substantial food options during our limited stay.

The tour departs from: The Detroit History Club, 3103 Commor, Hamtramck, MI 48212. Parking is on the street and may require guests to walk a short distance. Doors to the club open 30 minutes before the ticketed start time of their tour. At which time guests are invited to come inside, check into the tour, and relax until the departure time. Late arrivals will not be admitted, all Detroit History Tours start on time and depart without a grace period.

Your order confirmation email will serve as your only ticket- nothing will ship to your address. Please save your email and be prepared to show it on your phone or printed to board the bus. (We do this to avoid the ticketing fees that come along with ticketing systems. The price of your ticket will remain the same throughout checkout with no added fees or service charges.)

Tickets are $89.00 per person. This price includes your full tour, three (3) flights of beer (one flight at each brewery), bottled water, and a small snack. All taxes and fees, as well as service tips at each brewery are included in the ticket price. Zero booking charges apply at check out. Additional beers may be purchased.

Transportation is provided via luxury motor-coach outfitted with leather captains chairs for each guest. The motor-coach is equipped with an on board bathroom.

If you have a large group consider booking any of our fabulous tours as a private charter. We can arrange to pick your group up from any location, on any day and any time. Check out our Private Tours link for more information.

Tour guide tips are always appreciated but never expected. The very best tip is always a positive review!