We didn’t really know too much about the Windsor and Eton Brewery Tour before we did it this weekend, we had won it in an a charity auction late last year so only did a bit of research (mostly could we park. More of which later) before we arrived.
You arrive at the tour, at the end of a residential road in Windsor to be welcomed at the bar where you can buy beer to take away, enjoy a pint, or check in for the tours which take place most Saturdays. There is some parking outside but if you are like me and don’t really like to chance these things then you can park in the Alexandra Gardens car park which is just a few minutes walk away.
The tour starts off as all good brewery tours do, with a drink. Willie the legendary tour guide is quick to pour the first half pints as he explains how the brewery came about, how the beers get their names, and how the ingredients are made. There are four of those half glasses included as you go on to learn about the malting process of barley and how their Guardsman beer is drunk by actual Guardsmen. There is also a tour of the hop loft and a close up inspection of the brewing vessels filled with what could only be described as cappuccino as the yeast got to work on the top of the liquor below.
The whole thing took just under an hour and the groups are limited to 15 (there were only six on ours) so there is plenty of time to ask Willie any other questions, or take photographs. You then end the tour back in the bar where you are invited to have another half pint. There is no chance of you leaving this tour thirsty, that’s for sure!! It is also why we booked a hotel up the road because we didn’t want one of us having to drive!
It is a very small operation, though they do produce 2 million pints a year which seems extraordinary, and their beers are now available in a large number of pubs, and even Waitrose.
In just ten years the team here have really made a name for themselves, not just locally, and now they even have a Royal Warrant to confirm they are suppliers of beer to Her Majesty the Queen. I can’t wait to see what they achieve in the next ten years.
You can find out all about the Brewery and how to book at tour by clicking on this link: WEBREW
There are lots of other things to do in and around Windsor so if you do book a hotel like we did, you might be interested in the other things the town has to offer: 7 things to do in Windsor