Staff Writer
Workspace: Steve Brewer: Budweiser Brewery tour supervisor
How do I become a beer taster? Which beach do you get your beechwood from? How do you get the little tabs on the top of the cans?
Answering these, and many other questions, are just part of the job for Steve Brewer, supervisor of the tour guide staff at Anheuser-Busch’s (A-B) Jacksonville Brewery on Busch Drive on the City’s Northside. Jacksonville is home to one of the 12 A-B breweries in the country and one of five to offer guided tours. Though he may have a fitting name for the company he works for, Brewer has only been working for the company for about two years. He does have a total of about 17 years in the hospitality industry.
“Anheuser-Busch produces a product that you can really believe in,” said Brewer. “With all of the history of the company and quality that goes into every product, it makes for really interesting reading.”
Brewer and his staff of 11 employees get to pass on this information Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The staff welcomes an average of 36,000 visitors a year to experience the company’s history and brewing processes.
Some of those guests may return now that A-B has developed a “Beermaster Tour” program.
“It really brings guests closer to the process and workings of the brewery,” said Brewer. “The free tour does offer a lot of history and insight to the company, but the Beermaster tour brings you out from behind the windows and down onto the brewery floor for a more personal experience.”
The tours are offered twice each day, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and up to 10 people are allowed on each tour. Guests can reserve a spot on the tour at www.budweisertours.com. The tour visits the brew hall, primary fermentation cellar, lager cellar, packaging facility, quality assurance, and finishing cellar, and includes sampling directly from a finishing tank.
“Attendance has increased each month,” said Brewer. “We are starting to sell out quite regularly now.”
The “Beermaster Tour” costs $25 for adults and $10 for minors.
Brewer and his staff see the most regular traffic on Saturdays and activity also spikes during Florida/Georgia week and Bike Week in Daytona.
“We get a lot of race fans,” said Brewer. “And a lot of international visitors, from Germany and the Czech Republic.”
As can be expected, Brewer finds that the hospitality room is one of the more popular stops on the tour.
“Most people go on the tour and finish at the hospitality room,” said Brewer. “Then there are others who decide to go straight for the room.”
There are normally nine different products on tap in the hospitality room and guests are allowed two eight-ounce servings and a bag of pretzels. Guests can enjoy their favorites or experiment with the different seasonal varieties that are produced at different seasons.
“This is a very unique stop that not a lot of people know about,” said Brewer, who enjoys getting the word out about his place of employment. “It’s an enjoyable job with little stress.”
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