What a great slogan! “You drink, we drive.” But it is more than a slogan; it’s a safe way to experience some of the best breweries in the nation right here in Connecticut. In this article, I will tell you about my experience with CT Beer Tours and the company's owner, Michelle Stanish.
I got a message from Michelle saying, “Hey Bud, I saw that you follow my company CT Beer Tours. I was wondering if you had any interest in hopping on one of our public tours.” It was like a little message from heaven, so I jumped at the opportunity. Michelle had a four brewery tour panned for my fellow occupants and me, and we were all excited to be traveling with her. I’m not going to talk about the breweries in this article, but I will write about them in separate pieces. This article is about CT Beer Tours and their service.
I met Michelle and four other folks at a hotel parking lot in Bristol, CT. It was effortless to find, and Michelle made sure to confirm the location and time of departure with a text. She greeted me as though she knew me forever. “Hey, Bud!” Social media is an excellent tool for people in business. She already knew what I looked like, so that part was easy. But I took note of the way she flowed with the situation. She wanted to make a connection immediately so that we would all feel comfortable. She is excellent at communicating. She talked to us about anything and everything like an old friend.
​
After boarding the bus, Michelle had us introduce ourselves to the other guests and tell each other which CT brewery was our favorite. An excellent little ice breaker. She explained the rules of the tour and then told us she wanted to share with us a little prayer before we departed. The prayer is a spin-off of a well-known Bible prayer. But, I am going to keep the details to myself. You will have to take a tour if you want to hear it. The prayer was funny, cute, and clever all at the same time and seemed to give us a small preview of what this tour was all about. And with that, we were off.
Address:
1 Town Line Rd,
Plainville, CT 06062
​
Phone:
​
Website:
​
Contact them today
to book your tour.
Our tour group for the day
Michelle Stanish
Owner of CT Beer Tours
(And just a great gal.)
Michelle told me that she has a driver to navigate the roads and a tour guide that goes on the trips to entertain the guests and give them information regarding the breweries they were about to visit. Today, she was both driver and tour guide. She drove us from city to city without a single issue on the roads we traveled while talking to us to ensure we were all engaged in the tour. She was curious and highly professional. She obeyed traffic laws and made me feel very comfortable with her ability to maintain the road. That isn’t an easy thing to do with me. Other than my wife, a fantastic driver, I do not trust too many people driving me around. Probably a personality defect on my part, but nevertheless, Michelle had things well in hand.
​
At each brewery we stopped at, Michelle would drop us off at the door and then park the shuttle. Then, she told us to go in and check out the beer list. The funny part is that we would wait for her outside most of the time. We didn’t want to leave her behind. She wasn’t just a driver/tour guide. She was part of the group, and we wanted her to know that she was worth the wait. That was the vibe that I got from my fellow travelers. It told me that she had ingratiated herself into the group as “One of us.” She instantly became our friend, and we were not leaving her behind.
​
As a beer blogger, I am on a mission at each brewery. I am looking around, taking notes, tasting and reviewing beers, chatting with the owners, and getting distracted by other brewery attendees as I engage in conversations with them. My new friend Michelle could see this happening and would “rib” me with a little snarky remark to get me back into the group. Her ribbing was fun, appropriate, and much appreciated. I tend to drift around and lose track of things when I am having a good time. She would give us a heads up about packing up and moving on to the next stop at each brewery—another well-appreciated gesture.
​
At one of the breweries, we received pizza for lunch provided by Michelle. She called in a delivery, and we enjoyed one of the greatest combos of all time: pizza and a beer.
Bud's Overall Rating
​
So, here is my overall assessment of CT Beer Tours;
-
The van was clean and comfortable.
-
The driver was alert and very safety conscious.
-
The host was entertaining and very personable.
-
The “tour guide” was knowledgeable and communicated effectively.
The tour was fun, relaxing, and informative I give CT Beer Tours 5 Mugs, my highest rating.
So, book a tour and experience the freedom of beer hopping without the stress of highways or driving. These tours are a responsible way to hit breweries and taste some of the finest beers in the nation.
What's a Blurb?!!
blurb /blərb/
noun
-
a short description of a book, movie, or other product written for promotional purposes