Craft beer is big business and as any business grows, it is likely to spawn the development of new, related businesses that are ready to capitalize on the success and expand services and creature comforts in new directions. In the world of craft beer, this is notable in several ways and anyone who enjoys visiting breweries is likely familiar with at least one of them: Brewery tour transportation. These services exist in cities large and small, escorting guests from one brewing vat to the next in controlled comfort. Great Beer Now has partaken in several of these beer tour operations, but few can match the fun and novelty of Scavengers Beer and Adventure Tours, a service operation based in Carlsbad, California.
All Aboard!
My first encounter with Scavengers Beer and Adventure Tours took place on a beercation to the Carlsbad area and it took everyone by surprise. Craft beer enthusiasts like me and others are familiar with brewery transportation services but, by and large, these services consist of a large bus with room for 60 to 80 people requiring lots of steps upward and backward to reach your seat. These buses perform their intended service well enough, often with live music, narration from one of the crew, and other entertainment to keep everyone preoccupied as they travel from place to place.
Scavengers Beer and Adventure Tours, however, takes a different approach, at least with its choice of vehicle. They do not use a large, oversize bus but instead rely on a 6- wheel Swiss safari vehicle for transportation needs. The look on people’s unsuspecting faces when they see the vehicle for the first time is often priceless, since most people waiting for a brewery touring vehicle just don’t expect something like this.
Let Me Entertain You
Scavengers Beer and Adventure Tours is operated by one driver and the seating area can accommodate up to 12 individuals. There is no traditional bus- style seating. You and your friend climb in through the back and sit on benches on opposite sides. You cannot stand up inside because the roof is too low, but you can enjoy the fresh air thanks to the open design.
To keep guests entertained and in a jovial mood, Scavengers Beer and Adventure Tours plays music and serves beer to its guests. Everyone could use a warm- up beer before the start of a brewery tour, right? Our driver, Zack, had a cooler full of local brew for everyone to try and was ready to answer questions as he pulled out of the lot and made his way down the streets of Carlsbad, drawing attention from passersby and providing an important service to me and the other guests on board as we hopped from one brewery to the next.
Non- Traditional Transportation
Scavengers Beer and Adventure Tours is a cool concept and quite unlike the traditional bus transportation so common with other brewery tour operations. With its smaller size, the Swiss Safari vehicle holds only a handful of your closest friends, for a more intimate, personal brewery tour experience.
I have taken several brewery tours, but none of them was quite like Scavengers Beer and Adventure Tours. The vehicles they use are the main difference, but there are other standouts that set this mode of brewery transportation apart. Since the vehicle is open, you get to enjoy the benefit of cool breezes. You get to become intimate with the road, since you can feel the bumps and turns more acutely than usual. And you get to trade cheers with people as they pull up next to you in their boring sedans and pickup trucks, often amused and intrigued when they see one of these six- wheeled safari vehicles next to them.
Because Scavengers Beer and Adventure Tours utilize a smaller vehicle, they offer another distinct advantage that isn’t so readily noticeable at first, and that is their ability to fit into smaller spaces. With larger buses, you often cannot get very close to a brewery’s entrance. The bus has to park further away and let everyone out, adding more steps and depriving you and your friends of valuable drinking time. These safari vehicles are not much larger than most vehicles on the road so they can take you directly where you need to go. Since there are fewer people on the tours, they are perfect for a group of friends who want to enjoy the local beer scene but leave the driving to someone else. And with fewer people on board, there is less competition with others for attention from the driver who has a much easier time answering questions, keeping track of guests, and ensuring that the fun never ceases.
Carlsbad, California is a great city for craft beer and with Scavengers Beer and Adventure Tours, the brewery tour experience is complete. There is no need to worry about designated drivers- everyone can drink when you utilize a service like this and since they cater to smaller groups, Scavengers Beer and Adventure Tours is perfect for birthday parties, after work excursions, and other, more intimate gatherings. It’s a fun way to tour the breweries of Carlsbad and surrounding areas and it’s a service that earns a strong recommendation from me and the other members of my beercation team. Cheers!
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