While it is a beautiful brewery, there are some problems I saw. First off, me and the lady get in there and ask about a tour. The tasting lady says "well, just go ahead and walk around." This is fine for me, but for someone who is looking for a "tour", not so good. The "tasting" was less of a tasting and more of a bar. 3 samples for $3.50 or one large beer for $5-8, depending on beer. No one to tell us about what we were tasting, more of "get your beer and move on". Only 5 brews on tap, all of which I have had. Value is there, because the "tour" was free. Overall, meh. This place makes such good beer, I was really hoping for a better tour.

Very modern facility built in 2007, with addition in 2009 and ongoing construction in 2011. The new brewery is south of town on HWY 69 where the tours and tasting are now held. The original brewery now brews mainly the specialty beers while the new one brews the largest sellers including Spotted Cow and Moon Man. Self guided tour lacks the use of the hand held listening devices formerly used in the original brewery. Cashier informed me that these will be coming but are not front burner. Facilities are ultramodern and very clean with a few signs and TV monitors to help you to understand what you are seeing. Three beautiful cooper brew kettles are the tour highlight. Tasting room is smallish but brewery has added a beautiful beer garden in which to enjoy your beer if the weather is right. Three 3 ounce pours plus souvenir glass are included for a $3.50 charge. 5 beers on tap today including their raspberry beer (excellent). Passion of owners reflected throughout facility and beer. Not surprising these folks are successful. The gift shop is well stocked with a wide variety of choices. Bring the VISA.

Finally decided to stop by 8.4.12, off the beaten path for my taste and will impact my decision for a return visit. I am not a huge fan of this brewery, but did enjoy the visit when I finally got on site. Very cool that you get to keep the glass from the tasting. Just wish they had more stuff available in the bottle shop when I was there.

My wife and I drove up for a visit in late May. Having never been there before, we came across the original brewery first which did not look like it was exactly open to the public (This is wear the hard hat tours take place). We then found a sign with maps inside that gave directions to the new Hill Top brewery which is where the tour and gift shop is. The hill top brewery is only about a mile down the road and it beautiful. Since it was a Tuesday, we found easy parking. We took the self guided tour and got to see Dan hard at work. It was pretty simple, but very interesting. We also did their 3 samples for $3.50 and got some New Glarus gear. I had to make a stop downstairs at their beer depot before I went home. I was surprised there was only one brewery exclusive beer, the rest I have easy access to at work. No food on site but plenty of bar and grills to choose from in their downtown district. Nice folks and would love to visit again!

The hilltop brewery is absolutely amazing and the hard-hat tour is high recommended if you have the time. Great brewery tucked away in a small town with friendly and knowledgeable employees. The beer depot at the hilltop location is a must for those seeking newly released offerings as well as an occasional vintage release. The sampler is reasonably priced and typically offers a wide range of selections including R&D beers.

Have been to the original and hilltop brewery multiple, multiple times. The hilltop brewery is truly a marvel. Rather enjoyed the "hard hat" tour with beer and cheese sampling. Self-guided tour is, well, a self-guided tour. Nice gift shop. Samplers are nice and at a decent price. "Beer cellar" has some older Unplugged beers that you can’t find in stores any more. Dan Carey is always super nice and easy to talk to if you can catch him. One of the best breweries around.

Cool spot - gift shop/brewery site has a European feel, very nice. Brewery is large - they said they are doing about 95,000 barrels/year now. Very clean also. Self guided tours. Large gift shop with steins, glassware, clothing, etc. Sampling is 3 for $3.50, plus you keep the tasting glass. You can buy singles to-go of many of their beers as well.

The hill top brewery is absolutely beautiful. It’s a craft brewing stop the entire family can enjoy. They welcome you at the gift shop/ taproom. You can purchase a pint or taster of a number of beers to enjoy while you tour the brewery. Each comes with a souvenir glass. The tour is self guided but is open all of the tine. You can see each phase of the process and watch the workers behind glass walls. Once you have had your fill of the brewery and property you can head downstairs where you will find wall to wall cases of all of their offerings including the RD, thumbprint series, and unplugged. Last time I was there they had the unpluggeds dating back 2-4 sets. They only thing I wish they had more of were "guides" at the different phases of the brewing process to explain a bit of what was going on and to answer FAQ’s. That being said I understand they offer guided tours (which include a stop at the original brewery) a few times a week. A very nice day trip that I would do with the fam every year or so as we live about 2.5 hours away. The town of NG is a nice added feature to checking out the brewery as there are a number of neat shops and restaurants in the area.

The brewery is atop a hill and is very picturesque; absolutely gorgeous. They have a decent selection of their own stuff available; the stuff that is in season anyway. They offer three three ounce samplers and pint keep the glass deals. Once you have the glass the refills are cheaper, though the initial cost is a bit pricey. The staff is really nice and takes care of you quickly. Overall a great little brewery in a quaint little town.

This is my favorite brewery, but I’ll do my best to rate it fairly. Huge place. It was PACKED but this was the Sunday following GTMW so there were a lot of people coming here on the way out of town. It was wonderful wandering the brewery while sipping a pint of beer. Beer to go downstairs. Gift shop, tasting room and access to the brewery upstairs. Lots of cool stuff in the gift shop including a wide variety of German made steins that were way out of my budget unfortunately. Lots of shirst, glassware, other swag. Everyone was very friendly despite the crowds. Beautiful outside beer garden and grassy areas. Plenty of parking. I loved it.