August Schell Brewing Company

Was recommended to do this by a friend – so glad! Beautiful drive to and scenery – wooded and historic. Got lucky to find out a tour started 15 minutes from when we got there and it wasn’t full yet (was a Monday afternoon), so had some time to check out gift shop, pictures, etc. Our tour guide (Tom, I think?) started right on time and did an excellent job – knowledgeable and super nice. Got to the tasting room after visiting a couple different areas of the brewery. Got to actually sample a good amount of beers and get a pint of our choice (and got it topped off at a «last call» when our guide had to start a new tour)!! Great info, great beer, great value! Love to support family owned businesses like this!

Browse the gift store, visit the museum as you wait for your tour. Check schedules for hourly tours and buy your ticket for a measly $ 3 (as of 16′). The tour is a brief history of the family brewing tradition in New Ulm. A quick walk around some of the newest and older brewing equipment and then it’s over to the tap room and the prize of the tour, the sampling. Each brew is explained with some fascinating back stories, as bottles are passed along the table and you are expected to self pour your fair share of 2oz. After the sampling you can enjoy a larger cup of a brew of your choice from the taps. Hang out on the deck afterwards with your fellow samplers.
There is a deer park which you won’t really have access to but can see from the edge of the parking lot. Look for the roaming partridges near the old German style residence.
New Ulm is a scenic small town in Southern Minnesota and the Schell Brewing Company is a must see. The buildings are preserved in between the additions over the past century and a half so that you can admire the old country style of construction and appreciate the challenges of building a brewery along and into a hillside in a strange new country.
The gift shop has some unique items but mostly the usual tourist buys. I wasn’t impressed by the clothes but there are many German steins and company logo mugs to choose from which is a better buy.

It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I stopped at the Schell Brewing Company for a tour and tasting while in New Ulm. Totally worth the $ 3!
Upon arrival, we had enough time before our tour to walk through the museum. It was interesting to see some of the old machinery they used and old cans and signs. Given its history as the second oldest brewery in America, the whole place makes you feel nostalgic.
During our tour, we were given some background on the brewery and the family that has been running the business (for five generations). You don’t get to see too much of the brewery itself (or the awesome family home) but if you’re lucky you’ll see the peacocks wandering around.
Our tour ended in the tasting room. We got to try most of the beers made by Schell. A few samples first and then a full draft of anything on tap. Not a bad deal. We started off with the original light (as our guide said, «to clear out the dust from the tour») and moved on to pass around bottles of Goosetown, Hefeweizen, Nordeast (a Grain Belt brew now made by Schell), and Firebrick (a seasonal beer that was so popular they added it to their rotation). I went with the old school Deer Brand for my draft. We were also offered samples of 1919 (Schell’s draft root beer). After our tour and samples, my friend and I walked around the grounds and into the gift shop.
Worth a stop and worth the tour, but mostly for the free samples. I would have only liked it more if we could tour the other buildings and get a deeper look into the brewery.

The people there are very friendly and the tour is quite informative. The guides are very knowledgeable about the process and the Schell brewery. I enjoyed the tour very much, as well as the free samples that followed. I enjoyed sitting out on the patio with a very tasty beer. It would have been perfect if there had been pretzels to go with the beer.

Stopped here on a whim. The tour was interesting and the grounds are beautiful! Get here by 11 to get in the 12 tour. Everyone says the tour tickets sell out fast, I believe it! A definite must for any visit to New Ulm!

Went on the brewery tour and really enjoyed it. Our tour guide was very personable and knowledgeable. I don’t drink beer, but the other 11 people in my group enjoyed the tasting. All employees had smiles on their faces and were pleasant to converse with. I would HIGHLY recommend Schell’s!

If you truly want to visit Schells and get a real Minnesota experience, go to
: On February 14, 2015 this year, Schells hosts their Bockfest. Bockfest is a one day celebration with bonfires, the best polka band in the world, beer cooked grilled brats, and of course the delicious Bock beer.

Our family recently visited Schell’s Brewery on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Having read some reviews prior to visiting, we were excited for beautiful grounds, a nice tour, and some beer — what’s not to like?
Arriving at Schell’s Brewery, you’ll notice it’s definitely a unique setting. Deep in the woods and high up on a hill, the grounds are home to some deer and two peacocks! The gardens are beautiful, and the crumbling sidewalks, empty ponds, and broken fences clearly date back to when the brewery opened in 1860. So much history!
Insider Tip: Be sure you arrive early. Tours operate only hourly and do sell out. Unfortunately they don’t take reservations, but with so much to do onsite, you’ll want time to kill!
Spend some time in the museum (across from the gift shop) where you can learn all about the history of the brewery. On display you’ll find several random machines and unlabeled pictures — take note so you can ask your tour guide about these later! Want to grab a quick lunch? You’re in luck! There’s a Burger King not far from the brewery with competent employees and quick service.
Tour time! Our tour began only six minutes and started off with our knowledgeable guide restating everything we had read in the museum about the brewery’s history. And boy was he spot on — he talked about the exact same people, same dates, and same course in history. I was impressed by his ability to remember all that!
His talk unfortunately lasts only about 15 minutes, but don’t worry, next up you’ll see where the beer is bottled! If you visit on the weekend, the machinery won’t be in use, so you can use your imagination to see how the beer actually gets bottled! Plus, you’ll be able to get super cozy with the other 30+ people on the tour because their craft beer facilities are so small!
Then, climb up the stairs to see the original copper brew kettle. As you can imagine, this is being decommissioned as they upgrade to new equipment. After 150+ years, now’s obviously the time to upgrade.
Insider Tip: Can’t get a good view of the brew kettle? Don’t worry, the tour ends here, so feel free to linger a bit longer.
After about 11 minutes seeing the machinery and a brew kettle, you’re ready for cold one! Make your way down to the tap room to sample some beers. Be sure to grab a spot at the end of the table, farthest away from the bar. Everyone pours their own samples from a single bottle of beer, so if you’re lucky there will be enough left for you at the end!
You’ll get to sample about 5 different beers, each one about as mediocre as the last! We just loved the samples — not overly flavorful or bold or even that cold! Each 2oz sample left us wanting more, which is great, because if you bring your trash up to them at the bar, you’re rewarded with a FULL POUR OF YOUR CHOICE!
Insider Tip: Rule #1! No talking when your guide is speaking. So when your guide shouts out «RULE #1,» but sure to stop talking so you can clearly hear spastic children having their epic meltdowns, which is understandable. How can a child be expected to behave for a 26-​minute tour?
The brief tour and mediocre beers were absolutely worth the 1h45m drive from Minneapolis to New Ulm. The family is already planning our next visit to the brewery!

I recently did a tour of the place and sampled their brews. I would have to say the tour is awesome! You get the history of the place along with the process of brewing. However like most larger older brewers, they are finally starting to put the flavor back into their beers. Back before the craft explosion, the same old bland beers sold well, but todays palate has evolved. While Schells is trying to catch up with the times, most of the beers I found lacked any distinct flavor that sets it apart to reclassify it. There was one brew however that gave me hope for the brewery. Schell shocked was a grapefruit beer that, while is was very sugary, had some nice subtle flavors to it.
I look forward to seeing how they evolve in the future. If I were to rate the tour alone, it would 5 of 5 stars, but they have beer, which is the product of Schells and my rating is more on the beers.

I love taking a day trip down to New Ulm. But to be honest, I really only go to visit the Schell’s Brewery.
First of all, you find yourself on a beautifully lush winding road to the brewery tucked away up the hill. There are several brick buildings and a festive May Pole welcoming you at the top. There is limited parking leading up to the main building, but not to fret — there is plenty for you if you drive past it and to the left. The grounds are stunning, with a formal garden leading up the the Schell family home, which is now used for board meetings, or so I’m told. During the summer, you will find several peacocks roaming the grounds, and deer will often find their way around the edges of the property.
Go right inside and to the right, the gift store, and to the left, a mini-​museum, and the front desk to sign up for your brewery tour. I’ve been a part of a group of 50, and a group of 10, but make sure you get your name on the list, as this place gets more crowded in the summer. The tour will only set you back $ 3, and includes a walking tour of the grounds, the brewery, and tastings in the traditional German tasting room. They recently remodeled a brick patio in back overlooking the creek and the woods. It is right outside the tasting room and a wonderfully sunny place to relax.
In the tasting room, they pass around about 6 bottles and everyone at the table pours them into tasting cups. Often times people won’t want to taste a certain flavor,
or half a bottle is left at the end, of each of the 6 bottles… which means, yes you get about 3 bottles of beer that you get to drink yourself! Plus your own full cup that they pour you straight from their tap. Needless to say, $ 3 gets you pretty far here. I’ve always left happily buzzed, which makes for a nice round in the gardens.

I loved this tour! I have been on my fair share of tours and this one was amazing! Not too long, not too short.
During this tour experience I learned a few tips… they sell out by 12:30 on weekends (and you can’t call ahead) so 12:30 or bust… we arrived by 12:15 and got the last spots for the 1 pm tour.
Sit at the tables furthest from the bar, you will be at the end to get the samples, but there will be lots left in the bottle for your to sample! YUMMY!
They definitely do treat you well here. While the tour isn’t too in depth, they do a great job.
Parking here can be a bit challenging through as they really have a limited lot.

I went here on a road trip with some friends. I’ve taken the tour several times before, but my friends got a chance to check out the new tap room and some of the new beers. The tour costs $ 3, and the walking portion lasted about 30 minutes.
Afterwards, the knowledgeable tour guide brought us back to the tap room and we tried several different varieties of craft beer. After the official tasting was over, we requested glasses of our favorites and relaxed on the patio for about an hour, then drove home!

This is what I would consider one of the more unique brewery tours you’ll probably ever go on. It’s because the grounds were essentially homesteaded by the brewery’s founders back in the 19^th century; it’s the second oldest family owned brewery in the United States. As a result it has a rich history with a mansion and gardens where various lineages of the founding family lived. When I toured they were in the middle of doing a big expansion so we didn’t actually get to see any of the brewing facilities, but you know what, that was OK because every brewery has big stainless steel equipment on their production floor. What makes this brewery a great place to visit is the rich history and uniqueness of the grounds. Their tasting room is well appointed and you’re allowed to get one beer afterward which you can then enjoy anywhere you want on the grounds.

As a native, the best beer I can find is here. While the original Deer Brand is good, I’m a huge fan of the Nordeast and more recent brews. The grounds are beautiful and the entire brewery is so embedded in the community it is hard to separate the two.
Truly a treasure.

I was the DD so i drank some really delicious root beer. 6 tasters and any full beer after the tour– cost is $ 3 for everyone else who rode up in my rental minivan.
I spent a lot of the tour chasing the male peacocks around and attempting to get them to peacock at me. Watch out– there are peacocks everywhere. The tour was pretty monotone but full of good info. The grounds are historic but well kept. They said they will be expanding this year. How exciting.
We did the 3 pm tour– the tour right after us had a classroom of middle schoolers. Good thing I had my root beer before they ran out!

Had a great time. Went here on a saturday because it was raining in okoboji. Ate at the Kaiserhof around 1:30. Went to tour Herman the german down the street a few blocks. Then had the 3 pm tour of the brewery. I would suggest the same routine to anyone visiting New Ulm for the first time. The brewery is top notch but they dont reveal any information on their current brewing methods. More of a historical tour really. But still ⁵⁄₅ stars. Do it. You wont revret it. How could you, its a 153 year old brewery.

The tour itself is fine, and the beer at the end is worth the $ 3.
But…
For me two parts of the experience make this a great place/​tour:
1) beautiful grounds — honestly it was awesome
2) the museum — yes I am a total geek and thought the museum was better than touring the brewery itself
I can’t wait to go back to New Ulm again, I think it may be for Oktoberfest (yeah, I know, cliché, but I feel like it’s something I have to do).

The tour provides a great history lesson of Schells, the area, and the brewery. As others have stated, the tour does not include the production area. They cite OSHA and safety concerns, due to the tight space. Having been on several of these tours it was no loss. If you want to see it all, go for the anniversary bash.
The best part is the tasting. You get to sample almost all the beers, and the root beer. Do not skip the root beer! It’s the best ever.

The Schell’s Brewery presents a fine way to while away a couple of hours while in New Ulm. Tours are popular and are offered on a first come-​first served basis. If you are interested in a tour, do as we did and arrive early to sign up.
I suggest that you leave some time before your tour to enjoy the brewery’s museum, which contains many interesting trinkets and artifacts documenting Schell’s history as America’s second oldest family owned/​operated brewery.
The tour itself is short but entertaining. Although we did not get to see the production floor, I don’t view this as a negative. I’ve been on enough brewery tours to know that looking at big vats of beer brewing is much like looking at big fields of grass growing. The key to a good tour is the guide and the quality of information delivered. Our guide was very friendly and gladly entertained questions. I learned a lot about the history of the brewery and how it fit in with the community over the years. The tour ended in the tasting room, where we had the chance to try a wide variety of Schell’s beers.
After the tour, take the opportunity to stroll the grounds. Enjoy the many beautiful gardens, gawk at a peacock or three, and think about all that you have learned. At $ 3/​person, this is the best bang for the buck in New Ulm, hands down.

The grounds of the Schell brewery are beautiful; there are four peacocks (three males and one female: D) that roam the garden. We got the «short tour» — which included a brief history about August Schell and family, a video explanation of the brewing process, and a five-​minute talk about the giant copper brew kettle, probably because it was 80° that day. Or, because they know people visit breweries for… the free beer.
I sampled five beers — Pilsner, Firebrick (Amber Lager), Pale Ale, Stout, and Dark Lager — and root beer. I prefered the Pale Ale and root beer, so did the bees and wasps. The gift shop is also full of kitschy stuff and souvenirs. If you’re ever in New Ulm, take time to visit the brewery.