9/3/2024
Yesterday I mostly just hung out and had a beer at a couple breweries. Today was a great day though. I took a tour of the Miller brewery. Out of the big three, I think Miller has the best normal tour. They took us to a few different buildings including the brewhouse, bottling line, warehouse, the caves, and Miller Inn. The brewhouse and bottling line were the same old same old, but the caves and Miller Inn were the really interesting parts.
The caves were dug by the original owner of the land, also a brewery, to store beer. They were expanded by Miller and used until refrigeration became popular. They were sealed and forgotten about after that until the 1970’s. Miller was putting the foundations in for a new building and went through the roof of one of the caves. After that they were unsealed and turned into a museum and part of the tour.
The Miller Inn was really neat. It was a functioning hotel when it was built and then changed into an event space. They have some old beer steins, including a $3000 one, and a beautiful bar and restaurant area. This is supposed to be one of the most haunted buildings in America. The ghost is friendly and will sometimes prank the tour guides.
After the tour it was still early enough to make the trip down to Chicago.
