Corporate & team days
The reliable answer to "what shall we do with the team that isn't bowling". Structured enough to feel organised, relaxed enough that people actually talk to each other. Invoicing and purchase orders are no problem.
Private & group brewery tours in Bristol
Take the boat, the brewery and the guide over for the afternoon. Corporate away days, big birthdays, stag and hen groups, client entertaining, or a load of friends who'd rather not share the ferry with strangers.
What a private tour is
The same great afternoon, built round your group
Our public tour is fixed: three stops, selected Saturdays, up to 30 guests, £69 a head. A private tour keeps the good bits and unfixes everything else.
You choose the date. The group is only your people. We can move timings, swap venues, upgrade the food from sharing platters to something you'd call lunch, and arrange cider, wine or gin for the members of your party who politely do not want another beer.
It works because it isn't a pub crawl. There's genuine content — how beer is actually made, what makes Bristol's scene what it is, why one glass tastes of grapefruit and the next of coffee — so the people who came for the drinking and the people who came for the day out both leave happy.
Who books these
Groups we run tours for every month
Birthdays & celebrations
Milestone birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, "we finally all got a weekend free". The boat is the bit nobody sees coming, and it makes the whole thing feel like an occasion.
Stag & hen groups
Very welcome — on the understanding that this is a beer tasting, not a pub crawl. It's the daytime activity that works for the whole group, including the people who aren't twenty-two any more.
Clubs & societies
Beer clubs, sports teams, alumni groups, CAMRA branches, university societies. If you already know your beer we'll pitch the guiding accordingly and go deeper.
Client entertaining
Better than a restaurant because people mix, and better than a sporting fixture because you can actually hold a conversation. Discreet, well run, and memorable for the right reasons.
Conference & away-day add-ons
Bristol pulls in a lot of conferences and we're often the evening-before or afternoon-after activity. Tell us your window and we'll build the tour to fit around your agenda.
What we can flex
Things you can change on a private tour
- The date and time — weekdays and evenings included, not just Saturdays
- The venues — we can build a route around different Bristol breweries and bars
- The food — from the standard cheese and charcuterie boards up to pizza, barbecue or burgers from local independents
- The drinks — cider, wine, gin and soft options for anyone not drinking beer
- The depth — a gentle introduction, or a proper technical session for people who already know their beer
- The group size — the boat holds up to 30; larger parties can be staggered or split across guides
One thing we don't do: pub crawls. If that's what you're after we'd genuinely rather point you elsewhere than sell you the wrong afternoon.
How it works
From enquiry to boarding the boat
Step one
You tell us the basics
Rough date, rough numbers, the occasion, and anything we need to plan around — dietary requirements, non-beer drinkers, mobility, budget.
Step two
We come back with a plan
A proposed route, timings and a per-head price. Usually within a working day. If the date doesn't work we'll say so straight away rather than string it out.
Step three
We lock it in
You confirm, we book the boat, the venues and your guide. Invoicing available for companies; we can also send a payment link for the organiser.
Step four
You turn up
We handle everything on the day. Your guide meets the group, and from that point it's someone else's problem for four hours.
Request a group tour
Tell us what you've got in mind
The more you can tell us up front, the more useful our first reply will be. If you'd rather just talk it through, WhatsApp is usually the fastest way to reach us.
Already know it's a big one? Groups over 30 need a different plan — usually staggered start times or a second guide. Mention your numbers and we'll work it out.
Group tour enquiry
We reply to every enquiry, usually within one working day.
Group tour questions
The things people ask first
How many people do we need?
Private tours generally start to make sense from around 10 guests, and the harbour boat takes up to 30. Smaller groups are usually better off booking spaces on a public Saturday tour — same experience, lower cost per head.
Bigger than 30? Tell us the number. Staggered start times or a second guide will usually solve it.
What does a private tour cost?
It depends on the group size, the date, the venues and the food, so we quote per enquiry rather than publishing a rate that would be wrong for most people. As a reference point, our public tour is £69 a head with cheese and charcuterie included.
Can you cater for people who don't drink beer?
Yes — cider, wine, gin or soft alternatives can be arranged on private tours, and we can plan around vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free requirements. Tell us at the enquiry stage so we can set it up with each venue in advance rather than improvising on the day.
Can we add a proper meal?
Yes. The standard sharing platters are nibbles; on a private tour we can scale up to pizza, barbecue, burgers and similar, sourced from local independents. It changes the per-head price, so let us know your budget and we'll tell you what's realistic.
Do you run tours on weekdays?
For private groups, yes — weekdays and some evenings. That's one of the main reasons companies book privately rather than sending people to a public Saturday tour.
Can you invoice our company?
Yes. We can invoice, take a purchase order, and provide whatever paperwork your finance team needs. Mention it in your enquiry.
What happens if someone drops out?
Small changes to numbers are usually fine up to a point — venues and the boat are booked on your group size, so significant reductions close to the date may still be chargeable. We'll be clear about the cut-offs when we confirm your booking.
Tour itineraries, venues, beers and pricing can change — breweries occasionally close their doors to visitors at short notice, and we'll always substitute a comparable stop if that happens. Everything on this page was correct at the time of publishing.
Got a group and a rough date?
That's all we need to get started. Message us and we'll come back with a plan.