Brewery Hopping on Longmont, Colorado’s BrewHop Trolley

I know it’s a big ask, but every town with more than two breweries should have a BrewHop Trolley. Not only is it fun, but it’s a safe, efficient way to explore a town’s breweries.

Brewery Hopping on Longmont’s BrewHop Trolley (4)

On Saturdays and Sundays, Longmont, Colorado’s BrewHop Trolley drives a repeating route between Longmont’s many breweries and brewpubs. There’s a schedule so you don’t have to guess when and where you’ll jump on and off. For just $15 bucks, you can ride as many times as you like throughout the day. A two-day pass is $25.

It’s simply brilliant.

On a spring trip to Longmont, Ryan and I grabbed tacos to-go at Jefe’s Tacos & Tequila and then drove the short distance to 300 Suns Brewing. We had time to kill before the trolley came by, so we paired our tacos with a flight of beer and sat on the patio to enjoy our lunch.

The name, 300 Suns, is derived from the more than 300 days of sunshine Longmont gets every year. Clever, right? I like this brewery a lot; the beer is good, it has a bright and sunny taproom and the patio is large.

Brewery Hopping on Longmont’s BrewHop Trolley (4)

The trolley bell clanged as the BrewHop Trolley pulled up to 300 Suns, and I realized then that I had child-like excitement about riding in a real trolley. That’s right folks, the BrewHop Trolley is an actual trolley bus with big windows and wooden seats. It’s a seriously cool ride that is now recognized by the locals, many of whom wave or give the trolley a sweet little “toot” on their car horn whenever they see it roll by.

We were on our way to St. Vrain Cidery which was four stops away.

brewhop trolley photo from their facebook page
Photo from BrewHop Trolley’s Facebook page.

Driver and BrewHop Trolley owner, David Lewis, is a Longmont native and knows just about everything there is to know about the town. He regaled us with stories and brewery information as he drove through the city.

Brewery Hopping on Longmont’s BrewHop Trolley (2)
The route schedule is also on the bus with info about events happening at each stop along the way.

We jumped off at St. Vrain Cidery, a neat little cider bar located in an alleyway off of 4th Avenue in the old Longmont Times-Call building. I highly recommend getting a flight of cider here because it’s a great introduction to the many, many different cider styles that exist.

The interior of St. Vrain Cidery is a mix of modern and historic, and the business is an excellent addition to Longmont’s bar scene. There’s often a food truck in the alleyway and they have a nice, shaded patio.

Brewery Hopping on Longmont’s BrewHop Trolley (3)

We were just finishing up our taster flights and fancy hard boiled eggs from Yolkin’ Around, my current food truck obsession, when the trolley pulled up.

Riders have one hour to enjoy each stop before the trolley is back to offer them a ride to another stop down the line.

Our next destination was Oskar Blues’ Tasty Weasel Tap Room, seven stops away, it took about 25 minutes of trolley time before we arrived. We thoroughly enjoyed David’s company as we drove through a part of Longmont I’d never seen and stopped at a few breweries I’d never visited.

Brewery Hopping on Longmont’s BrewHop Trolley (5)
Sorry folks, those are empty cans! But it still looks pretty darn cool.

This was our first visit to the Tasty Weasel and we had a tour scheduled, which turned out to be an eye-opening experience. I had no idea how big this place was. They don’t just brew beer at this facility, they also roast coffee, make soda and have a huge on-site event room with its own bar and barrel room view. They even have a train that helps visitors get around.

Back on the trolley, we only had two stops until we were back at 300 Suns Brewing.

Riding the BrewHop Trolley was a super fun experience and we hope to do it again real soon, especially since there are a handful of new Longmont breweries we haven’t visited.

Brewery Hopping on Longmont’s BrewHop Trolley (6)
David Lewis driving his BrewHop Trolley through the Prospect neighborhood in Longmont, Colorado.

BrewHop Trolley is available for special events such as bachelorette parties and company outings. Visit BrewHopTrolly.com to learn more and be sure to follow their engaging Facebook page too.

Locals should note that, for the second year in a row, the trolley is providing free rides from Woodley’s Furniture to Prospect Sound Bites every Monday night throughout the summer.

Thank you to Visit Longmont for booking our ride with the BrewHop Trolley.

Save

7 Comments


  1. Love this idea! Durango could use one with 6 breweries here (that I’m aware of) I’ve only been to 4 so far!!! LOL

    Reply

    1. Oh YES! Durango would be an ideal spot for a BrewHop Trolley. They could include the distilleries too. Maybe this can be your new Durango business venture? 😉

      Thanks for stopping by HeidiTown, Dawn. And WELCOME to Colorful Colorado!!!

      Reply

      1. Thank YOU! 20-year dream finally realized.

        Maybe I’ll start nosing around the idea here.

        The thing is, most of the people doing these things would be tourists who are
        a) not hydrated enough for the altitude
        b) don’t know their way around town
        c) 1 flight would create a drunk driver because of altitude in many cases

        Of course, I always wondered (there is a brew pub run outside of Austin) what happens when all the drunks arrive back at the parking lot? A trolley would make more sense to pick folks up where they stay, not a central parking lot, leaving them the need to drive home or to hotel.

        Reply

        1. Very good points. A hotel pick up would be great, but it’s difficult to arrange. Believe me, I know someone who ran a brewery tour bus in another part of CO and coordination with specific groups is the hardest part. That’s why this one is so unique – a set schedule is key to make it work.

          There are a lot of great hotels in downtown Durango. If the trolley was based there, most people could walk. And of course, there must be a few Uber driver in the area! 🙂

          Also, I’m all about people taking responsibility for their own actions. If you are old enough to drink alcohol, you should be old enough to be held accountable for ordering an Uber or walking if that’s what should happen.

          Reply

          1. True, True! Next time you’re in town, look me up girl. I’ll be the freebie Uber driver for you and the hubbs!


  2. My wife and I joined some neighbors for a day of fun on the Brewhop Trolley a couple of months ago and had a blast. The owner is great and I can’t think of a cooler way to explore all the local breweries than catching a ride in a trolley. Our original plan was to try and visit most of the establishments on the route, but before too long we began to realize how much beer we were drinking by stopping at each one. Lucky for us, we came to our senses before it was too late, and it also helps that we all live within walking distance of both the Tasty Weasel and Open Door (our starting point). We’ll be riding again soon, but with a shorter list of stopping points this time around:)

    Reply

    1. Doing half those stops would be epic, let alone all of them! I’m glad you all came to your senses. LOL!

      Living within walking distance of one of the trolley stops could be a little dangerous. My husband would want to buy a trolley season pass (if that even exists). 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by HeidiTown, Cliff.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *