Kristi E.
Yelp
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.