Best Brewery Tours in the East Midlands: What to Expect at Everards
Looking for a proper Leicestershire afternoon out? Skip the usual haunts and come and see us at Everards Meadows for a beer tasting experience that is a little more hands-on than most things to do in Leicestershire. Our Everards brewery tour is not just a shuffle past some silver tanks; it is 90 minutes of us sharing the smells, the stories, and the secret behind a perfect pint. Pull up a chair. We have been waiting to show you this.
Why Brewery Tourism Is Having a Moment Right Now
While the beer world gets bigger, we like to keep things personal. On our Everards brewery tour, you will get your hands into the actual malt bins, smell the citrus notes of the hops before they ever hit the copper. You will even get a look at our Small Batch pilot kit, where we play with new flavours that might never make it to a pint glass anywhere els but in our Beer Hall. It is that kind of hands-on, insider beer-tasting experience that is driving people away from the bar and into the brewery, and honestly, we would not have it any other way.
Leicestershire sits right at the heart of this. And Everards, brewing since 1849, was ahead of this curve long before it became trendy.
A Bit of Background on Everards
Everards is one of the most established Leicestershire breweries, with more than 170 years of tradition sitting comfortably alongside modern brewing technology. The brewery tours Leicester visitors take today take place at Everards Meadows, a state-of-the-art brewery set within 70 acres of open green space for exploring, walking, and cycling, just four miles from Leicester city centre.
This is not a museum piece. It is a working, breathing brewery that produces everything from the iconic Tiger Ale brewed with British hops, as it has been for generations, to limited-edition small-batch releases. And the outdoor space surrounding it genuinely adds to the experience. There is nowhere quite like Everards Meadows, 70 acres of Leicestershire countryside with a world-class brewery sitting right at the heart of it, connecting onto the Great Central Way and Grand Union Canal.
Meet the Hands Behind the Pint
What makes our brewery tours in Leicester stand out from other beer tasting experiences in the East Midlands is the people. You might catch Head Brewer Jon Elks or members of our brewing team looking out for Isaac or Scott, working in the brewhouse, on the day of your visit. We are one of the few places where the person explaining the yeast cycles might actually be the one who brewed with that yeast that very morning. It is this genuine connection to the craft that has earned us recognition as one of the UK's most celebrated brewing pub companies at the Publican Awards. These are real people, real stories, and real beer. And that makes all the difference.
What Happens on the Everards Brewery Tour?
Let us get practical. Here is a clear breakdown of what the experience looks like from start to finish.
Arrival - Check in at the Beer Hall entrance or meet by the Barrel Van for photos
Welcome - Meet your guide and get settled with your group
Brewery Walk - Behind-the-scenes look at the full brewing process
Small Batch Brewery - A visit to the smaller pilot brewery downstairs
Ingredients Deep Dive - Smell and taste the premium ingredients used in the beers
History & Heritage - Stories about the family business and 170 years of brewing
Beer Tasting in the Beer Hall - Three one-third pints of Everards beers, tutored and explained
Shop Discount - 15% off in the shop on the day of your visit
Your guided tour will last approximately 90 minutes and will take you behind the scenes of our working brewery, covering family history, brewing heritage, and the premium ingredients used to brew your favourite Everards beers.
One thing worth knowing: the best time to see all the brewing action is on a Thursday, as the brewing team finishes at 12 pm on Fridays and is not on-site during weekends. If seeing the kit in full flow matters to you, book a Thursday.
The Beer Hall: Where the Tour Ends (and Most People Linger)
The Beer Hall is where the Everards brewery tour really lands. At the end of your tour, you will enjoy a tutored tasting of three Everards beers in our impressive Beer Hall, a proper setting with long tables, great light, and beer served fresh from a brewery about 3 metres away.
The Beer Hall also operates as a full dining destination, so do not forget you can book a table for food after your tour. Whether you are dropping by after a stroll through Everards Meadows or planning a get-together with friends, there is always a warm welcome waiting. It is the kind of place that works for a birthday, a team day out, or just a relaxed Saturday afternoon with someone you enjoy spending time with.
The outdoor seating alongside the meadows is worth mentioning, too generous outdoor space, picnic benches on a first-come, first-served basis, and on a warm Leicestershire day, it is a brilliant al fresco option.
Who Is the Tour Actually For?
Honestly? More people than you might think. Yes, it is ideal for anyone seeking genuine beer-tasting experiences in the East Midlands. But our Everards brewery tour regularly welcomes people who do not even drink, couples looking for something a little different, and groups of friends who want something more memorable than a standard night out. One guest noted that she thoroughly enjoyed the experience despite not personally drinking beer and found our guide's passion for the history genuinely fascinating.
If you are thinking about running a pub, or you are already a business owner in the licensed trade, the tour also gives you a fascinating look at where the beers you serve actually come from, and that understanding adds real depth to how you talk about your product.
Practical Information at a Glance
Tour Duration - Approximately 90 minutes
Tours Available - Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Best Day for Brewing Action - Thursday
What's Included - Guided tour + 3 x 1/3 pints of Everards beer
Shop Discount - 15% off on the day
Parking - Free for the first 3 hours; 5 hours free if registered via the Beer Hall tablet
Wheelchair Access - Available; email ahead to confirm arrangements
Special Occasions - Email experience@everards.co.uk for a toast during tasting
Nearest Stations - Leicester Station or Narborough Station
Distance from City Centre - 4 miles
Tours start promptly, so aim to arrive at least 15 minutes before your start time. Running late? Drop us an email, and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Is It Worth It?
We do not just think it is one of the best brewery tours in Leicester, the experts agree. Our Everards brewery tour was recently Highly Commended at the Leicestershire Tourism Awards, and we have been awarded the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice for both 2023 and 2025. When you sit down for your tasting in the Beer Hall, you are sampling genuine award-winners: our Tiger and Old Original both secured Silver at the International Beer Challenge, proving that William Everard's 175-year-old recipes still hold their own on the world stage. That is not something you will find on just any brewery tour in the East Midlands.
The tour goes quickly, the hosts are knowledgeable with a genuine sense of humour, and the beer tasting at the end, paired with 15% off in the shop, is a treat from start to finish.
When you are thinking about things to do in Leicestershire, it is easy to default to the National Space Centre or the Richard III Visitor Centre. Both are brilliant. But the Everards brewery tour sits in a category of its own, rooted in 175 years of Leicestershire heritage, anchored to 70 acres of open meadow at Fosse Park, and connected to a brewing legacy that stretches from our original Southgate Street site all the way to the state-of-the-art home we have here at Everards Meadows today. It is the kind of afternoon where you leave knowing more, feeling genuinely welcome, and very probably carrying a few bottles home.
Come and See Us
Ready to book? We would love to have you. Everards of Leicestershire is at Cooper Way, Everards Meadows, Leicestershire, LE19 2AN, just four miles from Leicester city centre and a ten-minute walk from Fosse Park. Tours run Thursday to Sunday, and the Beer Hall is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
To book your Everards brewery tour or find out more about our beer tasting experiences across Leicestershire, visit everards.co.uk or email us at experience@everards.co.uk. Come on in. The beer is ready and waiting.