City Brew Tours offers unforgettable all-inclusive tours and beer-focused experiences in some of the best beer cities throughout North America. With over a decade of experience, City Brew Tours has created the ultimate craft beer experience that blends history, beer knowledge, transportation, and great food with unrivaled access to an area’s top breweries and their beer.
Our mission is to be the leading curator of craft beer experiences for visitors, locals, and the community as both an ambassador and an advocate for the brewing industry.
Where we began
City Brew Tours was founded in Burlington, Vermont in 2008 by Chad Brodsky, a college student who developed a passion for craft beer while studying in Vienna. After returning home, he took the University of Vermont’s “Beer Making 101†class but quickly realized brewing beer wasn’t his forte. Instead, he bought a used church van, donned his lederhosen, and began offering brewery tours, thus starting Burlington Brew Tours.
Chad’s timing was impeccable, as MSNBC had recently named Burlington one of the best beer cities in the world. Vermont Pub and Brewery founder Greg Noonan was the first to support Chad’s venture, allowing Burlington Brew Tours to thrive. By 2012, Chad had honed his business model, left his job in finance, and expanded to Boston, changing the company name to City Brew Tours to reflect its growing footprint.
Under Chad’s leadership, City Brew Tours rapidly expanded, opening new locations and launching a franchising program. As of 2024, City Brew Tours operates in 22 cities, including new locations. The company continues to grow, offering unique brewery tours in cities across North America, each led by knowledgeable beer guides who ensure an unforgettable experience for craft beer enthusiasts.
In addition to physical tours, City Brew Tours has expanded into the direct-to-consumer market with their Beer of the Month Club, a virtual version of their brewery tours. This service allows customers to enjoy curated craft beer experiences from the comfort of their homes. The company has also introduced widely popular Hanukkah and Christmas Advent Boxes, perfect for gifting and special occasions, further enhancing their reach and reputation in the craft beer community.
For the latest updates and special announcements, you can check out the City Brew Tours website at citybrewtours.com/locations.
Meet the Team
Chad Brodsky: Founder & CEO – Certified Cicerone®
Chad has always been an entrepreneur. As a child, he started businesses that ranged from convincing his peers to buy other people’s business cards to shoveling his neighbors’ driveways. Chad decided to buy his brother a Mr. Beer kit for his birthday as he thought it would be a great brother bonding experience. The first beer they ever brewed was a Nut Brown Ale, which didn’t turn out great. Between homebrewing with his brother and spending a semester studying in Austria, Chad’s passion and excitement for flavorful beer grew immensely. Still not knowing much about craft beer except that he loved drinking it, he enrolled in “Beer Making 101â€, an elective which was offered at University of Vermont. After graduating, Chad took a job as a Financial Analyst at a local bank but realized his entrepreneurial spirit was stifled. In 2012, Chad decided to leave his finance job and move to Boston to focus on growing CBT full time. It was in Boston that Chad met his wife, Liana. When not beer touring, Chad enjoys taking his dog, Oliver, to the park, traveling, and trying new types of food.Â
Favorite Beers: Duchess de Bourgogne, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Lost Nation Brewing – Gose, and any delicious Lactose IPA.
Thom Roholt: Chief Operations Officer
Thom fell in love with Craft Beer while on a date in 1998. The story is one to be heard while on tour with him, but in the two decades since, he’s transformed that passion into a quest, a film, and finally a career. On August 15, 2015, he was part of a five-person team that set the record of going to 77 breweries in one day. The feat was chronicled on Twitter, was later made into a documentary called PDX: Brew City, and eventually led to this job.
Thom’s favorite beer is the one in front of him. He rarely drinks the same beer twice, but if he’s going back to the well it’s usually for a Deschutes Streaking the Quad, a pFriem IPA or a Four Play from Upright Brewing.
Matt LaRosa: Director of Sales & Development
Matt never met a beer he didn’t like. He developed a deep knowledge of the industry and a love for the culture and community surrounding beer while working as a sales representative for a beer distributor in the North Shore of Massachusetts. He joined the CBT team to launch our wholesale business and help clients create unforgettable moments during our craft beer experiences. In his spare time, you will find him tearing up the ski slopes, paddling on the closest body of water, or on the hunt for new beers and breweries wherever he travels.
Favorite Beers: Foam – Experimental Jet Set, Allagash – White, Founders – Breakfast Stout
Allie Popolow: Private Sales Coordinator
Allie is a proud Chicagoan, singer, pianist, classic rock enthusiast, and traveler. She used to think she never liked beers until the monumental day when the tasted her first sour beer, and is now always on the hunt to find the next best sour. With years of experience in the food and beverage industry, she is excited to bring curated craft beer experiences to clients that will create lasting memories and bring their event vision to life.
Favorite Beers: Revolution – Freedom of Speach and everything else sour
Alexa Connelly: Operations & HR Manager
Alexa was born and raised just outside of Gettysburg, PA. Her love of beer started with West Coast IPA’s and slowly expanded overtime thanks to the amazing micro-breweries in her town. She loves connecting with people, so, decided to start her career in HR 10 years ago and never looked back. In her free time, Alexa loves to travel, hike, spend time with her kitties, and cook up the latest tiktok trending vegan food.
Favorite Beers: Mispillion River – Otter Space APA, Terrapin – Watermelon Gose, and Ecliptic Brewing – Starburst IPA