Growing up many kids watched as the children on the “Magic School Bus” television show embarked on fun filled trips to extraordinary places.
Now, adults in the Tri-Cities area can take journeys into the magical world of craft beer on “Bernie the Brew Bus”, a 2002 Chevy Short Bus operated by Tri-Cities Brew Tours co-owner Adam Carver.
The tours, which are booking now on tricitiesbrewtours.com and will begin this weekend, take craft beer explorers to local breweries, where travellers will be able to sample beers and learn about the ins and outs of the craft of brewing. Currently, the list of brewers that the tours visit is comprised of six establishments that dot the Tri-Cities, including, Bristol Brewery, Johnson City Brewing Company, JHR Brewing, Depot Street Brewing, Holston River Brewing Company, and Yee-Haw Brewing Company.
The start up of Tri-Cities Brew Tours coincides with the flourishing of the craft beer industry in the Tri-Cities area. Carver, who co-owns the touring company with Zack Roskop, owner of Knox Brew Tours, hopes the new venture will provide people with a fun and safe way to learn about local brewers while supporting the local brewing industry.
“We are all about supporting the breweries,” Carver said. “Everything that we do is to make them better, to bring people to them, and put them in the spotlight.”
Each tour lasts roughly three and half hours, during which participants will cruise around on “Bernie the Bus”, a vehicle that can hold up to roughly 14 people. With its open interior comprising of bench seats that face each other, the bus is designed to facilitate a fun and relaxing environment.

“It is a much more fun and open atmosphere than the typical school bus,” Carver said. “Our main goal is that people have fun and learn about craft beer.”
The tours will make three stops, and participants will be able enjoy approximately four 4-ounce samples of beer at each brewery. The company currently holds three tours over the weekend. The Friday Night Tour last from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and visits Yee-Haw Brewing, JRH Brewing and Depot Street Brewing. On Saturday, two tours will be offered, with the Saturday Day Tour running from 12 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. and visiting the Holston River Brewery, Bristol Brewery and Johnson City Brewery. The Saturday Afternoon Tour goes from 3:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. and will visit JHR Brewing, Depot Street Brewing and Johnson City Brewing. A regular ticket costs $45, while a ticket for a designated driver costs $30.
On the first Friday and Saturday of each month, Tri-Cities Brewing will run a shuttle that will take riders to the nine breweries that comprise the Brewly Noted Beer Trail. The shuttle will give craft beer lovers a chance to visit all of the breweries on the trail over a 24 hour period. Andrew Felty, director of the trail, said he feels the tours will be a big boost to the local craft brewing industry.
“I think it is another excellent offshoot of what craft breweries bring to the Tri-Cities area,” Felty said. “I think it will continue to highlight the economic growth of craft breweries and I also believe it will highlight the Brewly Noted Beer Trail as well.”
Craft beer is not just a growing industry in the Tri-Cities area. In 2015, there were an estimated 4,225 craft brewers in the United States, up from 2,401 in 2012, according to statistics compiled by the Brewers Association. The Brewers Association also reports that in Tennessee brewers employ roughly 6,570 employees with an average income of $38,831 annually.