Nov. 9—CHIPPEWA FALLS — The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company has one of the best brewery tours in the United States, according to a list compiled by USA Today.

The national publication placed the Chippewa Falls brewery at No. 8 on their list in Monday's edition, as part of their 2022 Readers' Choice awards.

"It was a complete surprise to us," said Dick Leinenkugel, the brewery's president. "It's all about the great experience our visitors have here. And it really starts with our employees — our greeters, our tour guides."

Dick Leinenkugel said tour visitors in recent years have included everyone from Governors Tony Evers and Scott Walker to Minnesota Twins hall-of-famer Tony Oliva.

The peak attendance year for the Leinie Lodge was 2017, when the brewery was celebrating its 150th anniversary, and more than 125,000 people stopped at the lodge over the course of the year. With the brewery coming out of the pandemic, he anticipates more than 100,000 visitors again this year.

"About 80% take the tour," he said.

The 13,500-square-foot Leinie Lodge opened in its current location on June 15, 2003, at a cost of about $2 million. In the old lodge, adjacent to the brewery, the company averaged about 32,000 visitors annually. Visits jumped once the new lodge opened.

"I was in charge of marketing at the time," Leinenkugel said. "It was really (my brother, and president at the time) Jake's vision to build the Leinie Lodge, and have that physical space that looked like a Northwoods Lodge."

Plans for the new lodge were announced in September 2001. The lodge was built on a 2-acre site that once was the home of the Woolen Mill, across Duncan Creek from the brewery. To connect the brewery — and the tour — to the lodge, a 114-foot walking bridge was constructed over Duncan Creek.

Leinenkugel said the building is a key part of growing the tour and drawing increased numbers.

"It gives them a nice, central location to relax, and have a beer, and do some shopping," he said. "And we've added the outdoor beer garden. On weekends we have food trucks, and often have live music."

The Lodge also recently added a mini-brewery, allowing them to make between three and seven barrels at a time of craft brews. Those craft brews are offered in the lodge.

The lodge has 75 employees, most part-time or seasonal workers. That doesn't include the people working in the brewery. The brewery generally doesn't release production numbers, but on a daily basis, about eight beers are brewed in Chippewa Falls. It's about 40,000 gallons of beer brewed a day. Most of the Leinenkugel's varieties are made locally, but some of the top-sellers, like Summer Shandy and Honey Weiss, are also made in Milwaukee.

Tröegs Independent Brewing in Hershey, Penn., topped the USA Today list. The only other Midwest brewery on the list was Bell's Brewery in Comstock, Mich., which came in at No. 3.