Bahamian Brewery Tour in Freeport, Grand Bahama

Many cruise ships stop in Freeport, which is in Grand Bahama Island. Shorter Bahamas cruises often call at Freeport, and we had the opportunity to visit this mainly industrial stop when on our Carnival Liberty cruise. At first I was not super excited for this port, as there did not seem like a lot was offered in the way of non ship excursions to beaches or diving experiences. However, once I researched and found information leading me to discover The Bahamian, or Sands Brewery my excitement began. I emailed Crissy at the brewery to see if they would indeed be able to offer tours on the day we were due to arrive and if it was okay for us to walk in without a reservation. She emailed me back right away indicating that they were open and it was fine to stop over without a tour reservation. On the day we arrived in Freeport we walked outside of the enclosed port area to hail a cab. Plenty of vans/cabs were waiting outside the fenced area to take passengers out and about. We found a driver who was very kind and offered to take the four of us (myself, husband, son and grandma) to the brewery and then wait for us and take us to the Lucaya Marketplace to shop and eat for forty five minutes and bring us back to the ship. The cost was $20 per person and my husband tipped him an extra $10 as well. When we arrived at the brewery after about a 15 minute ride we entered at Jimmy's Liquors- which is the liquor store adjacent to the brewery. We let the cashier know we were there for the tour and he called Crissy to take us through. The cost was $8 per person, although my son was free as he was underage. The drinking age in the Bahamas is 18, but for any non drinkers or underage folks they offer a non alcoholic malt beer to try that was really good! The tour Crissy gave us was extensive and it was apparent that the entire staff at the Bahamian/Sands Brewery is dedicated to providing a quality beer for guests to enjoy. She answered all of our questions and culminated the tour with a tasting of the beers. We all tried the malt beer which was yummy, and there were 6 other beers on tap to taste. Crissy offered us cup after cup of whatever we liked- even the super expensive Atlantis Ale served at Atlantis Hotel. After roughly an hour and forty five minutes we were back in the cab and headed to see the festive decorations at Lucaya Marketplace. Being that it was the holiday season the marketplace was decorated beautifully and the street performers were doing traditional holiday dances and songs (tips appreciated). The short visit was well worth the stop at Freeport and I recommend the Bahamian Brewery to anyone who wants to experience a unique cultural experience in the Bahamas! http://bahamianbrewery.com/index.php