Kicking back and sipping a frosty beer is the perfect way to kick off a well-deserved vacation, if you ask me. From lagers to ambers to pale ales, the possibilities are endless and delicious. Next time you’re in a new city and want to imbibe, take a tour of a local brewery to really have a reason to raise your glass. Here are TravelMuse’s top five picks for best brewery tours.

The Anheiser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri. Photo: pknitty86

Anchor Brewing Company

Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Hours: Two tours a day Mon. through Fri., by reservation only. Call at least a month in advance.
Admission: Free.

Anchor, founded in San Francisco in 1896, has seen its fortunes rise and fall through the years, but it is firmly established today as a treasured local institution. Touring the gorgeous handcrafted copper brewhouse, where all the beers are handmade, is quite an experience. The walking tour of the brewery lasts about 45 minutes. The guide teaches a brief history of the brewery and walks you through three floors of the building. Afterwards, on to the tasting. Tel. 415-863-8350, www.anchorbrewing.com

Anheuser-Busch

Location: St. Louis, Mo.
Hours: Open daily. Call for hours, which vary with the season.
Admission: Free.
Of note: Tours also are available at the Fairfield, Calif., Fort Collins, Colo., Jacksonville, Fla. and Merrimack, N.H. facilities.

A trip to the world headquarters of “King of Beers” involves visiting the historic Budweiser Clydesdale Stable, Beechwood Lager Cellars, historic brewhouse and Bevo Packaging Facility. You’ll finish up in the Hospitality Room for a tasting. Even if you don’t like beer, it’s a treat to see the famous Budweiser Clydesdales in their stables. An optional tour offered is the “Beermaster Tour” ($25 for adults; $10 for those under 21). More in-depth than the regular tour, you’ll go behind the scenes, plus sample beer directly from a finishing tank and get a variety of gifts. Tel. 314-577-2626, www.budweisertours.com

Boulder Beer

Location: Boulder, Colo.
Hours: Mon.-Fri., 2 p.m. or by appointment.
Admission: Free.

Colorado’s first microbrewery, started in 1979 by two home brewing college professors, doesn’t take itself too seriously. Start your tour of the brewery with a beer in hand, then go to the brew pub to learn more about the beers, and of course, sample them. Of note is that the company was granted the 43rd brewery license in U.S. history. By 2005, there were more than 1,500. Tel. 303-444-8448, www.boulderbeer.com

Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Hours: Fri., 4 to 8 p.m.; Sat., 1 to 8 p.m.
Admission: Free.

Great Lakes Brewing Company, the first microbrewery in the state of Ohio, was founded by two brothers inspired by travels (and beer) in Europe. The large brewery has six buildings, three of which originally served as horse stables and kegging facilities for the Schlather Brewing Company, which was built in 1878. Fun fact: Bullet holes in the beautiful Taproom are said to have come from “The Untouchable” Eliot Ness. Check out brewing tanks in the brewhouse, dine in the beer cellar, or sample beers in the indoor/outdoor beer garden. Private tours ($50 for a maximum of 30 people) are also available. Tel. 216-771-4404, www.greatlakesbrewing.com

Samuel Adams Brewery
Location: Boston, Mass.
Hours: Mon. to Thurs., Sat., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Fri., 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Admission: Though the tour is free, a suggested $2 donation is encouraged. The money goes to local charities. Kids allowed with an adult.

You’ll get the spiel, almost legend now, of founder Jim Koch’s vision for a better beer in America while you learn about the brewing process. Pick up any number of Sam Adams merchandise at the brewery’s gift shop, open during tour hours. For those going to a Fenway game in the summer on select Friday nights, a special tour treat combines beer, baseball and a free ride; take a tour and get a lift to the game on an Old Town Trolley between 2 and 5:30 p.m. Tel. 617-368-5080, www.samueladams.com

Based on “Top 5 Brewery Tours” by Kim Foley MacKinnon.

Over the weekend we hosted our annual whisky-tasting party, where we let our friends loose on more than 40 bottles of single malt whisky. This year we included a couple of bottles from The Macallan 1824 Collection, launched this summer, named for the year in which the distillery was founded and developed exclusively for the Global Travel Retail market.

My husband, Euan, and I are longstanding fans of this Speyside single malt and visited the distillery at Craigellachie on a recent trip back home to Scotland. What’s distinctive about The Macallan is that it’s traditionally aged in first-fill sherry oak casks from Jerez, Spain. This gives the whisky its natural and distinctive color and flavor.

There are four expressions in The Macallan 1824 Collection: Select Oak, Whisky Maker’s Edition, Estate Reserve and 1824 Limited Release.

Photo: The Macallan, The Edrington Group.

We tasted The Macallan Select Oak and The Macallan Whisky Maker’s Edition and compared it to our current bottles of The Macallan.

The Macallan Select Oak: Select Oak uses three cask types – American Oak seasoned with either sherry or bourbon and first-fill European oak casks seasoned with sherry. Bottled at 40 percent ABV.

Our verdict: Very pale, more than just a sherry aroma with hints of bourbon and toffee. The flavor is complex and less sweet than the more typical sherry flavor that Macallan is known for. Certainly a new twist, very complex aroma and one Bourbon drinkers may prefer.

The Macallan Whisky Maker’s Edition: Contains rare whisky distilled from the famous “golden promise” barley grown on The Macallan Estate and bottled at 42.8 percent ABV.

Our verdict: More of a honey color, sweeter smell with hints of fruit. The flavor is less multi-dimensional and more typical of the Macallan we love—definitely sweeter, smoother, fatter and longer. Very drinkable.

If you’re traveling this holiday season, be sure to stop off at the duty-free store and treat yourself or someone special to a nice bottle of The Macallan 1824 Collection—you won’t be disappointed!

If after you’ve sampled this fine single malt you’re left wanting more, I highly recommend planning a trip to The Macallan distillery itself; visit the Speyside Cooperage (the only working cooperage in the UK, where whisky barrels are made) and stay at the Craigellachie House Hotel—with more than 550 single malts in the Quaich Bar!

The Macallan 1884 Collection RRP Price/ litre: Select Oak $53, Whisky Maker’s Edition $99, Estate Reserve $165 and 1824 Limited Release $2,000.

Slàinte Mhath
(pron. “Slanj vaa”, Scottish Gaelic for “Your Good Health” or as we’d say “cheers.”)

For me, eating is one of the most important parts of traveling—so much that I’d rather stay in an inexpensive hotel, forgo the souvenirs and eat ramen noodles weeks before my vacation just to save the extra cash for gastronomic heaven. And, adherents to the gospel according to Michelin will certainly agree

The famed Michelin Guide, which evaluates the best restaurants and hotels throughout the world, has awarded Tokyo more three-star restaurant ratings in its 2009 Tokyo edition than (gasp!) Paris. Eleven restaurants in Tokyo have been awarded three stars, while Paris followed in a close second with 10 stars. Tokyo also beat out Paris in the total number of stars awarded—Tokyo received 261 and Paris received 197.

Delicious cuisine is plentiful in Tokyo. Photo: Mahiro1322

The Michelin Guide rates restaurants regardless of cuisine style and according to five criteria:

1. Quality
2. Mastery of flavor and cooking
3. The personality of the fare
4. Value for the money
5. Consistency between visits

Stars are awarded based on the food alone (not ambiance, service or any other factors):

• One star indicates “a very god restaurant in its category.”
• Two stars indicate “excellent cooking and worth a detour.”
• Three stars indicate “exceptional cuisine and worth the journey.”

According to the Associated Press, the “contest” wasn’t exactly fair because Tokyo is home to 160,000 restaurants, while Paris has 60,000. Don’t worry Paris, there’s always next year.

Learn more about Tokyo culinary vacations.

Learn more about Paris culinary vacations.

In addition to Singapore, which I wrote about on Friday, Chicago is another great dining destination—I’m not saying that merely because it’s my hometown. You can get not only fantastic casual (pizza, sausages), ethnic (Mexican, Thai), and traditional (steakhouse, diner) meals there, but also some of the best fine-dining in the country, from the legendary Charlie Trotter (Charlie Trotter’s) to the innovative Grant Achatz (Alinea).

On my recent return visit, there were three new places both friends and strangers consistently mentioned: Xoco, Terzo Piano and Nightwood.

Xoco, 449 N. Clark St. (enter on Illinois), 312-334-3688, www.xocochicago.com

Xoco is the latest establishment from one of Chicago’s most famous chefs, Rick Bayless. It opened on Sept. 8, and the lines have been out the door ever since. Bayless made a name for himself with Mexican cuisine (at restaurants Frontera Grill and Topolobampo) and continues to do so with Xoco. This time around the focus is on Mexican street food.

The Almendrado chocolate and churros at Xoco. (Credit: Donna M. Airoldi)

I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of Frontera—I’ve enjoyed better food (and prices) in other Chicago Mexican restaurants that were more authentic and didn’t come with a room full of North Side and suburban yuppies—so I wasn’t entirely looking forward to the experience. However, I was pleasantly surprise this time. My two dining companions and I were all impressed, especially with the “Bean-to-Cup Chocolate,” quite possible the best hot chocolate outside of Spain or Mexico. Be sure to get the 3-for-$3 churros—crunchy and cinnamon-coated on the outside, soft on the inside—for dipping. I also was quite taken with the homemade tortilla chips.

The tortas (served after 11 a.m.) come on traditional Mexican breads: bolillo, similar to a baguette, for those from the wood-burning oven; telera, slightly rounder and softer, for the pressed sandwiches. My conchinita pibil—wood-roasted suckling pig with achiete, black beans, pickled onion and habanero—was tender, tasty and, when dipped in the fiery accompanying sauce, tingly. The caldos (soups) sounded divine—shortrib red chile soup with braised tallgrass shortribs, red chile broth, roasted vegetables, epazote, wild arugula and lime, anyone?—but are served after 3 p.m., so we were too early to taste those. The breakfast menu, served until 10:30 a.m., tempted as well.

Xoco is the smallest and most casual of Bayless’ restaurants: no reservations accepted, and you stand in line (plan on at least an hour or longer), then place your order at the register—but not before you’re handed a card, indicating that there is a seat available for you. It’s daunting/annoying at first, but works surprisingly well, provided you don’t mind the long wait.

Average prices: Breakfast, $2 to $7.50; Tortas, $8 to $12; Caldos, $10.50 to $12.50; Salads and Sides, $3 to $8.50; Hot Chocolate, $2.50 to $3.25. Hours: Tue. to Thu., 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri., 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sat., 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Sun. and Mon.

Terzo Piano, 150 E. Monroe St. (third floor of the Modern Wing, Art Institute of Chicago), 312-443-8650, www.terzopianochicago.com

The new Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago was tops on my list for new attractions to see during this visit. Lunch at its new restaurant was an added bonus.

We called for a Monday reservation, but the restaurant was booked full. No surprise since the place is overseen by chef Tony Mantuano, of Spiaggia fame, and open for dinner just one night per week (Thursdays). We tried our luck with a cancellation, showed up at noon, and were seated in the slick, modern (natch), all-white-décor dining room within 15 minutes. Not bad.

Dietzler Farm stead salad; interior at Terzo Piano. (Credit: Donna M. Airoldi)

The food wasn’t bad either. My friend and I were each in the mood for healthy greens. She tried the Mizuna salad with Miller’s organic chicken breast, avocado, cilantro, lime and ginger cashew dressing. My Dietzler Farm steak salad with arugula, orange, kalamata olives and almonds with a caper-mustard dressing was quite good—and I was thrilled with the hefty amount of meat included, which was cooked perfectly rare. I preferred the steak over the chicken (which was a tad bland), and while chock full of fresh ingredients, we both agreed that each salad suffered from a heavy-handed pour of dressing, and mine was a tad too salty. Lesson learned: ask for the dressing on the side.

The dessert selections were spot on, however—light, with just enough sugar to satisfy a sweet tooth. It was difficult to decide between the local wildflower honey panna cotta with autumn fruit compote and rosemary, and the almond financier with blueberry thyme compote and crème fraîche sorbet. We chose the latter, which came instead with cranberry compote since the kitchen was out of blueberries.

Lunch prices: Appetizers, $7 to 16; Sandwiches/Salads, $15 to $19; Pasta/Entrees, $18 to $25; Desserts, $9. Hours: Lunch, Mon. to Sun., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Antipasti and Aperitivo, Thu., 3 to 5 p.m.; Dinner (ala carte or $45 3-course prix fixe), Thu. only, 5 to 9 p.m.

Nightwood, 2119 S. Halsted St. (Pilsen neighborhood), 312-526-3385, www.nightwoodrestaurant.com

No fewer than five individuals recommended this place, open since May. And how could they not, when the owners are the husband-and-wife team (Jason Hammel and Amalea Tshilds) behind Lula Café, a fantastic restaurant in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. It has been getting raves since it opened 10 years ago (and is where, I’m told, local chefs go to eat when they’re not working in their own kitchens).

Nightwood interior. (Credit: Jason Little Photography)

The menu changes daily as all ingredients are sourced from local farms and markets, for a locavore’s dream meal. One consistency: many dishes are wood-grilled. Those that have impressed local critics in recent months: “anything with chicken liver … potato gnocchi with tomato and corn … spit-roasted pork loin accompanied by roasted apricots and topped with a delicious blend of chopped olives and crème fraîche,” suggested Phil Vettel in the Chicago Tribune. “A brioche bread pudding appetizer was homey and inspired … the woodsy scent of the cheeseburger (worth ordering for the crisp french fries alone) hints at the meat’s earthy flavor,” wrote Time Out Chicago’s Julia Kramer.

Alas, I was unable to make it to this South Side newcomer before my visit ended as I staying on the North Side and was carless. However I have no doubt the trip would have been worth the effort via public transportation, had I had the time, given how much I adore Lula (where I did manage to get in an amazing dinner last week). Readers, next time you’re in Chicago, you’ll just have to try it and let me know how it goes.

Prices: Appetizers, $7 to $10; Entrees, $13 to $26; Desserts, $2.50 to $8; Brunch entrees, $6 to $14. Hours: Dinner, Tue. to Sat., 5:30 to 11 p.m.; Sun. Brunch, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Closed Mon.

Singapore has long been known as a great dining destination, and it just keeps getting better. During my third visit to the island city-state two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of enjoying some of the most memorable dining experiences I’ve had in a long time at Michael Han’s FiftyThree and the Tippling Club, which takes gastro-chemistry to a new level.

Today I’m excited to share the news that the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore has signed on six of the world’s best (and most famous) chefs to open restaurants in the new mega-resort, which is slated to open next year. Daniel Boulud, whose New York restaurant Daniel recently earned three Michelin stars, announced his participation yesterday. The remaining five chefs announced today include two more Americans, Mario Batali (New York) and Wolfgang Puck (Los Angeles), along with Santi Santamaria (Barcelona), Guy Savoy (Paris) and Tetsuya Wakuda (Sydney).

It’s a real coup to have three of the six chefs from the United States. As Boulud—who, yes, is from France, but has more than half of his 10 restaurants in the United States—noted during a press luncheon yesterday, “Before, only French chefs had the chance to travel to work outside their country. Today, we’re seeing more U.S. chefs have that opportunity, which means we just keep getting better.” Great news for food lovers the world over.

There were no immediate details on the specs for the six eateries, but Boulud said that his restaurant will be a DB Bistro Modern serving French food, with about 120 seats, including a decent-sized bar, where guests also can order food.

Photo: Courtesy of Marina Bay Sands Singapore

The Marina Bay Sands project is a massive $5.5 billion development along the Singapore waterfront that will bring the first casino to Singapore. It is being developed by Las Vegas Sands Corp., owner and operator of the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and other casino resorts around the world. In addition to the six destination restaurants and a casino, the project will include:

• approximately 15 to 20 more dining establishments
• a 2,500-room luxury hotel
• more than 1.3 million square feet of meeting and event space, including what will be Asia’s largest ballroom
• two theatres—The Lion King will be the resort’s first production, opening in September 2010
• an ArtScience Museum
• an indoor ice skating rink
• more than 300 shops, including a Louis Vuitton island store that will “float” on the water, Hermès, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., and other noted luxury brands
• and the crowing feature, the Sands SkyPark, a 1,200-foot-long green space situated 650 feet above the ground on top of the project’s three high-rise towers. That’s four football fields in length folks. The park also will offer sweeping view of the Singapore skyline, three swimming pools (including an affinity pool), a restaurant and what will be the longest public observation cantilever in the world—cool and scary all at the same time. In the demo I viewed at the Sands offices in Singapore, from a distance it looks like a cruise ship landed on top of the towers.

Photo: Courtesy Marina Bay Sands Singapore

According to Las Vegas Sands Corp. president Michael Leven, the target opening date of Phase I of the project is late Q1 2010, but that depends on the delicate engineering process of raising the sections of the SkyPark, which began on Oct. 1, and hopefully will be completed by the end of November.

To learn more about the Marina Bay Sands Singapore project, visit www.marinabaysands.com.