Before Luke Combs plays in front of the 'best fans' for his Milwaukee concerts this week, he tours Miller Brewery and even shotguns a beer

Before Luke Combs kicks off his "Growin' Up and Gettin' Old" tour in Milwaukee this week, he went on another kind of tour. One that is quintessentially Brew City.

Combs, one of country music's biggest stars, is playing two shows at American Family Field: One Friday and another Saturday. But ahead of that, he took a tour of the Miller Brewery. And, we got to tag along.

Yes, he was every bit as kindhearted, down-to-earth and genuine as he seems. And yes, he shotgunned a beer just like he does on stage. Except this time, he was hanging out on a brewhouse rooftop with the iconic giant red Miller sign and the Milwaukee Brewers' ballpark as his backdrop.

Not only did Combs — a longtime Miller Lite fan and years-long partner — see where the magic happens, he also checked out the specialty packaging on cases and cans that's coming out in honor of his blockbuster tour.

"It's just surreal, you know?" Combs told the Journal Sentinel. "I feel like I get to live so many amazing, surreal moments. And, I'm really thankful for that for sure. It's crazy. It's crazy."

Here's what we learned about Combs' tour and what he got into on the Miller tour. And, how about his eight Academy of Country Music Awards nominations that were announced earlier this week? We asked him about those, too.

Luke Combs talks about his 'Growin' Up and Gettin' Old' tour and why he's kicking it off in the Midwest

A or A+ shows don't cut it for Combs. He's shooting for A++.

"I try to do everything I can do to take care of my voice, take care of myself, make sure that we're doing everything we can," Combs said. "People that come are the only reason we get to do what we do. Putting on an A++ show is really important to me."

About to embark on his 25-date stadium tour, he's excited — and "a little nervous."

"You feel like you're standing at the bottom of a mountain and you're looking at the top a little bit," he said.

But after last year's "Luke Combs World Tour," he said he feels more prepared for what's ahead of him.

"We've played everywhere all over the world," Combs said. "But, the Midwest, it feels like home to me. So, good place to start it."

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Combs, who grew up in North Carolina, hadn't been anywhere close to Milwaukee when he started his music career — his first plane ride came at age 25. But, he remembers his earlier stops up here fondly.

He opened for Blake Shelton at Summerfest in 2018 and made an appearance at Farm Aid at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in 2019.

"The Midwest is like the best fans in the world," Combs said. "I mean, honestly. People probably say that all the time."

But, that doesn't mean pulling out of the driveway Tuesday night wasn't hard after the "amazing" time he spent with his "awesome" wife Nicole and their two sons — Tex and Beau — these past few months. Fortunately, he won't have to miss his other half too long. She'll be headed up this way this weekend.

What will always make it onto Combs' setlist this time around? "The songs that people would expect," Combs shared.

"Playing all the hits," he said. "That's why people are there, and I want to give them what they want."

But, each night of the tour will have a different vibe.

Combs' opening acts Friday — in the order they'll hit the stage — are the Wilder Blue, Charles Wesley Godwin and Cody Jinks.

"Friday's more in the Americana, singer-songwriter world," Combs said. "So, our set reflects that a little bit. But, obviously, still playing all the hits."

Saturday's openers will be Colby Acuff, Drew Parker, Mitchell Tenpenny and Jordan Davis.

"Saturday night is more mainstream, Top 40 country stuff, which is what I do, really," Combs said.

Combs loves watching Jinks and Davis perform — they keep him honest, he said — and he knows they're going to kick some you know what.

The first opener will start at 5:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with gates opening at 5 p.m.

The parking lots will open at 3 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Tailgating will be permitted. Give yourself plenty of time to drive in and get through security.

There also will be a "Bootleggers Tailgate Party" at 3 p.m. Saturday with two up-and-comers picked by Combs and Nashville-based concert series Whiskey Jam: Ryan Larkins and Graham Barham. It'll take place at Am Fam Field's Third Base Plaza, and will be free to attend for Combs concert ticketholders, with food and drinks available to purchase.

Luke Combs' love for Miller Lite and his visit to Miller Brewery

After getting into Milwaukee Wednesday morning, Combs hung out at the Brewers stadium for a couple of hours, worked out, then was off to the Miller Brewery.

How long has Combs been a fan of Miller Lite? "Forever, probably."

"My dad's been drinking it for a long time," Combs said. "It was always around the house."

If his music career never worked out, he said, he would still be sporting a Columbia fishing shirt and drinking a Miller Lite somewhere in the world.

"That's what I would be doing anyways," he said. "So, I really wanted to go after things that I was already passionate about that felt natural and authentic to me. So, I'm very thankful for (Molson Coors) being receptive to have me on board. I feel super lucky."

Sporting a Brewers Barrelman hat, Combs and his team walked into a conference room on the brewery's complex Wednesday. He was met by a small group of longtime brewery employees and other Molson Coors staffers. The beer cases and cans with his new specialty packaging were displayed on tables.

The design features a ribbon that says "Beer Never Broke My Heart" wrapped in between the tuning pegs of a guitar. Combs' name is at the top of the headstock.

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After everyone went around the room introducing themselves, they were instructed to suit up in PPE — yellow safety vests, glasses, hard hats, toe caps and headsets.

On Combs' VIP tour of the brewery, he got a first-hand — and at times, hands-on — look at the operations with facts and history lessons along the way.

The first stop was a packaging plant, where Combs met machinist Jeff Malecki who has "But they ain't seen us together" from Combs' song "Forever After All" tattooed across his arm.

The two shook hands and got a picture together. That would become a reoccurring scene throughout Combs' visit.

It seemed like every employee who crossed paths with Combs received a handshake. And, if they wanted a photo or autograph, they got those, too, without any hesitation.

In the warehouse, Combs saw cases with the specialty packaging sliding out of a machine — he pulled his phone out to document that — and stacks of those cases getting carried off on a pallet via forklift.

At one point, Combs stood in front of what looked like a mountain of the cases. "Get this one," he said to a photographer as he hugged the cases as far as his arms would stretch.

Later, he'd get to snag one of the cans right off of a quick-moving line.

He got a taste of that and a few different brewery roles, including one that involved flipping a cardboard box filled with unconstructed cases into place. A few cases snuck out the back, but not too shabby for a first-timer.

"Thanks for letting me do that," Combs said to the workers as he shook their hands. "Thanks for letting me be in the way."

Combs also tried his hand at adding hops, one of which was liquid. "Have y'all seen 'Superbad'?" Combs asked with a bucket of hops in hand.

It reminded him of the scene when McLovin was trying to buy booze at a liquor store and said to the cashier: "You know, I heard they recently decided to add more hops to it."

Toward the conclusion of the tour, Combs said he had a "truly amazing" time. But, his favorite part had to be the grand finale.

He got to go up on a brewhouse rooftop with striking views of the city, the home of the Brewers and that big red Miller sign.

Up there is where he shotgunned a beer in under 5 seconds, and had the honor of sampling an exclusive maturation stock that not many get to try.

"To be standing up here is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Combs said.

How about those eight ACM Awards nominations

The 59th Academy of Country Music Awards nominations were announced earlier this week. Combs leads the nominations with eight, including entertainer of the year, male artist of the year, album of the year, song of the year, single of the year and music event of the year.

"It's really awesome," he said. "Always surprising, I think ... In a lot of ways, it feels like I've been doing this a lifetime. And, in a lot of ways, I feel like I've been doing it for six months. So, I feel like sometimes I'm so conflicted with knowing what to feel or think ... It's an honor. It's my wildest dreams coming true. So, I'm a very lucky guy every day."

A 2024 win via Combs nomination for entertainer of the year would clinch the coveted triple crown award, which consists of an entertainer of the year win plus wins in an act's respective new artist (male, female, duo, or group) and artist (male, female, duo or group) categories, a USA TODAY report said.

The event will air on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch live from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on May 16.

Piet Levy of the Journal Sentinel staff and USA TODAY contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Luke Combs tours Miller Brewery before Milwaukee stadium tour kickoff