OT - Michigan Breweries To Visit
Road tripping from California to Michigan (Grand Rapids area) in August and looking to fill the family truckster with Michigan beer to share upon my return. Since nothing is distributed here (I'm not in San Diego), people get excited to taste fresh bottles and I have lots of orders from friends for Founders, Bell's and 3 Floyds since I have to drive through Munster, IN. Anway, it has been a few years since I have been back in Michigan so looking for new things to bring back. Tasted a bottle from Dark Horse this year that impressed me so definatley heading there. But Marshall is about as far east as I will be going and only want to buy freshies straight from breweries, so any advice would be great. Also, great to know opinions on possible brewery only beers at the established places that I should seek out.
I had a pretty good experience and some great beer at White Flame in Hudsonville - that's actually not terribly far from Grand Rapids either, if you're concerned about an extensive amount of travel in the state and want to stay relatively local. Their oatmeal stout - Ugly Stick - was rather good, I thought.
Solid beer and you can bring your own food which I prefer to a mediocre brewpub sandwich.
Obviously Founders and Brewery Vivant as well. Hopcat is the Ashley's of GR. Honestly may have passed Ashley's for me here in Ann Arbor just because you can't ever get a table there
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Does that rhyme with Stroh's? I wish that was stilled brewed with Detroit River water, and not made in Los Angeles. Just for old times sake.
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A LOT!
I didn't have the impression at all that Greenbush is "underappreciated", though, as their brewpub is nearly impossible to find a seat in all weekend long all summer long. They have several styles that are readily available in party stores all over West Michigan, and four of them in particular (Brother Benjamin Imperial IPA, Closure Pale, Anger Black IPA, and Dunegras IPA) are found in practically all grocery stores that carry cold beer anywhere in W Michigan.
The Livery is much more underappreciated, though. Every time I'm in there I discover something tasty I hadn't had before. (For those of you who are unfamilar with The Livery, it's a small place well off the interstate in the Arts District of downtown Benton Harbor, so it is kind of hard to find. But real worth the trip.) I wish they would do some bottling or canning, but for now a growler is the only way available to bring some home. And I think the ownership prefers to stay small, even though everything they offer is top-notch. I'll give their ownership the benefit of the doubt---the Livery has been around now for over a decade and has carved out their own niche and done it very well.
Have you tried Tapistry in Bridgman or Arclight in Watervliet yet? Both opened within the last few years and are a little "uneven" at times with some of their brews. Of the two, I'm more familar with Arclight since it's just minutes from home. They seem to have caught on with out-of-staters who own summer cottages in the area; their brewpub is packed every weekend.
I know you're looking for the west side, but next time you're in the metro D area (if ever), Kuhnnen in Warren is the spot. It's a must for Michigan beer.
Well, you're hitting my favorite of the brewpubs as far as atmosphere if you're going to Dark Horse. Since you're already going to Marshall you may as well swing through Kzoo to Bell's - they sometimes have stuff at their "General Store" next to the pub that they either don't sell elsewhere or only sell in Michigan. A couple blocks from Bell's is a beer bar called Kalamazoo Beer Exchange, which is unique with their dynamic pricing. Every 15 minutes the prices change based on who's buying what. A few times they have a market crash where for 15 minutes everything is its lowest possible price. Quite a few of their taps are locals typically. At the very least it's an amusing concept, and a place to try some other Michigan beers.
In GR, Vivant and Founders are the heavy hitters. I liked Hideout, it's definitely in an odd spot. Hopcat is an excellent beer bar with good food.
Since you're driving up from NW Indiana (as you're going by Munster) Greenbush is less than a mile off the highway well before you'd turn off to go up to GR. If I remember correctly The Livery is also before that too, farther off the highway, but good beers.
I know much less about newer ones as it's been a while since I rolled around the state visiting places (live in Chicago).
Went to a cool bar in GR that was inside an old church. Pretty unique. Someone's going to have to help me remember what the name is
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Art in a fermented form!
no brewries on silver lake?
california brother is flying in with family tomorrow. talked to him today, he can't wait for the trip.
If you go to Founders, get the "Bad Habit" sandwich. Best $15 sandwich you will ever have including Zingerman's. Can't really bring that back with you though.
In GR itself, here are my favorites, ranked:
1. Perrin Brew Co.
2. Founders
3. Harmony Brew Co.
4. Grand Rapids Brewing Co.
5. The Mitten Brewery
6. Brewery Vivant
It is also worth a trip to Hop Cat, which has many great beers on tap. Finally, the Grand Rapids Airport has a Bells cafe, which is no substitute for going 45 minutes to Kalamazoo, but it has five or six Bells beers on tap.
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I just moved away from GR. Here are my favorites that I've been to in Grand Rapids, along with some notes:
1. Founders: World class beer and a really cool atmosphere as well. There's always some interesting stuff on tap that you can't find in the bottles. Good sandwiches.
2. Hopcat: They brew a few of their own beers which are pretty solid. With Hopcat, however, you go for their vast tap list and the expertise of the employees in being able to match you up with flavors you will like. At one point, this was rated the second or third best beer bar in the world. Solid food at moderate prices.
3. Brewery Vivant: Belgian brewery with excellent beer (if you're into Belgian stuff) and good, but more expensive, food. The venue is in what appears to be a renovated church. Really cool atmosphere.
4. Hideout Brewing: The venue isn't much to look at unless it's a nice day, in which you can enjoy their porch. Hideout usually has 20+ beers and meads on tap and a lot of it is exotic. Very creative stuff, but no food.
5. The Mitten: They usually only have 5-6 beers on tap, but the beers are good. Excellent pizza and a really cool atmosphere in a renovated old firehouse.
6. GR Brewing: Probably the weakest beer on the list IMO, but pretty good food and a great atmosphere. It's right by Hopcat, the BOB, and Founders if you want to do a little brewery crawl.
7. The BOB brewing (bottom floor): Sporadic beer quality, but not the best atmosphere. A bit too clubby in the evening for my tastes. Maybe catch a comedy show or something and check out the beer. The peanut butter porter is killer, but probably isn't on tap this time of year.
8. Harmony: I went when they first opened and was underwhelmed. Pretty good pizza, and I've heard the beer has improved substantially.
9. Elk Brewing: I was not there for long, but the beer seemed decent. My memory of this place is not the best.
NOTES:
I have never been to Perrin (somehow), but their beer is probably second only to Founders for me. I've also never been to New Holland, which puts out some outstanding stuff these days. If you like sours, you should try their Incorrigible. Oddside has been good from what I've tasted, but I've also never been there. Arcadia is also within an hour from GR and they put out some excellent beer. The restaurant is also cool and has killer wood-oven pizza. Pick up a case of Whitsun and see how you think it compares to Oberon. I think it's better. You should be able to get at least one kind of Shorts on tap at most beer bars that aren't dedicated breweries.
Harmony had some pretty good brews the last couple times I was there (e.g., Fiddlestix IPA). As with a lot of smaller brewers, it is hit or miss with respect to what they have around. The first time I went to Grand Rapids Brew Co. they were completely out of their own beer.
after graduation in '84 i moved to cal to start my first job. however, one of the things i sorely missed at that time was good old time stroh's beer, fire brewed, in long neck bottles, shipped in those iconic hard cardboard cases. there is a picture of my dad holding one up in an old newspaper ad right behind the computer i'm using right now. in introduced a whole slew of californians to proper beer, or at least proper as it was known back in the day.
If you were in Detroit you could go to the Meadery, but in GR you can find it at Matha's Vineyard, Siciliano's Market, or Zellars.
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Zombiedust and Gumball Head try those.
If you're going to swing by Bell's/Kzoo, checkout Boatyard. It's about a minute drive from Bell's, great place and wonderful beer.
Perrin, Comstock
Vander Mill (cider), Spring Lake
Oddside, Grand Haven
New Holland, Holland
Bells, Kzoo
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The deli sandwiches at Founders are phenomenal. Be strategic when you visit because that place is always packed. I'd encourage you to get there at opening if you want to sit down with the family and enjoy it. Plus, parking near Founders can get bad with the current construction. Park at GR Ballet and walk the two blocks.