I know it has been since September since I did a blog. I am never convinced anyone reads these, but I thought this would be nice for my micro-brew lovers out there! We all need mental breaks on occasion, and I needed one this weekend. Mike surprised me with a tour of the southern Michigan breweries. What a great trip. My photos are with my beat-up old "won't be upset if it falls in the snow" Nikon... so go easy on me for the quality!
Day One~
Our first stop was
Bell's in Kalamazoo.
The brewery itself is awesome; it is an old warehouse building consisting of beautiful wood and brick that echoes of blue-collar business in the years past. The Roundhouse IPA is a beer they have only on tap, not bottled for distribution. We got the sampler on a maple board shaped like Michigan. This was some of the best beer we had on our trip, the food is great too. It is family friendly (before band hours!), friendly staff and an easy drive from Chicago. A definite visit if you go to Kalamazoo.
Stop #2 was by far my favorite.
Dark Horse Brewing Co. in Marshall, MI is the amalgam of everything fun for me! This place has a mug-club and the mugs are all hand-thrown pottery steins. You get assigned a number, and your mug is hung from the ceiling or the wall.
The food at the Dark Horse was amazing! Olive oil, sun-dried tomato, and artichoke pizza. The perfect accoutrement to my Crooked Tree IPA!
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | a Crooked Tree mural outside in the beer garden | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Day 2...
Our first stop on day two was
Arcadia Brewing Co. in Battle Creek, MI. We did not eat here, just an appetizer and a beer sampler.
After Arcadia, we ventured to the Walldorff Brewpub and bistro. Absolutely superb food. The catch? The worst beer I have had next to a mass-produced beer that uses "best-by" dates. Yuck, keep driving!
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| Founder's Brewing Co. |
Founder's is in Grand Rapids, MI. What a GREAT city. We will be back to do more exploring of the river and restaurants in the future. The beer of course was great, but the brewery was super crowded (we had no place to sit) and had a very pre-corporate feel.
For dinner we went to
The Green Well in Grand Rapids. Iy is a "gastropub."
A gastropub is a Brit term for a pub which specializes in high-quality food a step above the traditional bar food. Spectacular food and worth the visit. Best macaroni and cheese I have ever had!
...and hang on for part II...
Day three--->
Fermentation tanks
A last stop before I was exhausted, the Saugatuck Brewing Co. is (as my mother would say) a very mom-and-pop place. This had a much more Wisconsin feel to it compared to everywhere else. Despite the dumping lake-effect snow, the place was warm and has great beer. There were several older people there, and an acoustic band covering classic rock... another beer and I would have wanted to stay, but we decided on some dinner and to get going on our way.
