Well it was time to head back to base camp after a very successful tour thru southern Michigan. Before leaving Michigan I needed to make one more stop. On numerous occasions at various Michigan brewpubs, I was told you must stop at the Greenbush Brewery. So heading south along the Lake Michigan coast, we headed to Sawyer, Michigan.
Since I was in the area, I had to divert a little west or the Craft Beer Gods would never forgive me. Yes, I was in the vicinity of Three Floyds Brewery.
- Greenbush Brewing Co.- you could easily drive thru Sawyer, it is a very small town. Except you quickly notice that there is a small crowd in front of one building. Yes, that would be Greenbush Brewery. It's 11:30 AM, on a Monday and people are lining up for lunch and Brew. Many of those in line had just spent the morning picking blueberries. I just learned that southwest Michigan is blueberry country ( sorry Maine ) and this was the beginning of the blueberry season. A good craft beer after a morning blueberry pick sounds good to me. Well Greenbush did not disappoint me, all the talk I had heard about this brewery was right on. It is not a big place ( seating around 70), the food menu looked good and the beer was great. You must try the Doom Slayer Maple Brown Ale and the Distorter Porter. So if you are in the Southwest Corner of Michigan be sure to stop at the Greenbush Brewery. Picking blueberries is not required.
Since I was in the area, I had to divert a little west or the Craft Beer Gods would never forgive me. Yes, I was in the vicinity of Three Floyds Brewery.
- Three Floyd's Brewery- Is one of the breweries that all craft beer geeks have on their bucket list for a must visit. Believe me, the visit did not disappoint. The brewery was crowded, however, since it was Monday, you did not have to wait in line to find a parking spot. We were able to find seats at the bar and I went right for a pint of Zombie Dust IPA, it was pure liquid gold. The heavy metal music and the buffalo popcorn ( do not eat without beer nearby) just added to the a great brew experience. All the brews were good and if your hungry the food menu offers some unique dishes. Before leaving be sure to get into the take out line and purchase a few six packs or bombers to drink at your home base. Do not look for the Zombie Dust in the take out line, when it is available you have to camp out the night before to get it.
After picking up two six packs and four bombers at Three Floyd's, it was on to South Bend to spend the night. Notre Dame is a beautiful campus, however, other than a chain brewery, Granite City, there were no other brewpubs in the area. I guess the Fighting Irish are sticking to their Guiness Beer. I brought this leg of the quest to a close with a stop at Mad Anthony's Brewpub in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Jackie O's Brewpub in Athens, Ohio. Time to plan the next trip and start working on the second third of the Quest......Stay Tuned.