Like most states, Michigan has adopted a a slogan that is used in advertising the state to attract visitors and tourist dollars. I'm not sure who came up with "Pure Michigan", but when traveling in Michigan you will see it on license plates, bill boards, maps and etc. If you look a little closer you will see another slogan created by Michigan's craft beer movement "Drink Michigan". Now that is a slogan that will draw people to the state. As the Quest moved into Michigan it did not take long to see the Craft Beer Revolution is alive and growing in "The Great Lake State". As I have found everywhere that I have traveled, each brewery has its own character and unique beer style. With one common theme, of friendly people with a passion for beer.
Since I visited so many breweries on this trip I thought I break this blogs into the regions I visited and mentioning a few of my favorite stops.
ANN ARBOR - What a neat college town with wide streets that allow the numerous cafes, restaurants, pubs and Breweries to have sidewalk tables. I can imagine that these streets do not seem as wide during football weekends.
Since I visited so many breweries on this trip I thought I break this blogs into the regions I visited and mentioning a few of my favorite stops.
ANN ARBOR - What a neat college town with wide streets that allow the numerous cafes, restaurants, pubs and Breweries to have sidewalk tables. I can imagine that these streets do not seem as wide during football weekends.
- Arbor Brewery- is the closet brewpub to Michigan Stadium, it is a classic brewpub with a large bar along with large indoor seating and some sidewalk seating. The beer selection was great and I particularly enjoyed the Michael Faircy's Irish Stout and the Yipsi Gypsi Pale Ale. I also thank Ulma and Dave for the great beer conversation.
- Jolly Pumkin- OK, what are the odds of meeting a brew tender in Ann Arbor, who hails, from the small town of Renovo, PA, which is an area that I spent numerous days in during my career. Well beside being a native Renovian, Bob did a great job of describing the Jolly Pumkin's Brews. They specialize in Sour Beer, which is not my favorite style, however, I enjoyed their Chocolate Stout, North Peak Diabolical IPA and the Hellion Imperial IPA.
- Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery- What a combination great BBQ and great beer. When you visit this Brewpub, make sure you are both thirsty and hungry, the BBQ is a must. I also recommend the Bumper Crop IPA, Two Mad Cows Dbl Milk Stout and the Pitmaster Porter. Brewers Sam and Pat were gracious hosts and I know they will have much success.
- Dark Horse Brewery- A few miles to the west of Ann Arbor you will find the small historic town of Marshall. Marshall is a neat small river town, but it also the home to the Dark Horse Brewery. When we stopped by, the place was rock'n with a band playing to a big crowd outside. The large indoor area was just as crowded. The ceiling of the bar and eating area was completely covered with thousands of ceramic mugs hanging for the members of the mug club. They also had a larger fish aquarium built into the wall with a miniature model of a brew works decorating the tank ( sure beats the castles and mermaids you see in most tanks). My favorite brews on this stop was the Plead the 5th Russian Imperial Stout and the Monkey Pale Ale. KALAMAZOO- I was looking forward to this visit since one of my favorite breweries Bell's is located here. I was surprised to find that breweries were springing up everywhere in the city.
- Bell's- We are fortunate that Bell's distributes in the East. What I was not prepared for was the number of Brews on tap that you can only enjoy at the brewery. I could have spent hours at this stop, however, the quest had to move on. I got a little carried away sampling and I will refer you to the log to see what I enjoyed. They were all great and I will mention just one, the Coconut Espresso Stout aged in Bourbon Bbls.
- Tibbs Brewing Co.- a small upstart nano brewery in the heart of downtown. Kevin the brewer and owner is brewing some very nice beer. He took the time to talk about his brewing and vision of the brewery. He and his wife were expecting their second child at anytime, so he has his plate pretty full. His Mother-in-Law was helping at the brewery serving beer ( now that is a great Mother-in-law). All of Kevin's Brews were very good, I will mention two that I highly recommend, For Richer or Porter and the Hell-Jen Belgian.
- Boatyard Brewery- is another new brewery to the city. Owners Brian and Dan have created a very nice brewpub with a yachting theme and two friendly owners. The place was packed during our visit and the beer selection was very good. I highly recommend the Black PA and Red at Night Rye. I did not have a chance to meet her, but the brewer, Amy is creating some very good brews.
HOLLAND and GRAND RAPIDS- Traveling further west you will find the Neat little City of Holland, if you miss Holland you'll drive into Lake Michigan. Holland, founded by the Dutch ( would have never guessed that would you) has the tulips, windmills ( wooden windmills, not these slick white wind turbines) and wooden shoes. However, they have two nice breweries in the Center of town New Holland Brewery and Our Brewery. They are both worth the stop if you are in the area. I'm going to focus a little further to the north and east. Grand Rapids, which is home to my favorite Brewery, Founders. Like Kalamazoo, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Grand Rapids has been impacted by the Craft Beer Revolution.
- Founders- arriving at 11:30 AM on Sunday, a line had already formed to enter the brewery. I was informed that on Saturdays the line is around the block. So it didn't take long to realize others had Founders high on their list. The Tasting area was very large, lots of brick, stone and wood. The Beer Garden was also very large with numerous heaters and a few fire pits. After determining they did not have any KBS or CBS hidden away I enjoyed a pint from their last keg of Doom and words can not describe how good it tasted. Since they were all good, you need to check the log to see what other brews I enjoyed at Founders.
- Brewery Vivant- this small Belgian themed brewery is located in the former chapel of an old funeral home. Now do not let that keep you away, they did an excellent job of restoring it into a belgian like brewery. This brewery is also special to the Quest. It was my 100th Brewery that I visited since starting the quest in April. WOW...I'm a third of the way to the magic 300. The brewery has a nice selection of Belgian Ales and I particularly enjoyed the Undertaker Belgian Dark Ale and the Whiskey Rooster aged in Jack Daniels Barrels.
- Perrin Brewery- is a few miles north of Grand Rapids. It is a new brewery that has a very large tasting room with a great food menu ( sweet potato fries which are as good as my favorite, found at the Iron Hill breweries ) and very good beer. Do not be surprised if you do not find Comstock Park , MI on the map, this brewery is located, well lets just say there is not much around it. However, they were busy for a sunday night, so people know where it is.the Kingdom of Tonga Vanilla Porter and the Perrin Black were my two favorite brews.