What beers to get in Michigan?

So one of my freinds is going back home to Michigan for a few weeks this summer and asked what beers he should bring back for me to try. I've never been in that area, so I don't really know what's available out there that isn't available here in the Northwest. I told him to get some Bell's Two Hearted, but what else should I have him look for?

Thanks

Just about anything from Founders is good.

Jolly Pumpkin!!!

Its an Ohio brewery, but if you can't get Great Lakes, he should pick some of that up too.

Founders for sure, any variety. (Their Pale Ale is delicious).
New Holland Mad Hatter IPA.
Bells is hit and miss. I don't care for their normal Pale Ale, but Two Hearted is maybe the best beer ever. It's out of season, but their Expedition Stout is amazing as well. If you like Wheat beers, Bells Oberon is really good. I don't like 'em, but I can drink Oberon.
Arcadia Ales makes a kick ass IPA.
Lots of good MI beer, that's for sure.

Founders is all good. Shorts Huma Lupa Licious for sure and the others mentioned.

Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall MI. They have an amber ale that is very good, along with some other fine styles.
Cheers!

Jolly Pumpkin is outstanding. They are in Southern Michigan not far from Ann Arbor. Excellent beers.

dirtdigger said:

Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall MI. They have an amber ale that is very good, along with some other fine styles.
Cheers!

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Dark horse beers rock, there IPA is great also.

Michigan Brewing Company's Full Sail IPA and Cellas White are also yummy.

Dark Horse rocks, I absolutely love their blueberry stout (I can't remember the name of it right now) and Scotty Karate scottish ale. Awesome beer.

Bell's third coast old ale is one of my favorite beers of all time. Just make sure not to get it confused with the third coast beer(TCB is good too, but it's no old ale, and it's not something I'd go out of my way to get). I've seen bottles of their Batch 9000 brew around too, that stuff was great. I'm not sure how available it is right now though.

Also, Short's Huma Lupa is the shiznit:rockin:

Founders and Bells are two of my favorites from MI!

I agree, Founders, Bells, New Holland and Darkhouse.

I recently tried Darkhouse Tres, a blueberry stout. Minimal blueberry, but delicious. Or their Too - cream stout..

Bell's Two Hearted and their Porter are some of my favorites. I agree batch 9000 is good. I haven't looked lately, but I hope some is left. I was hoping to put a sixer in storage for a year or two...

Founder's Dirty Bastard or their breakfast stout.

New Holland's Dragon's Milk... aged in Jim Beam barrels. It used to only come in bombers, but I believe they are putting it out in 12 ouncers now.

yeah, I've been cellaring a bottle of batch 9000 and a bottle of the old ale for a while.

I have to agree on the Dragon's Milk, too, that stuff is great. Founder's Backwoods Bastard was off the hook too, if you can find it. I haven't seen it around in a while though. It's like an oaked imperial version of dirty bastard.

I agree Dark Horse is really good. Founders, Bells, Shorts, New Holland, Jolly Pumpkin and Dark Horse are all great Michigan Brewery's. That doesn't even mention the little ones.

If you go to Founders and they have KBS on Nitro. Get one or 4!!!

The two best Michigan beers I have tried are New Holland Poet Oatmeal Stout & Great Lakes Brewing Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.

I know it's already been said, but FOUNDERS! Founders Dirty Bastard is my favorite beer of all time

hoaxci5 said:

Just about anything from Founders is good.

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This is the end of the thread.

Red's Rye is one of my favorite.

GRHunter said:

The two best Michigan beers I have tried are New Holland Poet Oatmeal Stout & Great Lakes Brewing Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.

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Great Lakes Brewing is in Ohio...

GRHunter said:

The two best Michigan beers I have tried are New Holland Poet Oatmeal Stout & Great Lakes Brewing Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.

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Great Lakes Brewing is in Ohio.

mc_eric said:

Great Lakes Brewing is in Ohio...

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Nice timing.

Jinx, you owe me a coke

mc_eric said:

Jinx, you owe me a coke

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I think you're my long lost brother dude. Dragon's Milk, Founders. Next you'll tell me Stone has the best IPA around.

meh, I'll take 2 hearted over a stone any day. You gotta go up to the UP and drink a 2 hearted on the banks of the 2 hearted river, it's friggin awesome (well, being in the UP is awesome anyways...):rockin:

The 2 hearted, ironically enough, is not too far from where the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. See how things come full circle!

Dragonmead is a must if your in SE Michigan. Shorts Brewing if your in the northern lower Michigan. Founders and Bell's are must stops in Grand Rapids.

I second the people who said Edmund Fitzgerald from Great Lakes. I know I know that the Brewery is in Ohio, but the OP says he wants to bring beers back that aren't available in the Northwest. He doesn't specifically say that it needs to be a Michigan brew.

I enjoy the vanilla java porter that atwater out of detroit puts out its worth a try

Yep, I love me some EF

+1,000,000 on Bell's, Founder's, and Jolly Pumpkin. Even to someone with an east coast bias, those are amazing breweries.

Founders = Anything, but for sure get Backwoods Bastard
Bells = 2-Hearted IPA, or Hopslam IIPA (On second thought, skip the Hopslam. It's past it's prime now) Bells also makes lots of other very good beers. Oberon is a must-try American Wheat. Similar to Blue Moon.
New Holland has a delicious Saison, and their other beers are top notch as well.
Jolly Pumpkin makes some very good Belgian beers, from what I've heard. I need to pick up some of their stuff.
Michigan Brewing Company has some good beers. They contract brew a metric ton of boring pilsner stuff, but the Celis White is my favorite Belgian Wit, and the Grand Cru is good for the style IMO.
Edmund Fitzgerald is regarded as a favorite by many experts. That's from Great Lakes Brewing in Ohio.

Right Brain Brewing Company in Traverse City has some very interesting beers, but they don't sell packaged. They are off tap only. Their list of beers changes all the time. They have a couple of standards, I think, but are known for the diverse styles and flavors.

Everything I've had from Shorts (near Traverse City) has been top notch as well.

So I text msg today from my buddy and here's the list of what he's sending me:

Short's Huma Lupa Licious IPA
Founder's Centennial IPA
Dragonmead Crown Jewels IPA
Bell's Two Hearted IPA

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Can't wait for this package to show up on my front porch

Myke_J said:

So I text msg today from my buddy and here's the list of what he's sending me:

Quote:
Short's Huma Lupa Licious IPA
Founder's Centennial IPA
Dragonmead Crown Jewels IPA
Bell's Two Hearted IPA

Can't wait for this package to show up on my front porch

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Those are all great beers!

Yupa, all good stuff. Send him some money to get you a Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Stout. Its a sour stout that is insane. Where in MI is he at?

Geez noone mentioned Dragonmead final absolution, or any of the bottles from Kuhnen's?

I may live in Michigan, but I might as well be in a foreign country when it comes to Dragonmead or Kuhnenn

That does remind me though, my sister lives in Warren. I rarely see her, but I really need to remind her to pick me up something from them next time I know she's coming into town.

Revvy said:

Geez noone mentioned Dragonmead final absolution, or any of the bottles from Kuhnen's?

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Funny, I was just reading through the thread thinking the same thing about final absolution.

I have Final Absolution in the basement. Hmmm, maybe I'll go drink one.

Haven't been home to MI in a long time, but I know brewers doing great work at Black Lotus Brewing in Clawson and my old friend Chris still kicking out awesome beer at the Traffic Jam and Snug in good old downtown Detroit ( more atmosphere at Motor City Brewery across the street, but the beer is no where near the TJs brews).

Have him stop in East Lansing and pick up a growler of Harper's Spartan Wheat. Also a bump on the Atwater Vanilla Java.

Here's my score from the trip. I sampled all of them except the Dragonmead last night.