BigFrank's Father's Day Road Trip 6.0 Penn/Oh/Mich

[jmgrub]

If I only have one meal there, what's the must do?

Crap, didn't realize that's where Schramm's is... Are they seriously only open on the weekends? What the heck? Do any local shops carry their bottles?

I'm not sure what's opened since 2009, but most would tell you Zingerman's is the must-do. Krazy Jim's is a cool local spot that's been there a long time. It's the kind of place where they send you to the back of the line if you aren't ready to order when it's your turn.

Looks like Schramm's is open Friday-Sunday, and other days by appointment (reach out, they are super nice). Yes - liquor stores do carry Schramm's. I'm sure someone local could help you with which ones (I think some used to be listed on the Schramm's website as well).

 

[Jas45678]

In Ann Arbor I’ll suggest a stop at Homes brewery, awesome food and beer and kid and pet friendly.

Yes, Kuhnhenn is about 15 minutes from Schramms and BNektar is on the way.

If you go to Detroit you can also probably see a baseball game for under $10. I usually park at Greektown Casino for free and walk(15 minutes).

 

[beerindex]

As to the availability of Schramms bottles, you needn't worry. Even here in Grand Rapids, two hours away, we see periodic drops of their more limited stuff, like Red Agnes and Madeline (which just showed up today at $50 a bottle). And if you just want standard stuff like The Statement, that is usually available at most decent bottle shops, and even frequently at grocery stores.

 

[BigFrank]

As to the availability of Schramms bottles, you needn't worry. Even here in Grand Rapids, two hours away, we see periodic drops of their more limited stuff, like Red Agnes and Madeline (which just showed up today at $50 a bottle). And if you just want standard stuff like The Statement, that is usually available at most decent bottle shops, and even frequently at grocery stores.

 

[beerindex]

And for the record, that price quote is from the shop that is consistently the lowest priced retailer in the city. So this is not an example of a greedy store owner inflating the cost aggressively.

 

[Stubs]

I don't now anything about Michigan but I'd e sure to make it to Cultivate in Ypsi.

Run by TBer genuinedisciple


steimie can vouch and probably give you some tips to stuff you're looking for.

 

[steimie]

No opinion on AA vs. Detroit when it comes to lodging, other than to agree that if you can find a place in AA, bars and restaurants are probably more walkable than in Detroit. But don't let any worries about "safety" deter you from staying in Detroit. In the areas where you'll be, it'll be fine.

On your way from AA to Detroit, stop at Cultivate in Ypsilanti for a beer and some great coffee and a cool beer garden. Look for the plaque that has TalkBeer on it and tell Ryan that Brian sent you. He'll also have Schramm's bottles for sale and other cool bottles as well possibly cans from Transient. He'll crowler anything from their excellent tap list for you, too.

In Detroit, I'd recommend beer at Founders and beer and pizza at Jolly Pumpkin. Very close to each other, with 8 Degrees Plato in between for some bottle shopping. If the Tigers are in town, tickets will indeed be cheap from any scalper you may find. Comerica isn't too far from JP and Founders. There's also Batch, in a different section of the city. I'm not huge on their beer, but lots of folks like it and I hear all sorts of good reports on the food. And you should go to American or Lafayette and have coneys while you're here.

There's absolutely no reason whatsoever to go to Kuhnhenn. The beer hasn't been good for years and there's nothing there I can think of that would be interesting or fun for the kids. Avoid.

As for Schramm's, it's probably the last kid-friendly place I can think of. It's basically a wine tasting room. It's fine for what it is, but I wouldn't bother taking kids there. B Nektar is probably a better option as far as the space goes, but I wouldn't bother with either if I was you. Just get some bottles somewhere and call it good.

And, if you're in Kalamazoo, you have to go to Bell's. The food is fantastic (Jambalaya!) and there's no better beer experience than super fresh Two Hearted on tap. They'll also have a bunch of taproom only beers and maybe a surprise or two.

Minor league baseball--Mud Hens in Toledo. rpbuckeye can help you out with Toledo recs.

Shoot me a PM and I'll try and get away for a beer. Enjoy your trip!

 

[BigFrank]

No opinion on AA vs. Detroit when it comes to lodging, other than to agree that if you can find a place in AA, bars and restaurants are probably more walkable than in Detroit. But don't let any worries about "safety" deter you from staying in Detroit. In the areas where you'll be, it'll be fine.

On your way from AA to Detroit, stop at Cultivate in Ypsilanti for a beer and some great coffee and a cool beer garden. Look for the plaque that has TalkBeer on it and tell Ryan that Brian sent you. He'll also have Schramm's bottles for sale and other cool bottles as well possibly cans from Transient. He'll crowler anything from their excellent tap list for you, too.

In Detroit, I'd recommend beer at Founders and beer and pizza at Jolly Pumpkin. Very close to each other, with 8 Degrees Plato in between for some bottle shopping. If the Tigers are in town, tickets will indeed be cheap from any scalper you may find. Comerica isn't too far from JP and Founders. There's also Batch, in a different section of the city. I'm not huge on their beer, but lots of folks like it and I hear all sorts of good reports on the food. And you should go to American or Lafayette and have coneys while you're here.

There's absolutely no reason whatsoever to go to Kuhnhenn. The beer hasn't been good for years and there's nothing there I can think of that would be interesting or fun for the kids. Avoid.

As for Schramm's, it's probably the last kid-friendly place I can think of. It's basically a wine tasting room. It's fine for what it is, but I wouldn't bother taking kids there. B Nektar is probably a better option as far as the space goes, but I wouldn't bother with either if I was you. Just get some bottles somewhere and call it good.

And, if you're in Kalamazoo, you have to go to Bell's. The food is fantastic (Jambalaya!) and there's no better beer experience than super fresh Two Hearted on tap. They'll also have a bunch of taproom only beers and maybe a surprise or two.

Minor league baseball--Mud Hens in Toledo. rpbuckeye can help you out with Toledo recs.

Shoot me a PM and I'll try and get away for a beer. Enjoy your trip!

Great stuff!

 

[cneville1]

Not sure about the Detroit hotel situation, but the hotel selection in Ann Arbor was not excellent when I graduated in 2009 (could definitely have changed since then). The nice thing about Ann Arbor is having good restaurants and bars walking distance from wherever you are staying - Detroit is a pretty big sprawl (but, as others have mentioned, Ferndale is very cool - I much enjoyed Schramms in particular when I visited a few years ago). The boys might enjoy seeing the U of M campus and the Big House.

Even though it's been a while, I can probably assist with some restaurant recs if you decide on Ann Arbor (most would say Zingerman's is obligatory). cneville would be a good Ann Arbor resource (sorry if he's already posted in here).

BigFrank, ann arbor in the summer>>>ann arbor when students are here. they've built a few new hotels here so the selection is a little better (and hopefully the prices as well). zingerman's is definitely the one ann arbor institution to hit (though overpriced, it's still delicious) and as a few people have said, cultivate in ypsilanti would be a great place to stop at any time. really kid friendly, great beer garden, terrific beer selection, and they have a lot of board games and things like that so your kids wouldn't be bored. not much food but i like sidetrack (burger joint with a good tap list) nearby. ypsi is about 15-20 minutes from ann arbor so it's easy to stop there. homes is the cool new brewery in ann arbor though not downtown. the food is good but asian fusion-y so if your kids are picky maybe not the best spot for a meal.

i've heard good things about the ann arbor hands on museum though your kids might be a little old for that. canoeing on the huron river if the weather is good can be a lot of fun, though on weekends it will be pretty crowded. there's low level minor league soccer team here (ann arbor fc) that has pretty fun games too. like steimie said, go to a mudhens game in toledo if you can. awesome stadium and a really great aaa experience. probably as good of a team as the tigers now, too.

if you have ann arbor specific questions i'd be happy to answer them. it's not a big city at all so it's very easy to get around.

 

[BigFrank]

You mentioned Grand Rapids. Let me first suggest that the best breweries in the area are not in Grand Rapids itself, but within ~1 hour of the city. I say this specifically with Transient and Arclight in mind, though no doubt many would suggest Old Nation or One Well in that same spirit. Of course, Transient and Arclight are in the middle of nowhere; Transient is in Bridgman, whose only other feature is a couple of other breweries (Haymarket and Tapistry), and Watervliet, where you'll find Arclight, has even less going on.

That said, you definitely have plenty of options within Grand Rapids. And the good news is that Transient in particular shows up reliably in the city these days. Better bars frequently have one or more of their beers on tap regularly, and sometimes a few bottles or cans. Better bottle shops will usually have a few things from them, and their hops are some of the only ones that turn over quickly in town, so you can confidently buy anything you see from it.

I can certainly provide bottle shop suggestions or non-beer restaurant suggestions if you'd like, but I'll provide you with the general highlights. I'm going to list only places I believe welcome children through the dinner hour or later, but I don't have any, so it isn't something I've ever paid close attention to, so double checking may be in order.

Breweries:

• Founders Brewing - At any given time there will be upwards of a dozen beers available exclusively at the Grand Rapids (or in some cases Grand Rapids and Detroit) taproom(s), some of which are really fun barrel aged experiments. If you're among those who still care about KBS and CBS, they aren't permanent features at Founders, but they show up significantly more often than in the wild. The food sounds much better than it is, so I'd suggest eating elsewhere first. A word of caution: nights and weekends at Founders are often absurdly busy, even with their massive expansion. If you have the luxury of doing so, mid-day visits during the work week are your best bet.
• Speciation Artisan Ales - Michigan's first all wild ale brewery, Speciation is widely considered to be the best brewery in the state. Their Comstock Park taproom is inconvenient in location, but even more so with respect to its hours of operation. At present, Speciation is usually only open one day a month for bottle sales, during which time there are also a few draft offerings. However, they've been known to open up especially for non-locals who ask nicely, so call in advance if you'll be in town when they're closed and can get there. Note that the taproom is supposed to have regular hours "soon," though nobody is clear on what that actually means. Also note that they are probably the most expensive brewery in town. Expect to pay around $25 per 750 ml for their more interesting/desirable options. And some bottles are restricted to "Culture Club" members, so you'll need to trade to acquire those. On the upside, you can find them almost everywhere in bottles or on tap.
• Brewery Vivant - A Belgian-style-focused brewery built in a former crematorium. Usually a number of taproom exclusive beers available. Food is often excellent, but just as often painfully overpriced (see: Duck Nachos). The poutine is the best in town. A fairly respectable sour program going. Check for special events, as they sometimes host festivals or special events. Most recently they did a "Weird Beer Weekend" which featured a surprisingly good banana curry beer.
• Greyline - One of the city's relatively newer breweries, Their head brewer cut his teeth working at Founders, helping develop recipes for Dirty Bastard, KBS, and Blushing Monk, before going over to Perrin and developing several of their core beers. Their Alpine location is somewhat inconveniently located, but much less so than Speciation.
• Harmony Brewing/Harmony Hall - Two locations, there's the Eastown original and the somewhat larger and much more centrally located downtown Harmony Hall. Their beers are very hit or miss, but there are some gems in their lineup, and their sour program was started by Mitch Ermatinger, owner/brewmaster of Speciation. The original location has by far the best pizza in town. Apparently as of a month or so ago, the downtown location has abandoned its sausage menu and now serves the same pizza.
• Hopcat - Hopcat brews some of their own beer, a number of which are excellent, though just as many of them are terrible. However, Hopcat's focus and its main strength is as a beer bar carrying others. Save for special events elsewhere, they almost always have the best taplist in the city. The food is also pretty good. Note that Hopcat is now a chain, but the Grand Rapids location is the original. Frankly, some of the expansion locations are better, and all of them have more taps than the Grand Rapids location, but it is on the strength of this one venue that Hopcat became a national player.

The other spots I would tend to suggest are places where I've never once seen kids, so even if technically permitted are likely to be poor choices.

We do have minor league baseball, and their stadium is out in Comstock Park, somewhere in the general vicinity of Speciation. The only real locally significant site that one might tend to suggest, though its merits with younger children are dubious at best, would be the Ford Presidential Museum.

Really appreciate these great tips. Just booked a room in Comstock Park for 8/16 near the baseball stadium. Looks like the team is in town. Any idea if they routinely sell out? Last year we got shut out of a Bismarck Larks (ND) game...never would have thought it was a hot ticket. I'm willing to buy a ticket ahead of time to ensure we can attend, but would prefer flexibility if tickets are usually available. If anyone is around Grand Rapids that night, hit me up.

 

[greg4579]

Really appreciate these great tips. Just booked a room in Comstock Park for 8/16 near the baseball stadium. Looks like the team is in town. Any idea if they routinely sell out? Last year we got shut out of a Bismarck Larks (ND) game...never would have thought it was a hot ticket. I'm willing to buy a ticket ahead of time to ensure we can attend, but would prefer flexibility if tickets are usually available. If anyone is around Grand Rapids that night, hit me up.

BigFrank what day(s) are you in Pittsburgh?

 

[BigFrank]

BigFrank what day(s) are you in Pittsburgh?

8/12, staying near West Mifflin.

 

[beerindex]

Really appreciate these great tips. Just booked a room in Comstock Park for 8/16 near the baseball stadium. Looks like the team is in town. Any idea if they routinely sell out? Last year we got shut out of a Bismarck Larks (ND) game...never would have thought it was a hot ticket. I'm willing to buy a ticket ahead of time to ensure we can attend, but would prefer flexibility if tickets are usually available. If anyone is around Grand Rapids that night, hit me up.

No idea as I'm not a baseball guy. Maybe GRDave knows?

 

[user 305963]

No idea as I'm not a baseball guy. Maybe GRDave knows?

BigFrank, I go to one Whitecaps game a year, so I'm no expert by any means. But, I can't imagine that a Thursday night game would be sold out. It's against Lansing, so maybe there's the potential for their fans to drive the one hour? Are you staying at the Comfort Suites across from the stadium? If so, you'll be able to walk to the stadium easily. There's a craft beer bar on the third base side with Founders/Perrin/Bells/New Holland/Mitten taps, and a ton of crazy food at the myriad of concessions stands. If its hot and sunny, you'll want to sit on the third base side, or behind home plate, so the sun sets behind you.

There's a brewery right beside the hotel called Elk Brewing. I DO NOT recommend. Weak effort on both beer and food. Not sure if you'll only be in town that one night, but Perrin is worth a visit in my book. Solid beer and food, but, you MUST got to Founders before any others. How long will you be in the area? I live just east of the ballpark, but Thursday is my golf league night.

 

[BigFrank]

Be there just for the night. Planning on Founders, Ford Museum and either a baseball game or go see Lake Michigan. I'd like to visit odd-side ales, but not sure if the kids will be up for it. May depend on watcher as well.

Does Speciation have a tasting room? Doesn't look like it. Thanks for the tips on the stadium.

 

[beerindex]

Be there just for the night. Planning on Founders, Ford Museum and either a baseball game or go see Lake Michigan. I'd like to visit odd-side ales, but not sure if the kids will be up for it. May depend on watcher as well.

Does Speciation have a tasting room? Doesn't look like it. Thanks for the tips on the stadium.

Just want to be make sure you realize that the Ford Museum is on the opposite side of the state from Grand Rapids. Admittedly that still translates to only a 2-2.5 hour drive.

Re Speciation, as stated earlier "At present, Speciation is usually only open one day a month for bottle sales, during which time there are also a few draft offerings. However, they've been known to open up especially for non-locals who ask nicely, so call in advance if you'll be in town when they're closed and can get there. Note that the taproom is supposed to have regular hours "soon," though nobody is clear on what that actually means." The only difference is that "soon" is now "some time in 2018." But they'll be in bottles and on tap around town, so you can still get some.

 

[BigFrank]

Just want to be make sure you realize that the Ford Museum is on the opposite side of the state from Grand Rapids. Admittedly that still translates to only a 2-2.5 hour drive.

Re Speciation, as stated earlier "At present, Speciation is usually only open one day a month for bottle sales, during which time there are also a few draft offerings. However, they've been known to open up especially for non-locals who ask nicely, so call in advance if you'll be in town when they're closed and can get there. Note that the taproom is supposed to have regular hours "soon," though nobody is clear on what that actually means." The only difference is that "soon" is now "some time in 2018." But they'll be in bottles and on tap around town, so you can still get some.

Sorry, I should have said the Gerald Ford Museum. Though, I am also going to go to the Henry Ford Museum as well.

Sorry, I forgot that you had mentioned the details on speciation.... So many details I am trying to plan out.

 

[kbuzz1]

BigFrank - if you make it through both the Cleveland and Pittsburgh areas and you don't hit at least one Fat Heads location, I will ******* lash out at you...both here and in person the next time I'm out your way.

















And by lash out, I mean probably bring you some fresh Head Hunter....

 

[BigFrank]

BigFrank - if you make it through both the Cleveland and Pittsburgh areas and you don't hit at least one Fat Heads location, I will ******* lash out at you...both here and in person the next time I'm out your way.

















And by lash out, I mean probably bring you some fresh Head Hunter....

So we already went to Fatheads in Portland....but I can always go for some fresh HH!

Really wishing I could get to Madtree, but it's a bit too far.

 

[kbuzz1]

So we already went to Fatheads in Portland....

#notrealfatheads

srs though, there's nothing Primanti's offers (saw you mention them in OP) that Fat Heads hasn't taken to the next level and perfected food-wise. And their beer is tremendous at all times. Also - Piper's is right across the street...tons of local offerings and more great food.

Really though, just trying to upend and further complicate your plans with more suggestion vomit. Don't mind me.

 

[BigFrank]

#notrealfatheads

srs though, there's nothing Primanti's offers (saw you mention them in OP) that Fat Heads hasn't taken to the next level and perfected food-wise. And their beer is tremendous at all times. Also - Piper's is right across the street...tons of local offerings and more great food.

Really though, just trying to upend and further complicate your plans with more suggestion vomit. Don't mind me.

So my boys are huge fans of putting French fries on all of their sandwiches or burgers. Primanti's gets a ton of hype, but I'm down for whatever the "local classic" is.... especially if it's under the radar.

 

[kbuzz1]

So my boys are huge fans of putting French fries on all of their sandwiches or burgers.

And just like that, I'm convinced that your boys are better at it than Primanti's.

 

[Stubs]

So my boys are huge fans of putting French fries on all of their sandwiches or burgers. Primanti's gets a ton of hype, but I'm down for whatever the "local classic" is.... especially if it's under the radar.

Primanti's isn't as bad as yinzers pretend cause they're over it. Fatheads food though is ******* top notch deluxe ****** bar food. However, Nadines is the true local gem of the Southside.

 

[kbuzz1]

Primanti's isn't as bad as yinzers pretend cause they're over it.

Well what do you know? Who you callin a yinzer?

At best, Primanti's is okay...if you're careful what you order. Otherwise, it's honestly just a Monday Night Football national TV coverage tick.

In case it wasn't clear, I was advocating for Piper's food menu. Apologies if that was poorly communicated. (Fat Heads is glorious also and has the beer)

 

[BigFrank]

Primanti's isn't as bad as yinzers pretend cause they're over it. Fatheads food though is ******* top notch deluxe ****** bar food. However, Nadines is the true local gem of the Southside.

So drbenzo has been hyping Prantel's as themust eat spot...I will likely have one other meal and was leaning towards Primanti's due to the boys' habits and many thanks shows...but now...

 

[kbuzz1]

So drbenzo has been hyping Prantel's as themust eat spot...I will likely have one other meal and was leaning towards Primanti's due to the boys' habits and many thanks shows...but now...

Honestly, you should probably just tick Primanti's...

I would if I'd not eaten there before. But let's reconvene afterward and discuss. For science.

 

[Stubs]

So drbenzo has been hyping Prantel's as themust eat spot...I will likely have one other meal and was leaning towards Primanti's due to the boys' habits and many thanks shows...but now...

drbenzo is a jagoff.

 

[kbuzz1]

drbenzo is a jagoff.

Stubs is a jagoff

 

[drbenzo1]

So drbenzo has been hyping Prantel's as themust eat spot...I will likely have one other meal and was leaning towards Primanti's due to the boys' habits and many thanks shows...but now...

FlatStrauss

 

[drbenzo1]

drbenzo is a jagoff.

Stubs is a jagoff

kbuzz is a jagoff