Detroit breweries. Know any good ones?

[timrox1212]

Hey me and a few buddies were gonna go to atwater brewery in detroit this weekend and wanted to know of any others that we might hit on our quest. We wanna stay relatively close to atwater since we know where that's at. Any body got some advice?

 

[evrose]

I didn't know there was anyone left in Detroit...

 

[reverendj1]

There are a lot of great ones out there. I did a beercation there just a couple months ago. A must is Dragonmead. They have like 30 of their beers on tap, ranging all over the spectrum. Witch's Hat was pretty neat, but that was our last stop and we got there 10 minutes before they closed. If you like mead, swing by B. Nektar. They make good mead, but when I went there it was just a couple plastic tables in a warehouse. Rochester Mills is solid too. Good beer, atmosphere and food. Griffin Claw had a great saison when I went, but they were still in The Big Rock Chophouse then, so I'm not sure what the brewpub is like now that they split. Kuhnenn is also out there, but we didn't get a chance to check it out. They do make some fantastic beers though. I've had them at festivals and whatnot.

 

[reverendj1]

Oh, we also went to Granite City, which was nice. I thought it was a little fancy for my tastes, but the beer was great and the food looked good. The focus seemed to be more food, and they happened to also be a brewery. At least that's how I saw it. I wanted to check out Black Lotus, but didn't get a chance. They seem kind of neat.

 

[NathPowe]

Kuhnhenn Brewing is awesome. Really tasty beer and they've got a homebrew shop in there. Also check out Big Rock Chophouse. The Norm's Raggedy-A$$ Ale is a good one. The food at Big Rock is also wonderful.

 

[reverendj1]

Kuhnhenn Brewing is awesome. Really tasty beer and they've got a homebrew shop in there. Also check out Big Rock Chophouse. The Norm's Raggedy-A$$ Ale is a good one. The food at Big Rock is also wonderful.

It is my understanding that Big Rock Chophouse moved the brewpub portion to their own building, Griffin Claw. When I went a few months ago they were getting ready to open it. I think they are still going to keep a couple of their beers on tap though.

 

[Apendecto]

Black Lotus is terrible. Witches Hat is a cool place but there beer was a mess. I like the West Coast atmosphere of Atwater but the beer is average.

If you want a road trip, go to Darkhorse, Founders (and more) in Grand Rapids, and under the radar BARTS.

 

[Jhoss]

One Eyed Bettys (Ferndale)
Rochester Mills (Rochester)

These two will take you out of the city a bit. You can thank me later.

 

[timrox1212]

Thanks for the help guys. Has anyone been to motor city brewing? It's pretty close to atwater so we were thinking about going there. I've never even had one of their beers.

 

[signpost]

Go to Bastone in Royal Oak. Just follow Woodward north from Detroit. They have the best belgian style beers around. Their Dubbel Vision is my favorite belgian dubbel (besides my own version). Their tripel is great. And they always have 2 taps rotating seasonal/special brews.

They are a brewpub and don't distribute, so they get overlooked a lot (even within the Michigan beer scene). But you should check them out.

Also, their food is awesome. Get the mussels.

 

[signpost]

I think I went to Motor City Brewing Works once a long time ago. Some friends bands were playing a gig there. That was long before I had developed any sort of sophistication, in relation to my palate and being able to pick out flavors. So, I couldn't tell you one way or the other if it was actually good.

I am glad I can give such constructive information on this topic, you are welcome.



One last thing. I heard a rumor that Atwater is now brewing Kid Rock's beer (Badass American Lager) for him. It was brewed by whatever brewery that was that closed down sometime last year. But Atwater has picked it up and it is being reintroduced at Kid Rock's run of shows at Pine Knob.

 

[timrox1212]

Yea I heard that as well about the kid rock beer. I mean they already brew a beer for 101 the WRIF ( a local radio station) so I will ask when I go.