Good beer in Michigan?

[bierhaus15]

I will be in the Detroit area next week for a wedding and would like to make the trip extra worthwhile by driving home (NY) with a car full of good beer.

Are there any particular beers from Michigan or available in the state that are worth picking up? I know pretty much nothing of Michigan beer except Founders breakfast stout and Bell's two-hearted, which I would love to find.

Any suggestions??

 

[Arkador]

Big Buck is probably one of the better tourist breweries. I moved away from MI years ago...

 

[fishkid]

If you're looking to sit down or grab a few growlers, there are a few local places I'd recommend (along with my fav beers),

Kuhnhenn's Brewery, Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Confusion IIPA, Creme Brulee Java Stout, Loonie Kooney, Road Rash RIS

Black Lotus Brewing Co, Black Lotus Brewing Company, Detroit Hip Hops IPA, Steam beer, (they also have a great piece of chocolate cake: Death By Chocolate cake)

Woodward Avenue Brewery, Vanilla Porter (One of my island beers, if I only could pick a few, this would be one of them)

There are a couple of other places too including, Royal Oak Brewery, Dragonmead (Very well known for their Belgian Trippel, Final Absolution), Motor City Brewing Works, Copper Canyon Brewery

If you're looking for bottles, I'd recommend most anything by Founders as well as Bells. If you've never had Bells Oberon, most people like that and it's fairly easy to find.


Curt

 

[Talloak]

Lagunitas (Peteluma, CA) Beer is available in Michigan at good stores. Try Maximus IPA or the Hop Stoopid. The Capacino Stout is good as well. Actually, they are all good.

As far as Michigan beers go, Dark Horse Brewery (Marshall, MI) makes a Scotch ale I like called Scotty Karate. They make some other good ones as well, I would try anything from them.

 

[Jim Karr]

Check out the introduction thread for Sanveann. There was a pub crawl described within that listed a great number of Michigan breweries.

 

[jrkettle]

Rochester Mills Beer Company is good. They have a pretty good Organic Wit and IPA. You can also get their Lazy Daze German Lager in cans. If you have the time I would head to Ann Arbor and hit up Ann Arbor Brewing Company, they have a great cask conditioned IPA and Porter that they serve from a beer engine. Both are excellent beers.

 

[DrMaddVibe]

Rochester Mills Beer Company is good. They have a pretty good Organic Wit and IPA. You can also get their Lazy Daze German Lager in cans. If you have the time I would head to Ann Arbor and hit up Ann Arbor Brewing Company, they have a great cask conditioned IPA and Porter that they serve from a beer engine. Both are excellent beers.

I have to +1 Rochester Mills. I used to live less than 5 miles from it, and I miss the growlers!

Great food. Great Beer and a really nice place...inside or out.

Rochester Mills Beer Company

[ame=http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2697845/rochester_mills_brewery/]Rochester Mills Brewery - Video[/ame]

 

[Revvy]

Dragonmede, Kuhnen's, Bell's, Jolly Pumpkin, Motor City Brewing Company, Ann Arbor Brewing company, and Founder's are just the tip of the iceberg, the really good ones...then there are some of the other ones which are already mentioned, which honestly I have found them to be the "b" list of breweries, where the other's are the "A" team and many of them can be bought at most of the good beer stores in town.

If you can, you SHOULD make a pilgrimage to Dragonmede, in fact some of us may even be there next week, since Homerewer_99 is gonna be back in town...

Our local weekly art's and entertainemnt rag just did a big piece on beer culture in Detroit...I haven't read it yet, but you can, here'

Metro Times - The Sloshed issue

Oh, if you can find Dragonmead's "Final Absolution Triple" in bottles, or go and get a growler to bring back, do so..it is fanatastic.

 

[bierhaus15]

Michigan isn't looking too bad!

I will definitely try to make it to some of those places, especially Dragonmead if I have the time. Thanks!

 

[Revvy]

You may want to check out Dragonmead's tap list...In all the years of going there they have never had more than 1-2 out of stock on any given visit. (not counting seasonals)

American Ales
Big Larry's Pale Ale
Broken Paddle India Pale Ale
Castlebrite Ale (Apricot)
Corktown Red
Crooked Door Amber Ale
Dragon Daze (Hemp Ale)
Lancelot's Cream Ale
Lil's Grumpkin Pumpkin Ale (fall seasonal)
Marian's Honey Brown
Redwing Raspberry Wheat Beer
Willy's Oompa-Loompa Stout

English Style Ales
Breath of the Dragon Bitter
Crusader Dark Mild Ale
Earl's Spit Stout
Erik the Red
Honey Porter
Inquisition Pale Ale (IPA)
Larry's Lionheart Pale Ale
London Brown Ale
Rev. Fred's Oatmeal Stout
Sir William's Extra Special Bitter
Woody's Perfect Porter

Barley Wines:
Copper Shield Bitter Harvest (seasonal)
Excalibur Barley Wine (seasonal)
Scottish Style Ales
90 Schilling Ale
Andromeda Ale (Heather Ale)
Under the Kilt Wee Heavy

Belgian Style Ales
Armageddon Grand Cru
Bill's Witbier
Bronze Griffin Belgian Ale
Dead Monk Abbey Ale
Dubbel Dragon Ale
Final Absolution Belgian Style Trippel
Guinevere's Golden Belgian Ale
Wench Water Belgian Pale Ale

German Style Lagers
6Ts Dortmunder
Bishop Bob's Holy Smoke (spring seasonal)
Bock Tubock (seasonal)
Drei Kronen 1308
Oktoberfest Märzen (fall seasonal)
Tafelbier Lager (spring seasonal)
Tayken Abock (seasonal)
Thelles Enbock (seasonal)

Russian Style Ales
Imperial Stout (winter seasonal)

German Style Ales
Dragonslayer Altbier
Kaiser's Kölsch
Nagelweiss Wheat Beer

Czech Style Lagers
Squire Pilsen

Norwegian
Jul Øl Christmas Ale (winter seasonal)

The full descriptions are here;
Beers

If yo only check out one place, make this one it!!!

 

[marubozo]

Mmmmm, Bell's Two Hearted and Oberon FTW.

 

[MIbrew]

You can also pick up some cans from Keewenaw Brewing Company out of da UP. They just released their "Black Widow" which is an odd sensation. Dark like a porter, tastes like a light brown.

Also, don't know how far north you're getting, but near Fenton there is also Redwood Lodge that has a nice selection.

Other than that, Bells or Third Coast works nicely.

 

[user 30639]

I miss Michigan beer.

 

[jevanden]

Speaking of Miss Michigan, I had a date with her last night.

Just kidding.

 

[jevanden]

After that I feel that I must contribute something worth while. Lumberbarrons in Bay City is great. Marty Rapnicki doesn't make a bad beer. He has a belgian blonde, a scotch ale, and a 357 (3 hops, 5 malts, 7%) seasonal that rock.

http://www.doreriverview.com/beers.php

 

[GearBeer]

I give Rochester Mills a huge thumbsup. Eric, the brewer there, is a great guy and makes some fantastic beers.

Kuhnhenn usually has something interesting, although their beer was sub-par last time we were there.

Dragonmeade is a great place, highly recommended.

King's Brewery in Pontiac is my local haunt.

 

[Homercidal]

I have not been disappointed by much other than ATWATER. Stay away!

Dragonmead, Founders, Bells, Arcadia, Michigan Brewing Company... There are probalby tons in SE MI that are awesum, but I have not had most of them.

Scotty Karate is great!

I'm a fan of Michigan Beer, and not just because I live here.

 

[Revvy]

I give Rochester Mills a huge thumbsup. Eric, the brewer there, is a great guy and makes some fantastic beers.

Kuhnhenn usually has something interesting, although their beer was sub-par last time we were there.



King's Brewery in Pontiac is my local haunt.

And they are usually out of most things on their list when you go there. Though I still liked the Simcoe Silly from last week...but there wasn't much else to choose from.

I've never heard of King's. I should head up your way at some point.

 

[Reedwalker]

+ 1 Kuhnens, Dragonmead, and Black Lotus

The Royal Oak Brewery is owned by the same folks as Rochester Mills. One of the two is a good bet for great brew. If you're in Royal Oak area though take the time to find the Black Lotus in neighboring Clawson. They have a great atmosphere and a smoke free bar, and for those that must smoke there is plenty of outdoor seating. The "Claw-Town Steamer" is the current seasonal, although my fav is always the Hip-Hops IPA.

 

[Arkador]

Woodward Avenue Brewery, Vanilla Porter (One of my island beers, if I only could pick a few, this would be one of them)

I miss this place! Espically when i use one of the pint glasses i swpied last time i was there!