Recommend Beers from Indiana/Michigan/Illinois

[AlexKay]

I'm setting up a tasting where everything comes from breweries in Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois. I have a preference but not a requirement for small and/or independent breweries, but also am restricted to what I can reasonably get my hands on in cans or bottles.

So far the list I've come up with is:

North American Lager: Founders Solid Gold
Czech Pils: Bell’s Lager of the Lakes
Doppelbock: New Oberpfalz Elucidator
Porter: New Holland Poet?
Smoked: Dovetail Rauchdoppelbock
Belgian: Goose Island Matilda
American Wheat: 3 Floyds Gumballhead
IPA: Bare Hands Westy
NEIPA: Metazoa Wicked Pawesome?
Fruit: Short's Soft Parade
Sour: ??
BBA Stout: New Holland Dragon’s Milk

I'm trying to cover a wide range of styles. I'd also like to not repeat breweries in this list, so am looking for a replacement for either the stout/porter entry or the BBA entry. If there's another category you think I'm missing, or a better beer for a category I have, or any suggestion for a great IN/MI/IL sour, I am all ears.

TIA!

 

[Brushwood Brewing]

My favorite brewery is Off Color, from Chicago. They specialize in wild and sour ales, so they'll have something that will fit your open category. Everything I've had from them is fantastic, so there's no wrong choice.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Just about anything from Founders is great. Backwoods Bastard is my favorite from them.

 

[MaxStout]

For an IIPA, I'm kind of partial to 3 Floyds Dreadnaught. Unfortunately, I can't buy it here.

 

[AlexKay]

Just about anything from Founders is great. Backwoods Bastard is my favorite from them.

I do like Founders. I put them down for Solid Gold because it's hands-down my favorite adjunct lager. Still trying to have max one beer from one brewery.

I've been trying sours and barrel-aged beers to try to come up with good examples. I just had Wax Wings Double-Barrel Prison of Cognac, and it was good, so that might be a pick. Or there's Dark Lord -- I've got tickets, so I'll be picking up new bottles in May, though it should really be kept a while, right? And then I'd need to find another American wheat, and Gumballhead is really good...

Uplands has some reasonable sours.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I see what you're thinking. I was going to suggest some from my homeland, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan but you might be hard pressed to find them down your way. It looks like you have a good stock to pick from.

 

[AlexKay]

I see what you're thinking. I was going to suggest some from my homeland, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan but you might be hard pressed to find them down your way. It looks like you have a good stock to pick from.

Recommend away! I know I can get some brands from Upper Hand, but smaller breweries, maybe not. But I can’t try if I don’t know what to look for…

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Gnome Wreaker from Cognition, Cherry Wheat & Soultaker from Jasper Ridge, Crankset (Doppelbock) from the Ore Dock in Marquette and my absolute favorite from Blackrocks in Marquette, Barbaric Yawp. It's a barrel aged Scottish ale, available in the winter which could be 10 months in Marquette.

 

[skidmark]

Be aware that Bell's, in obeyance of their new corporate overlords, is killing the excellent Lager OF the Lakes for the neutered Lager FOR the Lakes. A fine Czech Pils for American gas station beer. From 34 IBUs down to 20. Similar ABV.

You have been warned.

 

[AlexKay]

Be aware that Bell's, in obeyance of their new corporate overlords, is killing the excellent Lager OF the Lakes for the neutered Lager FOR the Lakes. A fine Czech Pils for American gas station beer. From 34 IBUs down to 20. Similar ABV.

You have been warned.

!@#$%.

I saw the name change, but didn't realize they were F-ing up the beer.

 

[AlexKay]

List is a work in progress. Here's where I'm at now:

North American Lager: Founders Solid Gold
European Lager (Czech Pils, Helles, Vienna, etc.): ???
Doppelbock: New Oberpfalz Elucidator
Porter: New Holland Poet
Smoked: Dovetail Rauchdoppelbock
Belgian: Goose Island Matilda
American Wheat: 3 Floyds Gumballhead
IPA: Bare Hands Westy
NEIPA: Metazoa Wicked Pawesome
Fruit: Short's Soft Parade
Sour: Taxman Balance of Sour?
Barrel Aged: Wax Wings Double Barrel Prison of Cognac

I need to do a local-liquor-store crawl to see if there are obvious things I'm missing.

 

[BoitAHL]

Odd Side Ales Hazel's Nuts

 

[gaviga]

Revolution Brewing's Eugene Porter is a great beer.

 

[treebeerd]

Jolly Pumpkin sours are very good

 

[ajmetzger]

Just about everything from Tryptich Brewing in Savoy, IL is worth trying, but their distribution is quite local.

 

[jdseppala]

I'm setting up a tasting where everything comes from breweries in Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois. I have a preference but not a requirement for small and/or independent breweries, but also am restricted to what I can reasonably get my hands on in cans or bottles.

So far the list I've come up with is:

North American Lager: Founders Solid Gold
Czech Pils: Bell’s Lager of the Lakes
Doppelbock: New Oberpfalz Elucidator
Porter: New Holland Poet?
Smoked: Dovetail Rauchdoppelbock
Belgian: Goose Island Matilda
American Wheat: 3 Floyds Gumballhead
IPA: Bare Hands Westy
NEIPA: Metazoa Wicked Pawesome?
Fruit: Short's Soft Parade
Sour: ??
BBA Stout: New Holland Dragon’s Milk

I'm trying to cover a wide range of styles. I'd also like to not repeat breweries in this list, so am looking for a replacement for either the stout/porter entry or the BBA entry. If there's another category you think I'm missing, or a better beer for a category I have, or any suggestion for a great IN/MI/IL sour, I am all ears.

TIA!

Upper Hand SISU stout is 10%, it's Barrel aged but real good if you can find it by you. Also any of the heavy's from ODDsides are the bomb!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I'll be stopping in at Upper Hand soon, can't wait to try that stout. Thanks for the tip!

 

[eliastheodosis]

Just about everything from Tryptich Brewing in Savoy, IL is worth trying, but their distribution is quite local.

Seconding this if you can get your hands on it.

Jolly Pumpkin sours are very good

And this one

Smoked: Dovetail Rauchdoppelbock

This is a great choice. Alarmist Bamberger and Art History Fastenbier are also really good showings.

If you can get your hands on some Scratch then I feel that belongs somewhere on this list.