Glasses each representing the brewpubs/taprooms I made it to (hopcat is missing)
With the list sent to our blackberries we threw together some clothes for a couple days andhurried out the door towards Cleveland to hopefully sample some Great Lakes/Hopping Frog/Thirsty Dog. All three were closed for New Years Day. Didn’t really think the fact through that most places might be closed today before we left, but oh well we are committed at this point. Luckily after a few calls we found out that Jolly Pumpkin Cafe was open tonight. Three and a half hours later we pull into Ann Arbor Michigan.
Jolly Pumpkin Cafe – Ann Arbor MI
This is actually the outside of the brewery in Dexter, but they do not give tours to the public
We were pretty hungry so we split a Chicken/Red Pepper Pizza, and this Peppered Pork sandwich with sauerkraut that was just plain awesome. Had to start the new year off with some pork right? As far as beer I like to try and sample stuff that you can only get at the Brewpub so I went for a Tortuga Chocolate Stout, and honestly it was watery and lacking flavor (read full review Here). My girlfriend Cara got a Noel de Calabaza and it was really good. Tasted a lot like the Oro de Calabaza but with dark fruit flavors added in. Picked up a La Parcela (pumpkin flavored ale) for the road since I have never seen it at any bottleshop near me. Apparently the joke for years was that Jolly Pumpkin didn’t have a pumpkin flavored beer.
Decided to go see Avatar in 3d at a theater just down the road. Sidenote the special effects are amazing but the story line is very meh. Ended up calling it a night and getting a hotel at this point.
Dark Horse – Marshall MI
The brewery was in a semi-country setting, and looked the part from the outside
There were literally over 2000 of these in this tiny room
A view of the actual bar, notice the mugs all over
I am a big fan off coffee so I opted for a Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock (review here), and Cara ordered the Reserve Special Black Bier Ale. The Dopplebock has so much clean coffee flavor and was the best coffee beer I have EVER had, while the Black Bier was above average with a nice balance of caramel/hops/roast flavor.
After we finish our beer we ask if we can take a quick tour of the brewery, and the bartender said just to poke our head into the door in the back and Bryan would show us around real quick. So we walk out around the corner outside behind the bar and see an outdoor bar with the top torso of a mannequin that taps running out of its appendages. Very cool.
A view of the inside of the brewery
A leaf blower is used as a bottle dryer, and Bryan said the guy in the background is the breweries electrician
Arcadia – Battle Creek MI
A view from the back of the Arcadia Restaurant
We ordered a Cuban Reuben Sandwich, London Porter, and Sky High Rye (full review Here). The porter had a light mouthfeel with a Smoked Bittersweet Chocolate taste, while the Rye had a nice citrusy hop to it. While Cara and I were eating our meal, we noticed this lady at the bar just staring at us, so I decided to introduce her to the intarwebz via my Nikon.
You gon’ eat all that? A-hyuck!
Bells – Kalamazoo MI
The actual brewery does not do tours, and does not have the pub attached
We find out the Eccentric Cafe is the tap-house for the brewery. So we navigate our way about ten minutes down the road, only to drive past the place twice. Very weird how the building is set up because the entrance is in the back of the building, and the sign isn’t even close to the lot you park in.
No idea what the crazy African theme has to do with Bell’s, but it was a pretty nice setup
Anyways we end up getting Bell’s Apple Ale (Full review Here), and Bell’s Best Brown. The apple ale was very different, almost an apple vinegar taste to it, and the brown ale was malty. Similar to New Castle minus the hops. Kind of let down overall with this place as it was one of the ones I was REALLY looking forward to. After we finish our beers we end up leaving because the atmosphere was just off to us. Time to hike it up to West-Central Michigan!
HopCat – Grand Rapids MI
The beer list on this place is amazing, probably the most extensive tap list I have seen in person. They also recently started brewing their own beer recently so I went for the Bumbles Bounce Spiced Porter (Full review Here), and Cara tried the Shorts Uber Goober Oatmeal Stout. Bumbles Bounce was awesome; very smooth and smelled like cinnamon oatmeal with an all spice and cinnamon kick to the taste. The Goober was brewed with peanuts which gave the beer a very unique taste (very good stuff). We also got some kind of Hippie turkey burger, and some chorizo mac and cheese, both were really good. All the food I have ordered at these brewpubs so far have been excellent.
So damn full of beer and food by now that I need a bit to digest. At this point we wanted to hit up a 6 pack shop to pick up some bottles to bring back. Found Sicilianos Market thanks to BeerFly on BeerAdvocate.com. The two people on staff were super super helpful in making suggestions, and the girl on staff even checked in the back to see what else they might not have on the shelves. So much beer we cannot get back in PA. I had a hard time not spending hundreds of dollars. I settled for some Short’s, Goose Island, and a few others not found in PA. Totaled up to 3 six packs and a few bombers. If you live in the area I am sure you already know about this place, but if you don’t you NEED to stop here.
Time to head back to Founders to see if the line has died down.
Founder’s – Grand Rapids MI
From the outside of the bar/brewery
The brewery was started by Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers right out of college in 1990. Apparently they both had full time jobs, but decided to drop them and pursue brewing full time. They struggled at first but obviously are doing very well for themselves now.
The inside of this place was very cool. Huge stage at the far end, with a bar that ran almost the distance of the building on the right. I like that they ONLY serve beer at this bar, very cool. So so so many beers I wanted to try, but only so little room left in the stomach. A lot of hard to find Founder’s beers on tap, black biscuit was one, and many I have never heard of. I haven’t had a good wheat beer in a long time and the Honey Wheat sounded perfect. Strong honey taste but not too much, very solid beer. At this point we were both pooped and so full of beer that we decided to hit the road towards New Holland and Three Floyds. Ended up getting a hotel in SW Michgican near Benton Harbor at about 1:30am. Gotta catch a little sleep then only time for one, maybe two more breweries!
Goose Island – Chicago IL
From the outside of the bar
As you walk into Goose Island there is a large rectangular bar in the middle, with some tables on an elevated area to the left. Very upscale feel to this place. The bar was packed because of the Bears game. We Ended up getting the last bar table along the left side of the bar.
A view of the bar from our seat
A picture of the girlfriend, the bar, and the beer.
Mmmmmmmm Pizza – Fattytown USA
Heart attack in a pan
In closing I have to say this was an awesome trip. At the end of it all I almost feel like I ran a marathon, and had a keg of beer thrown right to my sternum as a reward. I tried a ton of new beer, brought a bunch home, and met a few cool beer heads along the way. As many of you would agree beer advocacy is just as much about the comradery as it is the beer itself, and driving around to random beer establishments was an awesome way to experience a bit of both. If you have a string of breweries/brewpubs near you I would suggest taking a weekend and hoofing it out to see as many of you can. Thanks for reading and please post your thoughts in the comments section below. Cheers!
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Sorry, forgot to add a website
http://www.kbrewery.com/
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