Next week I start my yearly travel cycle through the North Central US. I always like to try local beers when I can but I’m sure that most of the place I go to don’t have the real micro/nano brews available. So, I’m asking for your help.
If you live in one of the states listed above (ND, SD - just the East part) and you have a good recommendation for a beer that I should seek out while I’m out there, please let me know. I’ll probably be in each state for at least a week so I don’t mind driving a few miles out of my way to find a good beer. There are some definitely obvious ones (MI - Bell’s) but are there really tiny but great breweries that don’t distribute very broadly? That’s what I’m looking to find.
Jolly Pumpkin, Ann Arbor-brewpub /Dexter-brewery
You said Bell’s
Big Rock, Birmingham, Dan is one of the best brewers in the state
Brewery Vivant, Grand Rapids
Short’s, Bellaire
Hopcat, Grand Rapids, they have many MI brewpubs beers on tap.
check out http://michiganbeerguide.com/
I’ll be near Eau Claire in WI this weekend and am planning to check out Lazy Monk Brewing which is a local brewery in those parts.
He’s also active on the forum. Their website lists the places you can get their beer.
I also hope to get to New Glarus, but that’s been on the list for a loooong time.
Sounds like you’re probably going over the UP from Michigan to Wisconsin, but if you’re down near Indiana/Illinois Three Floyds is right there in Munster.
For MI, crossing at Detroit, swinging along the bottom 1/2 of the state in a rough loop back to Port Huron. Later in the year I’ll be going across at Port Huron, swinging North of Lansing upto Shepherd, back along I-75 through Saginaw and back to Port Huron.
For MN, I’ll cover most of the state, for WI, the lower half. Basically, if you can grow corn there, I’ll be there.
OK - you are in that line of work, so here goes. Fred linked you to the Michigan Beer Guide, which is something to bookmark.
Kuhnhenn and Dragonmead in Warren, Big Rock in Birmingham. Ann Arbor has 5 brewpubs + the Corner Brewery in Ypsi. OG in Milan is making some really clean and balanced beers - the 440 pepper smoker is one that is a little out of the box.
I-94 has breweries from Ann Arbor to the State line. Local Pub and Brewery in Jackson, Arcadia in Battle Creek, Bells, Paw Paw in Paw Paw, Livery in Benton Harbor and Greenbush in Sawyer (exit 12).
If you are heading up along Lake MI, there is Saugatuck in Douglas and Odd Side in Grand Haven.
In Sparta, there is Michgan Beer Cellar, making some really tasty IPA’s. The British IPA is based on the owners NHC gold medal winner from a few years back.
Fred covered Grand Rapids, but I hear good things about Hideout Brewery.
Michigan Brewing is in Weberville, they make the Celis line up these days.
Redwood Lodge on the south side of Flint has won many GABF medals and has been Small Brewpub of the year. The brewer that won those is no longer there of late, so I can’t say if the beers are still as good.
Edit - you should be able to find some Shorts in a good beer bar or at a party store (as liquor stores are called here).
Edit #2 - Dark Horse in Marshall. Great taproom with an “up North feel to it”.
Wisconsin has a bunch of small breweries that are putting out some great stuff. I’ve had good beers from Ale Asylum, Central Waters, and O’so, to name a few. Lakefront in Milwaukee has a great coffee stout and their brewery tour is a lot of fun.
there are a lot of options - all of the following have websites
Schell’s - Especially the Stag series
Brau Brothers - anything
Mantorville Brewing company - pick up a growler of one of the fruit infused beers
Flat Earth Brewing - pick up a growler of Black Hilicopter
Also check out several brew pubs
Fitger’s - Duluth
Town Hall - Minneapolis
Great Waters- St. Paul
Beer stores
Four Firkins - St. Louis Park
The Ale Jail - St. Paul
Pairings - Eden Prairie
Most of the MInnesota breweries/brewpubs have already been mentioned, but I’ll also throw Harriet Brewing out there. I love their West Side IPA (Belgian-style IPA) and Wodan Weizen. They don’t seem to have the marketing prowess of Surly and Fulton, but they’ve got some very solid brews.
If you end up getting to New Glarus, try to stop by the Grumpy Troll brewpub in Mt. Horeb, WI. From what I recall, they’re about 15 minutes away from each other.
Any recommendations near Milwaukee other than Lakefront? If you had to choose between going to Lakefront and Northern Brewer versus Redamak burgers and Bell’s in Michigan, which would you pick?
The newest micro in MN is Steel Toe Brewing in St. Louis Park (Minneapolis burb). They are still at the point of just having growler sales on Friday’s 5:30-7:30. Tonight is just the third Friday and the first night they will have more than one variety available. Can’t say it’s a “must have” yet, but Jason Schoneman (sp?) is the brewer and he’s got some chops…