Tag: pure michigan

Covid Brewery Trips in GR

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Restaurants, Trips, vacationsLeave a comment

Did I travel during a pandemic? Bet your ass I did. Took a trip up to Grand Rapids this past weekend to visit a good buddy of mine. On Friday, before meeting up with him I stopped at two Breweries in town.

First up was Brewery Vivant. Now this place had the smallest food menu. A regular burger, a veggie burger and some appetizers. They would only cook the burger well done too. Honestly, I am not a fan of red meat unless it’s bleeding. The sauce they put on the burger (a chipotle type sauce with more of a hearty kick) was delicious though and they had some good beer. I really enjoyed the Straw Barb, a strawberry sour. I just wish the food menu had a few more items. Throw a chicken sandwich on there.

Straw Barb at Brewery Vivant

After Brewery Vivant, I meandered over to ELK Brewing and had a couple more beers. The Mango Summer Wheat and Blonde Express were both solid beers. I would say I preferred the Mango Summer Wheat and I’m not a big mango guy. After that, I wrapped up and went to my buddy’s, but it was a couple good brewery visits for a Friday afternoon trip to the Mitten. Have to get back up there to visit the rest of GR. Maybe I’ll wait for this Covid stuff to pass to really enjoy the city.

Mango Summer Wheat from Ell Brewing

Royal Easter Beer

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Trips, vacationsLeave a comment

This weekend I was up in Michigan for Easter or Zombie Jesus day, whichever terminology you prefer. While I may have grown up in Michigan, I honestly don’t know the area that well. We tended to stay in my West Bloomfield bubble. Now, I like to try out the different breweries in the area when I can.

Saturday night we grabbed a few at The Royal Oak Brewery. This place has been around since the mid 90s. The taproom reflects the working class vibes Royal Oak tended to have till it became a millennial hotbed. The brewery makes really solid beers. I went with the Royal Pride IPA and the Northern Kolsch. Both were good beers. Nothing crazy or spectacular that stood out but both good beers that I would have again. Having been around for much longer than many craft breweries, it is clear that they know what they are doing. Sometimes just doing the little things is enough to be good. Credit to The Royal Oak Brewery for recognizing that.

Weightless Beer

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Restaurants, Trips, vacationsLeave a comment

Lakes, beer, dogs. What better way to spend Memorial Day weekend? Over the holiday weekend, I went to Northern Michigan and on my way up there I stopped in Milan, Michigan at Original Gravity Brewing Co. I had quick beer there while enjoying a delicious turkey chipotle sandwich. I tried their witbier while I was there and was greeted by the very friendly staff. The small little brewery has a great staff and was the perfect lunch time stop on my way up north. The bartender and I talked about kayaking and was attentive throughout my time. The witbier was called Wheeler Witbier and was very refreshing on the warm summer day. If I wasn’t on a long drive I definitely would have tried more. An excellent stop in the Michigan beer scene that is overall one of the best states for beer. IMG_1962

Commerce Craft Brews

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, RestaurantsLeave a comment

While I visited Griffin Claw Brewing in Michigan one night last weekend, I also visited two others on Saturday night. Saturday my friend Phil and I went to a couple of the Commerce, Michigan area breweries: Kickstand Brewing Company and CJ’s Brewing Company. These were two more new ones to cross off my list.

Kickstand had some great beers. This small brewery situated in a strip mall has a industrial mixed with rustic feel to it with the re-purposed wood pallets hanging from the ceiling. The Mort’s Buck Brown Beer was a delicious beer. Very drinkable for a brown ale. I really enjoyed the smoothness of it. The staff was great and friendly and all three bartenders helped us out. It is a well run establishment that I see having a bright future.

CJ’s brewery had a great patio. It’s always nice to sit outside after a long winter. The Summer Brew beer was pretty tasty wheat beer similar to an Oberon. That summer beer is definitely a popular type among breweries lately. The tater tots there were very unique. I love a good tot (see previous posts) and these were rectangular shape instead of the traditional cylinder type tots. A nice complement to the beer and another great tot for my list.

These two are great additions in the recent years to the Commerce area and a part of the ever growing craft beer scene in Michigan and Nationally.

kickstand.jpg
Kickstand Brewing Company

Jesus would have drank craft beer

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, RestaurantsLeave a comment

I know it is Good Friday, I shouldn’t be drinking beer and eating meat but Jesus would have drank craft beer. That I am sure of. Can you think of anything more Jesus like then drinking something that is kind of anti-establishment? I mean the man liked wine and didn’t appreciate those in positions of power. Jesus would have drank craft beer.

Tonight, I tried out a brewery in Birmingham, MI 15 minutes from where I grew up. Griffin Claw Brewing Company has made a big name for itself the last few years and it lived up to its reputation.

The GC brewery was packed for dinner this Friday night. And luckily my buddy and I were able to snag a table. I tried out a couple brews including the Norm’s Raggedy Ass IPA, which is their award winning beer and definitely deserved its award. For dinner I had the above pictured Mac and Cheese. It was very good and the chicken on top was perfect, not over cooked or under cooked. A true contender for top 5 Mac and Cheese. Overall, this was a great spot and whenever I am back visiting my family in Michigan I will have to stop back in. Griffin Claw Brewing Company is a true gem of the mitten state craft beer scene.

Nano Brewing Detroit

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Restaurants, TripsLeave a comment

Detroit has received a bad rap for quite some time now. I must admit I was someone who talked down on it. However, like much of the rust belt, it is seeing a revival (thanks hipsters). On a quick trip back to where I grew up, I spent a day downtown and checked out a few different spots that are a part of Detroit’s recent resurgence. One such spot is located in the Corktown neighborhood, Batch Brewing Company.

corktown

Batch is a small brewery that focuses on nano brewing. Brewing smaller batches that pack a lot of quality but also allow for experimentation since the scale is smaller. Batch Brewing is a cool industrial type place with some pretty good beers. While I didn’t have anything to eat, it does seem to have a pretty solid menu with good offerings. Detroit is not the bleak dismal place it once was. The city is rebounding and places like Batch Brewing company are a part of that. If you’re in the city, I recommend checking this brewery out. Or maybe take a drive up north and spend a few days there. Detroit may surprise you.

Climbing the Mountain of Beer

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, RestaurantsLeave a comment

I am late on this because it was about 4 weeks ago that I went but I need to get back to getting some posts up. Ascension Brewing Company is located in Novi, Michigan. It is relatively new on the craft brew radar and is tucked away among random other shops and businesses. I thought I put in the wrong location at first in my GPS.

Once I found the place and made my way inside, I ordered up a beer sampler. I have to say the beers were not bad but nothing really stood out to me. They have quite a bit of variety on their tap list and I think this place is trying to find their niche. I will say though the Mac and Cheese will pork was excellent. Besides beer, I like to think I have tried lots of different mac and cheeses. Beer and mac and cheese is a great combination in my book. I think I’ll have to give Ascension some time to climb the beer mountain and try them again in the future. Potential is there, they just have not reached the summit quite yet.

Beer in a Christmas Town

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Trips, vacations1 Comment

This past Saturday I stopped at brewery in Frankenmuth. Frankenmuth is a tourist town in Michigan known for Christmas and German food. I have been to Frankenmuth a few times but this was my first time stopping at Frankenmuth Brewery.

Ok, I have to admit the reason for stopping was my girlfriend’s obsession with her dachshund and the fact that the mascot for Frankenmuth Brewery is a dachshund. She had to visit and  I was not going to object to the chance to try another brewery.

I was pleasantly surprised with the beer here. I tried 8 different beers and have to say there was not a single one I didn’t enjoy.  My favorite  was the Belgian Quad called Oh My Quad! It is a fantastic beer that I would place in  my top 5 I have ever had. I was also impressed with the variety. They brew quite a few beers for a small craft brewer and I don’t think I even tried half of them. Just another reason for me to visit again.

Frankenmuth is a cool little town that is well worth the visit, especially around Christmas time. And while you’re there stop in to Frankenmuth Brewery. I recommend it.