Tag: puremichigan

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.

Ann Arbor

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

This one pains me to write. I hate the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor to me is representative of that. Ann Arbor is the city of Arrogant Assholes. Their Walmart Wolverine fan base is insufferable. I have a strong rule when rooting for college sports teams at a school you didn’t attend, if you ACT score was not within 2 points of the school average you can’t cheer for them. It’s my rule and you must obey. Yet, spending all day Saturday in Ann Arbor was a good time. There, I said it. I had a good time in that city. Like a drug addict admitting their short comings, that was good to get off my chest.

During our day visit to Ann Arbor, we tried three different breweries, Arbor Brewing, Jolly Pumpkin and Grizzly Peak. Each had some good beers and good food. We went heavy on the carbs going with soft pretzels, truffle fries and mac & cheese at each respectively. I like to justify this as carb loading. Regardless, the food was good. Arbor Brewing was probably my favorite of the three with the large selection of beer variety. The Pollination Sensation Honey Lavender Ale was the best one of the day. Top notch beer. Though, if sours are your thing then head to the Jolly Pumpkin. They specialize in sours and have quite a large number of them. The state of Michigan continues to be near the top in beer quality and Ann Arbor did not disappoint despite their reputation as Arrogant Assholes. I may even go back.

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