Mackinaw Trail Winery/Brewery, Petoskey, Michigan

On a recent trip to Northern Michigan I was pleasantly surprised to be taken to a new brewery in the Petoskey area called Mackinaw Trail Winery and Brewery.  The new brewery (opened in 2014) is located in the established winery (2004) on a property that includes a large vineyard, a building for events, and a modern tasting room/bistro.  I'm told that future plans include a bed-and-breakfast and a distillery.  All-in-all, Mackinaw Trial will be a fun tourist destination in this area.

At the tasting room you can try the beer, wine, or cider.   Being me, I choose to try the beer for which a surprising 9 were offered.  There was a good range of styles including a Pilsner, fruit wheat, amber, two IPAs, and several stouts.  One of the stouts was barrel aged (Molasses Bourbon Stout) with impressive stats: ABV% = 14.5; IBU = 88.  This one was quite good and I think it will improve with age.  I bought a 22 ouncer for this purpose.  All the beers were very good and some had clever names such as the U.P Yours IP "eh".  Get it? 

They also had a double IPA they called Double Trouble.  I imagine that it won’t be long before they get a note from Founder's Brewing asking them to not use that name, as Founder's has used the same name for their outstanding Imperial IPA.  You can get a 5 sample flight of beer for $10.

I look forward to seeing this brewery grow and expect that it will continue to make excellent beers and I hope to see them at the various Michigan beer festivals in years to come.  If you're in the Petoskey area, you will not be disappointed in this winery/brewery. Find them on the web at: http://www.mackinawtrailwinery.com/brewery/

Cheers,

Zymus

Founder’s Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan

After enjoying Founder’s Brewing Company’s beer for more than a decade, I finally got the chance to visit their taproom.  The brewery facility was quite impressive.  The taproom was the biggest I had ever been in (well, it’s actually several rooms) and the place was packed with patrons.  There were hundreds of people enjoying the excellent craft beers that are made here. 

They do sell food, but I never got a chance to look at a menu, as our party has stand for a short while and then got a table where we could see into the brewing kettles and other equipment. There was a short wait to get beer at the bar, so we did that and brought them back to our table. The beer listing was mostly the standard Founder’s beers that one can find in stores, but they also had Infiltrator, Sweet Repute, Backwoods Bastard, and Frangelic Mountain Brown.  All were interesting craft beers.

In addition to the indoor tap room, there was an impressive overflow crowd out on the front patio, where people could stay warm by hanging out by the numerous heaters and fire pits.  It was only about 20 deg outside, but it was quite pleasant hanging around an open fire drinking an Infiltrator to keep warm.  The outside area was packed as you can see. 

Folks from Grand Rapids sure like their craft beer! 

Cheers,

Zymus      

Bill's Beer Garden, Ann Arbor, MI

The Ann Arbor beer scene just keeps getting better.  Now you can get some of the best local craft beer on tap while sitting in a parking lot of a downtown business at Bill's Beer Garden.  I know what you are thinking--That does not sound so great.  Lemme set ya straight.

The parking lot is for Downtown Home and Garden and is surrounded by trees and birds.  Once the cars leave, tables and awnings are set up and there are decorative lights. Fire pits and heaters are used on colder nights.  A variety of food is available from food carts located at the other side of the Home and Garden store.  This "urban garden," as they describe it, is quite a nice place to take a break at after doing whatever you like to do in downtown Ann Arbor.  The best thing, however, is the local craft beer.  Besides offerings from the Michigan Craft Beer stalwarts (Founder's, Bell's, and New Holland), they also have selections from Wolverine State Brewing Company (Ann Arbor); Original Gravity (Saline); Dragonmead (Warren); Dark Horse (Marshall); and Odd Side (Grand Haven).  A good selection, but I wished they had a few rotating taps (perhaps one from Brewery Vivant?).  They also have wine and other beverages for those who don't want beer.

The entire place is low key.  You order beer from the beer window, you pay (or start a tab), they fill the glass, and you pick it up and find a place at one of the long tables.  Be prepared to sit with folks you don't know, because the tables are usually filled.  Not to worry, however, you do know that the person you're sitting next to is probably a Michigan Craft Beer lover. 

Cheers,
Zymus