Aberrant Ales

Fairly large facility. Room for indoor gaming area and buffet. Very friendly staff. Street and side street parking. Reasonable selection of beers and four-packs to go.

 

I have been going to A.A since day 1 and figured it was time to write up a review. I was very excited that a downtown brewpub would be opening near me and rushed right in with cash in hand to join the mug club.

In the beginning, there were the usual growing pains that you' expect from a new brewery. Beer was decent but nothing exceptional (happily it has developed well over the first couple years) and service was iffy. However, the owners adapted well and now their service/staff is top notch. Friendly without being smothering. Happy to offer up a free sample if you aren't sure what to have.

The atmosphere is nice as it is right down town. Plenty of windows to the outside. Part of the brewery is set up for cornhole if that is your thing. Plenty of seating on the days I have popped in. Nice, clean, modern yet rustic décor.

Beer.....yes. the important thing that will make or break. As mentioned earlier, the beer has evolved to largely exceptional brews. The West Coast IPA for example....when they first opened it was just OK but over the years they must have tweaked the recipe as now it is my "go-to" brew. Fortunately it is a core beer and always available.

Overall, I like to review the good and bad.. Fortunately, my complaints are relatively minor.

GOOD:
-Staff members are friendly, generally knowledgeable and attentive without going over the top.
-Location downtown is fantastic.
-Their beers have developed over the years. They have some fantastic core beers (West Coast IP and Hazy D are my faves) They aren't afraid to try different things often times with great results.
-They are active in the community having "charity taps" and other events.

NOT SO GOOD:
1) Personally, I think they tend to overdo the Fruit/Sour beers. Seems as if there are always multiple options here. Don't get me wrong, there are some that were good but I personally don't see the need for more than one tap dedicated to fruit/sour. One member of the staff said they do it to "cater to the ladies". That makes sense but when you have 10-12 taps, dedicating a third of them to fruit/sour/cider, it limits your other offerings. I'd love to see a tap or 2 for a Trippel, Hefeweizen, Kriek, etc. They have IPA's and Stout/porters covered. I will say that there is always something for me that I like but would like to see some more traditional offerings.

2) This is very minor but in their first year they did a couple nitro beers which I am a sucker for. They were excellent. They still have the equipment from what I was told. They for some reason have chosen not to do them the last couple years. A good nitro stout or even trying a nitro west coast would be nice

3) Food is offered and is decent. They have a small kitchen so not expecting steaks or the like. However, you don't get a lot of bang for your buck in the food dept. Of course I don't go for the food. I go for the beer and I do get the occasional pizza or tacos (PS. Bring back $2 taco Tuesday. I imagine folks buy enough beer to make up for the discounted tacos).

Overall, the good far outweighs the not-so-good. Aberrant Ales has become a staple in the downtown Howell scene and rightfully so. Good people who make good beer. I truly enjoy popping in on the way home from work to partake in a mug or 2 of their goods while chatting with staff and other patrons. It's a welcoming environment which is sometimes under rated in a brewery. Some places feel very sterile and commercial. Not so with AA. As long as they keep making a solid brew, I will keep my mug club rolling.

Creative beers and great service. Food selection is small, but quality is very good.