Michigan Breweries/Stores (2021)

I'd stop there only if I'm in the area. MegaBev and Horrocks would be my preferred stores since they are additional locations to my Battle Creek stores. And MegaBev's home store is here in BC so I especially have to help keep them strong. Maybe TW's buying power and product sources will allow them to have a stronger import section than what I'm used to seeing at my stores, so I'd check them out for that reason.

 

Is Transient an okay place to bring my 6 and 8 year old for a quick beer or 2 and a pick up? Need to get them out and planned to hit Warren and the rock shop in Bridgman and figured, well, I'm right there... Thanks for honest feedback in advance!

 

Assuming that they don't have a no-children policy, I wouldn't have any concerns whatsoever.

 

I went to Total Wine to have a look at it a few days ago. It's huge, but their strength is really in wines--no surprise, given the name. They do have an excellent selection of imported, national, and local beer. HOWEVER, don't go there expecting to discover a hard to find beer. With only one single exception, everything in the store is available at Meijer and in local liquor stores. (Happily, that exception is a beer I love, Andechs doppelbock.) If you are looking for special releases from places like Arvon, Speciation, Transient, Prairie, Revolution, etc., don't bother with Total Wine. Instead, go to Schuler's, Horrocks, Siciliano's, Rishi's, or (sometimes) Martha's Vineyard. On the other hand, Total Wine offers prices that are as good as, or slightly better than, Meijer. Total Wine will indeed hurt the smaller stores nearby.

 

This is why I asked. There's nothing on the website and nothing I could find on their FB page. I just drove by and it was crowded and I ran out of time anyways. Definitely people with kids there. I'm just going to go back on a weekday next week when not so crowded.

 

Definitely a good place for it, I have met up with out of town friends there that brought little ones with no issue. The new-ish outside area is great space addition to help spread things out for families

 

Have a couple beer stores to recommend.

Arbor Market in, yes, Ann Arbor. Great selection. You need to ask for singles, but they do have some broken out.

Livonia Liquor and Fine Wine. Also has a great selection, and frequently updated. They get Arvon delivered.

 

Got a chance to stop in at Seedz yesterday evening for a short time. Staff and brewer (and I assume the owner) were super friendly and fun to chat with. Hopper Helles is an unfiltered Helles and just a spectacular beer. Also got to try a few other samples before having to run. The Cut (pilsner) was also very good. Love the slow pours and proper glassware. Bought some Kolsch and Altbier to go. If they had the helles to go I would've bought a lot of it. Really cool looking place and wish I could've stayed longer or spent more time there this week. Unfortunately they're closed Tues/Wed and I leave Thursday. But yeah, people should be making an effort to stop here and try some beer. Taproom is beautiful, outside area is very nice, and he's brewing some real quality stuff. Highly recommended for sure.

 

I added them to my list last night for an upcoming pub crawl. I'm looking forward to the visit, and will try to spend enough time to try everything they brew.

 

Done it often enough where they know me.

These stores are the only two I've seen that do this and get the full lineup. Pretty cool.

 

Just circling back to my own question in case others want this info at some point. Transient was definitely family friendly, at least early in the day. We arrived shortly after opening on Sunday and were some of the only people there. Dude working the bar was super friendly. My kids (and the wife and I) got a kick out of Nirvana being played at a loud level. Stayed for about an hour. Was getting crowded by the time we left, so I was glad we got there when we did. Other people were coming in with kids when we were wrapping up. Inside was pretty open air. New patio on the one side of the building and a small outdoor space once inside too was nice. This was important for us because our kids are all under 12 and not vaxxed yet. The farmers market/outdoor market dkwn the street was fun to hit afterward.

Buckley Reserve #2 was very good. Kentuckley was also nice. Loved Slow Up. I left with a 4 pack of it and one of each of the Reserve bottles that were still there. There was a lot of BA stuff to go and on tap. Good times and a nice visit!

 

$8 per is the proper cost per can of Speciation. Cans are always sold individually though… were they packaged as actual 4-packs?

 

Interesting... I can see why it would be confusing then if you weren't familiar.

It's a pretty darn good beer for what it's worth (which apparently is $32 a 4-pack)