MI Beer-cation 7/26-8/4

You HAVE to add a lakeshore leg to your journey! New Holland, Our Brewing, and 8th St. Grill in Holland - and then up the road to Odd Side Ales in Grand Haven.

 

Up the road? Odd side is hour or more from holland

 

Also just about everything you can get in bottles is what's on tap at new holland

 

What???? I can get from Grand Rapids to Grand Haven in an hour. Holland To Grand Haven is like 20 mins

I agree that there is nothing spectacular about a visit to New Holland, but it is certainly worthy of a stop during a week-long Michigan beer-centric vacation. No?

 

Also, if you are travelling between GR and the lakeshore, then I would recommend stops in Hudsonvillle at White Flame Brewing, and Pike 51 Brewing.

 

I would say no plenty of other solid places to hit instead.

 

I would reccomend Short's brewery above everything else, first and foremost. Also, you can stop by sleeping bear dunes on the drive down to Grand Rapids. You know, nothing special, just the largest sand dune in the country and voted the best beach in the country in 2010...









Yes, I would highly reccomend seeing NorthWest Michigan, also Traverse City has some great breweries, most notably Jolly Pumpkin. Short's is a short drive away...

 

If you change your itinerary to include Short's and Sleeping Bear Dunes (that's a National Park so check out getting pass permits ahead of time online, maybe there is a $ savings) then your replanning efforts could put you in Kalamazoo/Battle Creek/Marshall on a weekend. Bell's offers tours of the original brewery at the Eccentric Cafe (drinking allowed) as well tours at the new brewery in Galesburg (impressive new state-of-the-art equipment, but no drinking). Arcadia offers tours only on Saturday, but ho-hum, and you can see most of the brewery equipment thru the windows that separate the pub from the brewing area. Dark Horse charges $7 for their tour, but the tour itself isn't anything special. However, for your $7 you get to sample beers in the VIP lounge, which usually include some goodies that you can't get in the main pub, plus you get a logo glass. Those two benefits usually make the tour worth it.

 

Great itinerary! If I may suggest though, 2 days to see Dark Horse, Arcadia, and Bells seems like a bit much, I personally would skip Paw Paw, Greenbush, and Livery to add an extra day to drive up north. I went to school in Kalamazoo, Bells has some great brewery only beers that you could spend a lot of time enjoying, nothing like a fresh Two Hearted a day or two old

As far as driving times, my numbers may be a bit off, but it should be around 45-60 mins to Grand Rapids from Kalamazoo depending on traffic, and from GR about 2.5-3 hours max to Traverse City, from there it's about 30 mins west to Sleeping Bear (the pictures I posted), and perhaps 40 mins to Bellaire? If someone wants to correct me on times please do so, that's just my best estimate. 2 days in Grand Rapids is awesome, as there's a lot to see and drink (it wasn't named Beer City USA for nothing). Founders has one of the best brewpubs i've ever seen, you could spend a whole day there and quickly visit hopcat and vivant before you leave. Personally, I would skip Arcadia, they have always been good but nothing special.

I see you're skipping New Holland, i've never been to their brewery but have always thought of them similarly to Arcadia, nothing special enough to seek out if you have limited time. I can't stress Short's enough, they have absolutely killed it this year, especially in the IPA and hops department. Spruce Pilsner, Dan's Pink Skirt, Freedom of 78, Hopstache, Bead of Zeus... I'm not too sure what their draft offerings are at their brewpub currently, but if they have any of the latter it would easily justify the drive. I can't stress Short's enough, i HIGHLY reccomend you make time and chekc them out. YOu can also have an excuse to check out Sleeping Bear dunes, which is worth the trip to Michigan itself. In terms of the highest priority, I would say Founder's, Bell's, Short's, Kuhnhenn, Dragonsmead, and then either Dark Horse or Vivant. I live near Ann Arbor, I would skip Arbor brewing, which I think you already are...

 

Griffin Claw does have food....Also, if you like Sour's, their berlinerweiss is amazing...

Ann Arbor is also a foodie town..You dont have to eat at the breweries as amazing food is all around...But Jolly Pumpkin does have fantastic food and Blue Tractor has some decent BBQ..

One other brewery I would recommend in Grand Rapids is Perrin..I personally believe they are a must...

On your touristy stuff, I would personally hit up Henry Ford Museum and/or Greenfield Village...Also, Downtown Detroit there is the Detroit Institute of Arts which is friggin Amazing

 

I'm in North Holland and it's 24 miles straight into GH.

There really is no better spot in the warm months then Grand Haven (had a very well traversed couple tell me lake mi sand is the one of the softest in the world.) and 8/3 is the Coast Guard fireworks, and there's really not much better fireworks in all the state then those. if ya go park east of the highway and walk to downtown.

 

Skip Olde Peninsula in favor of Shakes, KBE, and/or CCTH.

 

Definitely Shakespeare's when in Kzoo. They have a lot of good stuff left over from the anniversary party last weekend.

 

All this good info is helpIng ME out. Thanks y'all!

 

One option in AA is Bill's Beer garden, opens late afternoon.

One thing to think about if you go to the TC area, it is tourist season. Was at Shorts last Wed. Night, and a couple said the traffic in TC was bumper to bumper.

 

on your first day i suggest hitting royal oak you can do 3 breweries in a mile radius

 

I have no idea if you are spending time in Flint, but on your way through Flint, or back to Flint, if you have time stop at Table and Tap in downtown flint. The BBQ is REALLY good. Its all locally grown product in an area that has experienced its tough times. Best of all, they have 30+ Michigan beer on tap. They have Kuhnhenn, Perrin, and Devil Dancer all on tap right now. I think it would be a nice welcome/goodbye and its only 5 minutes away from Bishop International Airport