One day in Michigan; need your recs

Sicilianos is probably your best bet as far as bottle shops go and it's about 5 miles from Founders.

 

Try the Tapistry in Bridgman. About 20 min. south of Benton Harbor.

 

Go to vivant for food. If its a sunday try for brunch. About 10 minutes from founder's, good belgian beers and great food.

 

I agree with the Tapistry recommendation, and very close by is Greenbush. And if you are in Benton Harbor you have to go to The Livery. They are doing a great job on everything they brew. Especially notable are their sours, and you could get lucky and find some to take home with you.

 

Tapestry, yes. Livery in Benton Harbor, but I have not been recently. Greenbush in Sawyer.

I also,like the Mitten in GR and Brewery Vivant. There are many more that the people on the west side of MI can fill you in on. Sicilianos for bottles, two thumbs up.

If you are in Kalamazoo there are many new places there, and the Arcadia production brewery is worth a look.

 

Welcome to Michigan, sir. I'm a Holland resident that works in Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, which is right in the wheelhouse for the area you'll be in. Based on your trip, it's probably best to do one day in GRaps/Holland and one day in Kalamazoo, if you can. Those are the two biggest clusters.

My thoughts for various areas...

St. Joseph/Benton Harbor - There are a few good places to go locally, especially for bottles.

- The Liquor Cabinet (bottle shop): Don't be fooled by the strip mall location, one of the best selections in West Michigan in general. They'll have the full stock of MI beers, plus specials that don't get grabbed up as fast as the bigger areas. Good first stop if you're home base is in Benton Harbor.
- Lambrechts Liquor (bottle shop): Less than half a mile from The Liquor Cabinet. Not as great a selection, but they hold some unusual singles that might be worth checking out if you're from out of state.
- The Buck Burgers and Brew (tap house): If you want a drink close to Benton Harbor, this is a good spot. Lots of taps, good food and great location. Tap menu is available online:
- The Livery (brewery): Gotten a lot better in recent years. Good offerings that you can't buy in bottles outside of the brewery. Hasn't killed it with respect to some GRaps or KZoo options, but great for a neighborhood brewery.

​

Holland/Grand Rapids: Straight north from Benton Harbor, you'll pass Holland on your way to GRaps.

- New Holland (brewery): Downtown Holland's flagship brewery. If you don't get access to the New Holland mainstays, it may be worth your time. Don't expect any specialty taps though. If you're familiar New Holland beers (Dragon's Milk, Mad Hatter IPA), you've got better options ahead.
- Hops at 84 East (tap house): Same street as New Holland. In the past month, they've tapped some premiere beer options from Michigan and on. Check their beer menu in the morning to see if it interests you before you travel.
- Founders: You know... It's Founders.
- Perrin Brewing: Just North of Grand Rapids proper. They just got done with a run of No Rules that put them on the map for beer traders, and they've been tapping it on and off for a while. Just great beer selections top to bottom. Right now, their IPAs are solid at the tier 3, 4 and specialty levels.
- Brewery Vivant: This is the place in town if you're looking for great belgian beers. It's not my bag, but what they do is top notch according for fans of the 'genre'. Also, great, great food.
- The Mitten: Agreed with above. Haven't been too impressed with their IPAs, but they do a good run of browns, stouts and coffees. Good pizza.
- Rishi's International Beverage (bottle shop): These guys do a great job with everything you're going to find in the area. Good Michigan selections and get most of the Michigan-only distributions. The one downside is they're well-known and don't keep rare offerings in stock very long. They do get them, though.

Kalamazoo: It's really a place. I am not as familiar with its day-to-day.

- Bells: You know... It's Bells.
- Kalamazoo Beer Exchange (tap house): Big rotating 28 beer selection and prices. Unique in that the prices change based on demand. This is just something to see if you haven't experienced it before. It's right next to Bells as well.
- Arcadia (brewery): If you want the Michigan mainstays, the new Arcadia location is Kalamazoo is great. A lot of their beer is widely available in bottles and I haven't seen a lot of crazy specialties recently. This is their second location, with the first in Battle Creek. The deli-style BBQ sets it apart from the others with food options.
- Tibbs Brewing: This is Kalamazoo's nano-brewery. It is the opposite of Arcadia/Bells. Small corner location downtown KZoo with 4-6 beers on tap. Everything I've had is top-notch, though. It might be off the radar for a lot of people.
- Dark Horse Brewing: This is technically not in Kalamazoo, but it's close in the small town of Marshall. The brewery is small-town impressive, with the mug club mugs coating the ceiling, and a lot of notable beer offerings. Good place to see if you're willing to make a drive to it.
- Shakespeare's Pub: College bar with a lot of taps right next to Bells. Again, good to check the menu online before you get going, just in case.
- Gonzo's Bigg Dogg Brewing: I like it. 12-15 taps and a nice location downtown. If you've got time.
- Tiffany's (bottle shop): Locally owned and loved. While I like supporting local, I haven't had much luck here, but some locals swear by it.
- Mega Bev (bottle shop): It lacks personal feel and location, but it's probably the most dependable for Michigan mainstays and seasonals in the area. If you've stopped at the other bottle shops on this list, it's unlikely you'll find anything new here. As a first or only stop, it's a good one.

​

That took way longer than I thought it would. Hope it helps. If you're looking for anything special or have other recommendations you have questions about, let me know.​

 

^^^ he got it covered! enjoy the best damn beer state!

 

I can second the Liquor Cabinet in St. Joseph. I went there for the first time this past weekend and it seemed to have a good selection of local stuff.

 

If you're travelling from GR to Holland, Pike 51 and White Flame are worth a visit.

 

hit green bush in sawyer.

 

Greenbush is worth the 20 minute drive. The food is almost as good as the beer, which is amazing.

 

Second that. Pike 51 was the best surprise place I went to last time I went to Founders and White Flame was also solid. White Flame was also doing crowlers when I was there.

 

I don't want to thread hijack, but I am in a similar situation. Heading up to Paw Paw this weekend for a wedding and have a decent amount of spare time to hit breweries along the way. Plan is to hit 3Floyds friday night, then Saturday hit two breweries on the way to the wedding but I have to decide which two (out of Greenbush, Tapistry, and The Livery) would be best.
I am leaning towards Greenbush, then Livery for lunch and beers. Don't have time for all three even though they are close together.
Any locals care to persuade me?
(Note: We are doing Bells and possibly Founders on Sunday before the 6 hour drive home..woof)

 

At the bottle shop grab some I want my HTV by odd side, superb Double ipa.

 

Wow, that's a real toss-up question, but I'd probably go with Greenbush and The Livery. At The Livery you might stand a chance of finding some left-over bottles from their recent release, so that would be a bonus for choosing them.

 

You're close. I would do an early lunch at Greenbush - their food is phenomenal - and then hit the Livery after. Tapistry is good, but clearly third of the three IMO.

 

Out of the two...Greenbush has the best food but Tapistry has the better beer.

 

I haven't been over to the west side in a while, but Tapistry matches my palate better than Greenbush. Others may say the other way around.

 

Had anyone here been to The Hideout in Grand Rapids? Picked up a half dozen of their offerings a few weeks ago, I guess they just started bottling. I was pretty impressed, they were solid. Is it worth it to stop if I find myself on the west side?