Overnight visit - DETROIT

Whereabouts in particular? Detroit proper? Or a suburb?

 

Here are my best suggestions. Destination being what to aim for, other worthy stops, and if you need to add more to the checklist. Per Untappd, I know you seek out a lot!

Good luck and cheers!


Detroit- Midtown
Destination - Jolly Pumpkin or 8° Plato
While you are there- Motor city Brewing
If you must go to more- Traffic Jam & Snug

Detroit Corktown
Destination- Batch Brewing
While you are there - Brew Detroit

The Burbs...

Warren
Destination- Kuhnhenn
While you are there - Dragonmead and Falling Down aren’t far

Novi- Ascension Brewing

Ann Arbor
Destination- HOMES Brewery or Jolly Pumpkin
While you are there- Arbor Brewing
If you must go to more- Blue Tractor BBQ

 

What he said...

8° Plato is definitley a must. Decent tap list and a great selection of bottles and cans to go. Also if able Roak brewing in Royal Oak. Batch brewing is also something to check out.

 

Agree with a lot of what SaisonRich said, and will add....
After your meetings in Allen Park, check the tap list at Cultivate in Ypsilanti (on your way to AA if you go there) - often some good beers.

Check taplists at Hopcat locations - was showing my kid UM campus one Sunday a few weeks ago, walked into Hopcat and was able to drink Hazel's Nuts, Hipster Brunch, Rye Hipster - just saying you might run into some good beer at Hopcat.

Re: HOMES in AA .... had my first HOMES beer, Coil this week - solid beer.

 

If you’re in Allen Park, then the Detroit stops are not far at all. I’d start there, and between the spots I listed, that could take up some time. Maybe head out to the suburbs the next day. If you’re on limited time, Ann Arbor would be the best bet for density’s sake. Lots of places in close proximity to one another. If you hit up HOMES in a Ann Arbor, Wolverine State Brewing is a nearby worthy stop. They do some adventurous things with lagers.

Cheers and happy hunting.

 

If you’re going to be in Allen Park check the taplists at Pete’s Place Taylor and Bier Keller. If you head towards Ann Arbor, Homes is a must and Cultivate in Ypsilanti s really solid. Slows BBQ in Detroit usually has a solid taplist.

 

I second a hopcat visit if you’re near one. Detroit, Royal Oak, or Ann Arbor

 

I've had great luck with Hopcat for Drafts and either 8* Plato locations for beer to go, although I favor the downtown location of 8* Plato.

 

Also if theres time, just outside of Detroit is Steves Party Store in Hamtramck (I-75 & Caniff) wont be disappointed. Steves a great guy, reasonable prices.

 

If your in Allen Park, Discount Drinks (beer store) on fort street has an unbelievable selection, best prices as well.

 

Founders has a Detroit location with an impressive tap list.

 

I say stay near Detroit if you are going to be in Allen Park. I don't think that Batch Brewing or Brew Detroit have been mentioned and they are walking distance from each other. Close to Allen Park are Downey Brewing and Dearborn Brewing. If you decide to go to Ann Arbor hit up Wolverine and Homes.

 

Kuhnhenn.... they likely will not have bottles as they only release a few times a year, and in my opinion, they have a very poor record with growler quality. I have had several growlers from them, and they are usually flat, yes, FLAT by the next day. Maybe I’ve just had bad luck, but I would not recommend growlers. I’m not sure if they have crowlers, but if they do, that might be a better option.

8° Plato in Detroit is not a brewery, but a specialty bottle shop that pulls some weight when it comes to allocating good local beers, packaged and on draft. Several formats- cans, bombers, etc. They might do takeaway growlers, but I’m not sure- someone else may be able to comment on it. If they do, you might find some solid selections there. You might want to bring a shipper if you’re looking to amass some local stuff.

 

LOL....I was wondering how far I would scroll before seeing Founders. Parking sucks (do NOT park in the empty lot next door) but they have lots of beer on tap including things that are pub (& some Detroit pub) exclusive.

Since you are in Allen Park you really should go to 3 Nicks Scoreboard, it's a dive but somehow has lots of great beer on tap. It's the only 3 Nicks worth going to.

+1 for Batch Brewing in the D

 

These are my suggestions:

Option 1 Detroit - Batch, Founders. Batch is the brewery I go most frequently, I wouldn't say it is the best. It has a nice variety of good but not great beer, and good food. I don't think I need to explain Founders, but as someone else mentioned the taproom does have an impressive tap list. Jolly Pumpkin and Hopcat are close to each other in Midtown. Detroit also has a lot of good restaurants depending on what kind of food you want/how much you want to spend.

Option 2 Ann Arbor (~45 minutes west of Detroit) - HOMES. HOMES is relatively new and trendy (Instagram, 16 oz NEIPA can releases that people line up for, etc.), but worth going if you are willing to drive out there.

Option 3 Ferndale/Royal Oak (~20 minutes north of Detroit). Schramm's Mead in Ferndale makes some of the highest rated mead in the world; bottles are expensive, but it is worth going to get a flight to see if you like it. I like going to Urbanrest, but the taplist is small (it's pretty new). Axle is another option in Ferndale, decent but not my favorite. For restaurants in Ferndale, consider Otus Supply (great food, good taplist) and One Eyed Betty's (great taplist, good burgers/bar food). For Royal Oak, Roak is the best - they have a good variety of well made beers. Griffin Claw in Birmingham is another place I really like going (especially the outdoor area when the weather is nice), but is a little further north.

Jolly Pumpkin (a must if you like sours/saisons) and Hopcat (big taplist) both have locations in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Royal Oak.

Witch's Hat (South Lyon), Kuhnhenn (Warren), and Ascension (Novi) are good, but they are more isolated than the other places so I have only gone when I was in those areas.

If i were ranking them just based on beer:
Tier 1 (excellent): HOMES, Founders, Jolly Pumpkin (if you like sours)
Tier 2 (very good): Witch's Hat, Griffin Claw, Kuhnhenn
Tier 3 (good): Roak, Batch, Urbanrest, Ascension
Tier 4 (some ok, overall not recommended): Brew Detroit, Motor City Brewing, Axle (decent, but I've only been there once), Detroit Beer Co, Atwater.

 

I’ll keep it simple with an unbiased opinion. You might drive a little bit depending on where u are staying but go to Kuhnhenn. Beers are amazing, meads are amazing, wine is amazing and they have so many options, something is gonna strike your fancy. Plenty of other good options stated above but I’ve been to em all and if I’m going to Detroit for a game or something, I’m going to Kuhnhenn. The end.

 

I know the OP asked for "must-visit" places, but can anyone provide an up-to-date list or map of all of the known breweries in the Detroit metro area? I too will be visiting in a few weeks, and I like to check out new and obscure places. I know brewery maps exists at sites like this, but they're often not current or complete.