Michigan Breweries, Bars, Eateries (2025)

I’m surprised you had a bad experience at Watermark. Must have just been a bad day for the bartender. They are by far our favorite place in SW Michigan and we’re there on a near weekly basis.

 

Anyone visit Paw Paw brewing recently? I thought they were perfectly fine when I visited about two years ago. I’ve been underwhelmed with all the packaged beer I’ve had from them, however, and last night the can of Citra Melon I opened erupted. Poor quality control on the line, perhaps, or a bad batch?

 

New brewery opening in Traverse City soon: Nocternal Bloom. Says taproom to open in July.
Heres hoping its not another medicore, run of the mill brewery. Space looks really nice.
Wishing them the best. In an age when you see breweries closing, nice to see a new one try!

 

Hey guys, just a quick redux, and another thanks for all of the great recommendations. Corralling a crew of 11 (ages 11 to 76) isn't easy, and there's a whole bunch of stuff that I didn't get to do, but we still made a decent dent to the list. And had some great beers in a beautiful part of the state. Cheers!

Our flight was late, and there was a ton of traffic in Indiana, which threw a wrench into my plans. We ended up just stopping and grabbing some beers to go at Transient Ales. I really wanted to go to Seedz, but Transient's variety of hops/crispies won out with the crowd. Overall, their beers were solid, but I was surprised that they weren't stored cold.

Monday we hit Mitten Brewing in Saugatuck. Solid beers and great pizza. Big hit all around!
Tuesday we had lunch at Pennyroyal Cafe, and I had that whitefish melt and a Farm Club / East Coast Pale from Traverse City. Excellent beer and sandwich!
Wednesday was Three Blondes Brewing. We were impressed by their food and the beers. DNA Test and Dill With It (cucumber dill berliner weiss) both hit the spot.
Thursday was Big Lakes Brewing in Holland. We sat outside, which was super pleasant. Only downside was the full draft list isn't available out there. The swing juice and lunch beer were both good!
And then a quick trip to Virtue Cider in Fennville. Only beer adjacent, but I would've loved to spend some more time there. They had some really interesting ciders (we had a funky brett one! I feel like I don't see many brett beers these days, so that was a nice throwback), and it's a really pleasant place to hang out (Adirondacks with chickens running around sets the mood).

We didn't make it to Saugatuck Brewing, but had a few of their beers and enjoyed them all (Lake Street Light went down really easy on the beach). And my FIL is a big M43 fan, so I had that and B43 (which he bought by accident). Always reliable beers!

Thanks again for all of the advice. It definitely improved a great week. Enjoy the rest of your summers!

 

Full Measure brewing has opened in Eastern Market in Detroit. It is on the corner of Division and Orleans. A variety of beers and a full kitchen.

https://www.fullmeasurebrewing.com/

 

I have been twice now for just a quick beer. Both times the beers I tried were very well done. What I had was true to style.

The decor and funkiness of the tap room is great and I look forward to trying their food.

 

I (ok, my kids) went to Lake Arvesta when we were in MI earlier this summer. It's quite the complex, but I didn't see a beer garden... maybe that's just concert related?

Full disclosure: my wife took one for the team and hung out there while the rest of the adults went down the road to Three Blondes, so I didn't explore too much. She ended up hanging out at the bar/grill on site, which apparently had passable food and an ok beer selection. But again, no beer garden that I saw.

 

Need some Ann Arbor help from anyone that knows the stores out there? Going to be there with the whole family for a bit, and I can sneak off to a couple breweries, but more so looking for liquor stores or chains that I can possibly grab some Old Nation or other fun stuff I've never tried out there. Doing a little research, there's The Beer Depot and Blue Front? Either of these good?

Also, any suggestions on what to grab when I'm out there at these stores are much appreciated. Currently really into WCIPA, Pils, Light Lagers, and Porters.

Thanks

 

Don’t skip the local groceries. Was in traverse city a few weeks ago and found some week old M43 on the shelf at Meijer. Lucked into some real fresh Blackrocks stuff as well. Fresher than what I found in Marquette, close to the source. Real good Michigan selection.

 

I’ll second this.

Always check the dates at Meijers (or anywhere else for that matter).

@erichxedge HOMES has what you’re looking for, plus it’s family friendlyish.

 

Arbor Farms Market (near HOMES) has a really good selection. Also, I will second visiting HOMES. My fav is their Imperial cream ale brewed with coffee.

 

King Cold Brew is the name

 

Arbor Farms is the place. They always have some funky stuff, the manager puts in a lot of effort, she is great. They dont have everything in singles, which can be annoying, because you have to find someone who's annoyed to break them down and put a price on them. Can be difficult. But, it's Ann Arbor.

Or just buy four packs, which is one solution.

If HOMES brewery's closed, the HOMES campus up the street will probably be open.

 

Thanks everyone! We fly out Saturday so looking forward to getting out there! Our friends that live nearby have already the HOMES stop will happen on Sunday.