My wife and I are riding our Harley's from Phoenix to Morley, MI in a couple weeks. We will hit Milwaukee and take the ferry across Lake Michigan to Morley. Then my IPA tour will begin. I found that there are over 280 breweries in Michigan. I'd like to hit as many as I can (and still legally ride). I know the Grand Rapids has a great thing going with a booklet of all the breweries in the area, but, I may start off in the finger area first though. I heard there is some good riding there. I also like to collect beer coasters, and Harley poker chips. Maybe I can snag some AZ ones and swap when I get to MI? I'll certainly be glad to get to cooler weather. It's not dropping below 90F anymore and my bike don't like 116. None of the breweries even open until it is around 105 these days.
Well we definitely don't have 'dry heat' here in Michigan and it's been in the high 80s to low 90s on and off the past week or three, so there's that warning. To stretch your goal out a little bit, there are actually 350 (and counting) brewery locations now, so there's that warning too. Good luck on making a dent. A list of 329 of them can be had here: https://www.beeradvocate.com/place/list/?start=0&s_id=MI&brewery=Y&sort=name or you can go to: http://www.michiganbeerguide.com/ for the full 350 or so locations. (If you see a Michigan Welcome Center, there is usually a hard copy of the Michigan Beer Guide in the brochure racks in the winery & food section. The July/August issue is out now. Usually also found in those brochure racks is a guide from the Michigan Brewers Guild. The latest edition has a folded map inside. Only member breweries show up in their list, but that's probably 90% or more of them. If hoppy beer is your goal, then you have to stop at Short's Brewing in Bellaire (the pub) or their Pull Barn at the production brewery in Elk Rapid. Hoppy is the middle name of this brewery, but they do a good job with all styles. In Frankfort is Stormcloud Brewing. Their beers are Belgian inspired and are a must-stop if you like Belgians and wild farmhouse ales. The rest of the Michigan Breweries are 99% worth visiting, so it's your choice along your route. You get Bell's stuff in AZ, but a visit to their Eccentric Cafe is a treat because they have so many more beers that aren't in bottles. Founders is also a place to visit in Grand Rapids, but my favorite in GR is Brewery Vivant. That is another brewery that tends toward Belgian-inspired beers and wild ales, but you can catch them with standard styles too. A great scenic ride that I'll recommend is what is called 'The Tunnel of Trees' in northern Michigan. (Google it.) It travels on a winding highway about 20-30 miles thru a forest with occasional glimpses of Lake Michigan. It goes north from Harbor Springs, but I forget its end point. A brewery just at the north edge of Harbor Springs at the start of the 'tunnel' is a farm-to-table place called Tunnel Vision Brewery at Pond Hill Farm: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42539/ Read some of the descriptive reviews to decide if it's for you. Welcome to Michigan (early) and have a great trip!
I forgot to suggest Old Nation Brewing in Williamston. If you like NEIPAs, they make a couple world-class ones. M-43 is the most known, but I like Boss Tweed better. The cans are dated on the bottom, so if you get some in a store, I'd stay away from any that are older than 60 days. I think they drop off rapidly after that period of time. The brewery also does a lot of other styles very well too, including lagers.
