Celebrating engagement in Michigan

If you are staying in Kzoo, the Radisson Plaza downtown has a great lobby bar with 16+ drafts (mostly MI). It's also just a great hotel. Bell's Eccentric Cafe is about 4 blks away. About 3 blks is Food Dance Cafe, a wonderful restaurant with locally sourced food and local beer on tap. 2 blks from the hotel is Kalamazoo Beer Exchange. 30+ drafts that change price in real time (like a stock exchange)...awesome selection and cool concept. I also recommend Martini's (esp on a Thur or Fri night) for food, local beers and live music; O'Duffy's Pub is my favorite Kzoo bar...great selection, no tvs, no d-bags; Olde Peninsula is another brewpub located right near the hotel as well.
On your drive to Chicago, you can hit Paw Paw Brewing in Paw Paw, The Livery in Benton Harbor, and Greenbush in Sawyer.
Congrats and enjoy!

 

Bravo! I'd second Martini's, Food Dance and Bell's for beers (+ music on the weekend).

 

If you are looking for breweries, you have to stop at three floyds on the way to chicago. Also all of the other suggestions are great, Congrats!

 

Liquidtable summed up the Kzoo hot spots pretty well. I would recommend staying at the Radisson if possible. It will put you in the middle of everything. A few other's to add to the list: Rustica (http://www.rusticakzoo.com/) and Central City Tap House are right on the "mall" downtown. Shakespeare's Pub always has a great selection of craft beers and it is right near the Beer Exchange and Bell's. It doesn't have the advantages of O'Duffy's as there are lots of TVs and the occasional dbag. O'Duffy's/Cosmo's is definitely one of Kzoo's lesser known treasures. I would also highly recommend Martini's, the only down side is that it can get really busy. Congratulations and feel free to hit up any of us locals for more information or to buy you both a beer when you are in town!

 

if you go to founders send me a message, I live close and always like to meet fellow BAs.

 

On your way from Kzoo to Chicago, try and hit up Greenbush if you have some time. Epic stuff. I'm from Kalamazoo and now live in Chicago and am not going to add much to this thread besides that, summed up pretty well. If you feel like getting out of Bells (not sure why you would, but whatever ) Central City is a great little place. No one has mentioned the Beer Exchange yet. It gets a little kitchy with the changing prices like a stock market and sometimes I don't love their list, but check the website, sometimes there are some gems.

AND- Oberon will be released right about then. We'll be at Sheffield's in Chicago for that on the 26th. If you want say HI over a pint (or two)... (or three)

Congrats, man.