Going to Michigan

Jolly Pumpkin for sure.

 

I don't know if any is getting distributed this week, and I think it typically sells out pretty fast, but if you have a chance to get some of Old Nation's M-43 or Boxer...do it. If not at the stores, then try to find it on draft somewhere via Untappd or Beermenus.

 

Sorry to piggy back on to your comment, but you wont find that beer at any stores in the Ann Arbor area just yet. However if you do happen to go to the next town over (Ypsilanti) there is a restaurant/bar/grill called sidetracks that has it on tap from what I hear. I've not been there personally but I hear great things about the place. Cheers.

 

You'll have to ask someone that is more local, but the brewery is in Williamston, which is probably an hour or so away from Ann Arbor. I am pretty sure they do growler fills, though.

 

Wolverine State Brewing, Short's, Odd Side, Dragonmead, Kuhnien(sp?)

 

M-43 and Boxer are most definitely available in the Ann Arbor area. M-43 hit some stores this past Friday, I grabbed M-43 and Boxer the previous Friday, and M-43 was at a handful of various places the weekend prior to that.

Now, that said, it is typically in short supply and disappears within hours of landing, so your timing has to be just right and it's hard to give you specifics. But the potential is there. In most cases, OP, you would need to ask for it.

Regarding what to be on the lookout for, Plymouth and Ann Arbor aren't exceptionally close to one another (although they aren't terribly far apart either), so depending on your modes of transportation, amount of free time and willingness to explore a bit, I would recommend a stop by Witch's Hat in South Lyon (about 30 minutes from either A2 or Plymouth, depending on where you are) a bit North of the area. They will almost certainly have bottles of This Guy (NE-style DIPA) to go and you can fill a growler or howler of a lot of their offerings, many of which are great.

As far as packaged beer goes, Odd Side is pretty solid, although they do get out of Michigan now to some degree. Many people will also swear by Short's although I, personally, am not as big a fan as some. Lots of variety to be had with either brewer. Perrin also makes some good stuff, as does Blackrocks.

 

• Livonia is close to Plymouth. Check out 1 Under Bar if you want a large selection of drafts. Theyve had M43 pretty steady if that is one you are after, along with a lot of other Michigan greats. Plymouth has Liberty Street Brewing which is local and decent. Canton also has a brewery which is close. Ann Arbor has plenty to choose from as well.

 

From Plymouth... Yes and yes; always call before hand though. Hermann's in Plymouth has it on draft (tapped today); has had it the last two weeks as well but sold out quick. Cultivate, Rapport are good bets too for tap list... World of Beer in Canton too!

 

These are the breweries that distribute in MI but not in VA. From Mich I would get at least one Final Absolution form Dragon Mead. It is my favorite Tripel brewed in the US. Odd Sides
Old Nation and Shorts should be on your radar as well as others have mentioned. As far as non Michigan, I love Deschuttes and Alesmith.

Against the Grain
Alaskan
AleSmith
Alpine
Anchorage
Arbor [Limited]
Arcadia
August Schell
Big Sky
Blackrocks Brewery
Cold Spring
Crazy Mountain
Deschutes
Destihl
Dragonmead
Flying Monkey
Grand Rapids
Granite City
Greenbush
Griffin Claw
Grimm Artisanal Ales
Harmony
Hideout
Horny Goat
Hudepohl (Christian Moerlein brand)
Keweenaw
Kuhnhenn [Limited]
Lakefront
Leelanau
Liberty Street
Liberty Street Brewing Company
Little Kings (Christian Moerlein brand)
Local Option
Mystic
North Peak
O'Fallon
Odd Side Ales
Perrin
Petosky
Prairie Artisan Ales
Pretty Things
Right Brain
Roak
Rochester Mills
Saugatuck
Saint Somewhere
Sand Creek (Lilja's)
Schmohz
Short's
Southern Prohibition
Summit
The Mitten
Upright
Vivant
Witch's Hat [Limited]
Wolverine [Limited]

 

I'm gonna piggy-back on this and see if any of you Metro Detroiters know of any good bottle shops in SE michigan (Macomb County area and outward). Particularly looking for Short's specialty releases (Slurm should hit this week). Used to hit up Champagne's regularly, but they're closed now! What have you guys been using as an alternative?

 

Holiday Market Royal Oak is great and 10 minutes from Champanes. Lots of decent party stores in Macomb County that will stock it, what part of Ma comb County will you be in?

 

If you are into IPA's then definitely get some Old Nation M-43, Boxer as well as Shorts Slurm (all of the NEIPA style). I'm in the Farmington Hills area and can pick you some up and hold on - just PM me.

Witches Hat is not far from you and has This Guy on tap (and growler fills) and Rez Gets Smashed (10% West coast DIPA in bottles as well).

I'd also recommend Blackrocks 51k IPA which should be within. 1 month fresh at most bottle shops.

Could go on and on but that is where I'd start with IPA's....

 

Not exactly Macomb, but Discount Drinks in Farmington Hills is getting 4 cases of Slurm tomorrow at about 3:00-3:30 with no real limit They get all specialty Shorts and aren't so popular as to sell out real fast. Still have a bit of Cats Pajamas and Goodnight Bodacious as well.

I also heard that the local retailer has 1100 cases of Slurm so I'm pretty sure you're gonna find this stuff all over Oakland County for a few weeks......

 

Went there just a few days ago for the first time. Service, food, and beer selection were all good. You'll be able to find at least a few things there that are worth it.

I'd also recommend my favorite place, Ashley's. There's one in Westland and the original in Ann Arbor. Westland has about 50 taps, I think, Ann Arbor has at least double that. Plus hundreds of bottles. Great food, too.

http://www.ashleys.com

Plymouth has Liberty Street.

Farmington isn't too far from Canton, and downtown is Farmington Brewing Co. I love their stuff, plus there's a bunch of great food around the area, too.

I'd also second One Under here in Livonia. The food is okay, but the tap list is usually pretty great. They had a barrel aged event and I showed up a day later and everything was still on tap. Bonus: no crowd and larger pours. Try going for lunch or an early dinner, though. The place gets crazy busy at night.

Http://www.Oneunderbar.com

 

In Plymouth, Liberty Street Brewing is great for beer and Hermann's Olde Town Grille is on the same block. There are several more pubs in the downtown area also, I've heard Box Bar is good. I've never been to World of Beer in Canton, but it seems like it would be a good destination also.

In Ann Arbor, Hopcat is well worth a visit, great burgers, fries, and beer selection. There is a parking structure right across from Hopcat. Ashley's Pub is right around the block from Hopcat also.

 

Second Box Bar and HopCat. Can't believe I forgot them! Also, I haven't been to Grizzly Peak in a long while, but their cheddar ale soup is great if they're still making it.

 

Founder's Red's Rye IPA is really good and usually only available on tap. I'm not sure if it is Michigan only, but it might be somewhat rare outside our state.