How about that Odd Side, huh?

I'd go Bell's/Founders/Short's/Dark Horse/Odd Sides other breweries make great beer but I don't buy bottles (Kuhnhenn etc)

 

To the previous comment: No you're not alone, I'm not a fan of the thin Oddside beers and weak mouthfeel. I think BBIMM was the let down of the year...I might have a hard time distinguishing between the regular Mayan and the BA Mayan if I was blindfolded. Really not impressed with Oddsides barrel program...HOWEVER, Hipster Brunch is delicious and the exception. Anyone actually know if any will be distributed? I've heard rumors both ways.

 

Odd Side is currently doing the best stuff in the Great Beer State!!!

 

Sheesh...what does impress you?

I didn't have the BBIMM this year or last. I just do not like any kind of peppers in my beer so I can't speak to that particular beer. However, Hipster and Morningwood were excellent beers last year. And Hipster, Mokka Munt, Hazel's Nuts and Scalleywagger were also excellent beers released a few weeks ago. If I had to make a list of all the barrel aged beers I've ever had, I would place all of these Oddside beers in my top quarter (except BBIMM, of course).

 

Definitely prefer Shorts, but got to give credit to Oddside... They hit an absolute grand slam with Hazels this year. That beer is phenomenal. Hipsters excellent too, but IMO (hipster aside), Hazels miles ahead of anything else they've ever done.

 

I'm with you OP. I think I need to sit down and go through the list of breweries in the state and decide who might be better.
Founders and Bells always jump out as contenders (as they have been the best for a long time). Making CBS again and widely available definitely helps Founders cause at staying atop the rankings in the state. Bells continuing to produce some really ho hum stuff (planet series was a bit of a bust for me) sort of hurts them. Not doing Black Note this year also hurts.

To the folks responding with a generic disagreement to the OP's thoughts I have to ask you who YOU think are the Top 3 or 5 in the state. Just sitting back and saying "no" doesn't add anything to the discussion.

 

This thread got me to crack into a 2 month old Citra Pale Ale (got via gift pack because I wanted the glass).
While it has faded slightly its still very tasty. God bless those midwest pale ales that pride themselves on great malt bills. The barrel aged version of this is superb.

 

I've had it. It was buckets full of meh.

 

While I currently live just south of the border in Indiana, I'm a Michigan boy and love Michigan beer. Top 3, top 5, top 10, top 20 in my opinion is all pretty darn nit picky. I love so many different MI breweries for different reasons and it's really hard for me to choose some over others. Some have great tap rooms, some have great vibe, some have great hoppy beers, some have great stouts, some have great barrel programs, some have great malty beers, some are more traditional, some are way out there. I guess I'm pretty much a regional drinker, so if I'm up North, I'm more likely to drink Shorts. If I'm down state, I might be more likely to drink Odd Side. I'm just grateful that I am alive during the greatest time in the history of the world to be a beer drinker because of all the great choices, and since we all taste differently, we all have different preferences, and we can all find what suits our palates. Or if you want, you can call me wishy washy, but as a good friend of mine used to say, my favorite beer is the one in front of me.

 

Anyone get the Odd Pack yet? Curious what the brewer's choice bottle is.

 

I was wondering the same.

 

Merry Elf, at least the five I opened had that.

 

Mine too.

 

Mine was Merry Elf also! It was good too!

 

I'm pretty new to MI. Hit me with your top ten.

My top three so far:

1. Witch's hat
2. Founders
3. Odd Side

Lots of others in the conversation...Railtown, Perrin, etc.

 

I had a hard time picking just 10 breweries- tough times here in Michigan! In honor of the twelve days of Christmas, here are my top 12 breweries in Michigan:

Bell's
Founders
Odd Side Ales
Witch's Hat
Kuhnhenn
Dark Horse
Perrin
Shorts
Vivant
Greenbush
Griffin Claw
Pigeon Hill

 

Nothing hurts Bells..if anything, NOT releasing BN helps the suspense. They still fly off the shelf here 24/7. Mostly during holidays. Cherry, double cream, Expo' and Java are all top notch! That list shits on any other MI brewery winter release. All are easily available too! Not to mention Christmas and Winter White.. Or Two Hearted.. Fuck, I could keep going. Oberon release is almost as exciting as KBS week for fucks sake!

 

This post is awesome. Were you drunk?

 

Odd Side has been in my Michigan Top 3 for years. This year's offerings cemented them as my personal #1.

 

I will add a couple that are in my top five but not already listed by someone...

Arclight Brewing - They are killing it. Try Citropolis, BBA Hail to the Darkness and Opus Framboise!!
The Livery - Solid BA beers and sours!

 

Odd Side are making some great beers. Definitely pushing themselves into a position to be very successful. The Hipster Brunch release showed a lot of people how popular they have become. I'll say their Citra Pale Ale is a solid flagship type offering right up there with many from other MI breweries, especially in the West (Two Hearted, Centennial, Farm Hand, Crooked Tree)

 

I'm still waiting to try some of Odd Side's stouts, and haven't quite cared for a couple of the other BA beers I've had from them, but I think they're pretty clear top 3 for me (although I'd like to try Stormcloud more - only had one beer of theirs, which I loved) due to beers such as CPA and HTV. I go with Bell's & Founder's first (in no particular order) and there isn't anything else I'd consider for 3rd. Short's has always been a mystery to me as to why people like it and the same goes for Kuhnhenn. I've had some good stuff from Vivant, but would definitely prefer Odd Side. Now if I could just get over there sometime.

 

What???????
You may want to abstain from "voting" if you can't come up with a clear number three other than a vote for one based on 2 beers. There are a ridiculous number of breweries in MI that make a ton of great beer

 

Odd Side makes great stouts, but I'd put Bell's, Perrin, and Dark Horse, among others, above them. Founders is by far my top MI brewery.

 

I've had many other Odd Side beers, but CPA and HTV are the ones that have stood out to me as ones I'd go for on a regular basis. To me, considering the glut of other options in the market, that's a pretty impressive thing.

Based on what I've had, I haven't had much "great" beer outside of Founder's/Bell's - perhaps it's just that I haven't tried the right ones, or maybe they're just not for me. I'm originally from MI and am back there a decent amount, so I'd love to tout them a bit more, but I haven't had the same experience as you. Short's is definitely out for me - tried too many of their beers and have only really cared for one of them (Sticky Icky Icky). I've had a few from Dark Horse, but have had mixed results - same with Greenbush. I'd like to give Perrin, Witch's Hat, Livery, and others a try, as well as more from Stormcloud, but despite coming back to MI a lot, I don't get to breweries much due to family obligations. One thing I won't do is stop trying, that's for sure.