I'm planning a road trip from Minneapolis, through Chicago, down to Munster, then up to Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids over June 3rd through 11th-ish. Definitely planning on a trip to 3 Floyds, Bells, and Founders - recommendations for other breweries or tap rooms in the area? And - suggestions for great beers that I can find in the local bottle shops? I'd love to find some Dark Lord, but imagine that's going to require some trading. I'll have some Surly Darkness with me (2013, 2016, BA 2016), if anyone's interested in arranging something; I may have a few crowlers of Forager, Junkyard, and Dangerous Man if there is any interest. I can also pack some King Sue or Sosus (is TG distribution in Indiana and Michigan decent?). Restaurant recommendations? Thanks in advance for the info and help!
You'll definitely have to trade for Dark Lord.... but I'm sure there are lots of people in the Indiana area with this year's lot! If you eat meat, lots of people love the food at 3 Floyd's.
TG is not distributed in Michigan, and I don't think its in Indiana either. For newly-released beers, Founders is releasing Doom now, so you can look for it. Recent reports say they still have Backwoods Bastard in their pub store. Dark Horse just released a collaboration with Three Floyds called Oil of Gladness that sounds interesting. I think its available only at the brewery store, so you'd need to drive 40-45 minutes past Kalamazoo to get there. (Call ahead first; it sounds like a small batch and short supply.) That brewery is a great experience for a unique visit if you have the time, even if that beer is not available. Pay for a tour of the brewery and you'll get access to the VIP lounge for the after-tour tasting and you'll usually get to sample BBA Plead the Fifth and other beers that are not on the tap list downstairs. In the Kalamazoo area, the next best brewery that I like is Latitude 42 which is about 10 miles south of Bells. Near Bell's is the Beer Exchange which is interesting to visit after 5 pm when the 'market exchange' is active to cause a change in the beer prices. Near Founders is HopCat, among several other good beer restaurants. Probably my next best-liked brewery after Founders is Perrin, but it is 15-20 miles north of Founders and kind of out of the way. You really can't find a bad brewery in GR, so pick and choose from a list in the Places database and hit the ones that are convenient for you. Edit: Oh, and one more beer to tell you about. Old Nation Brewing has somewhat irregular releases of their M-43 New England IPA which is getting very favorable hype. It's in a limited number of stores and is in 16 oz. cans and is a bit pricey. I had it on tap and well as a can of it and was not impressed. Both beers were somewhat different, so there is some inconsistency in this beer until the brewery gets the recipe dialed in to where they want it.
Excellent call on Perrin, and I'd definitely like to check out Dark Horse. I'd like to visit Jolly Pumpkin, but that's a bit of a drive. I've stashed quite a bit of Founders Doom already, but I'm hoping to try it on tap. Thank you for the recommendations!
@Mothergoose03 is right on the Old Nation front. M-43 is one of the better options in IL/MI for the style. Depending on when you roll through Chicago that weekend, you may be able to grab some Beer Hates Astronauts from Half Acre. It's delicious. If you're looking for Dark Lord, DM me. I could spare a bottle, especially if King Sue is involved!
Another must stop is Greenbush in Sawyer, MI. It's only about a mile off of 94. I will second Dark Horse, I drive 90 minutes each way from the east side of MI several times a year to go there.
If you are looking for M43, I wouldn't be too worried. Most places that I know that get it have been getting regular weekly drops. It may not last long, but it's around. If you can't find cans you should be able to find it on tap. I think most would describe the batch to batch variation as minimal. Every time I have had it, it has been outstanding. If you are a fan of the style, I recommend trying to find it.
Transient is totally new to me - awesome, thanks for the tip! Greenbush is also a new one. This is what I love about traveling via car - so many amazing breweries scattered across the country. Thanks! Man, I may need to stay the weekend in Chicago - so many venues I need to hit. Definitely happy to trade you some King Sue - DM'd you! I'm starting to wonder about beer storage and heat on my drive - I should just convert my trunk in to a refrigerator already.
I found it hard to finish a can of M43. I had a sample of it on tap that I liked much better. The time between those two tastes was a month or a little more, so probably different batches.
18th St is on your way from Chicago to FFFs. Their stuff can be hit or miss, but they will occasionally have some really good stuff. Check ratings.
Saugatuck Brewery is worth a stop on way to Grand Rapids. Good beer and Good food. I'd probably take I96 and hit it on the way back home. Little out of way if you are on 131 going to Kzoo.
if you like Belgian beer, definitely visit Brewery Vivant in Grand Rapids. Also, be sure to leave time to drink your way through the tap list at places like Bells and Founders. Founders, especially, always has a bunch of stuff that's tap room only, or on nitro, or not widely distributed.
Exactly what I needed to know - thanks for the tip! I was hoping that would be the case. I've had lots of Bells and Founders in the bottle, of course, and was hoping there would be smaller release stuff in the tap rooms. Awesome!
If you want to see ahead of time what's on tap at Bell's so you can plan your attack, here's a link to their tap-cam. http://www.bellsbeer.com/cafe/tap-cam
You just said "duck" and "nachos" together? Is that a thing? I knew my life had been feeling devoid of meaning lately. Obviously, I need to try these. Whoa.
Greenbush and Transient are 10 minutes from each other. Also, Arclight Brewing is in Watervliet, MI between Greenbush/Transient and Bells and is not far off the highway. Solid sours and other beers.
