Michigan trip

My wife and I have been taking our kids to Frankenmuth about two times each year for about 10 years. We really like it there. They really only have one bottle shop, the Lager Mill, but it's a decent one. Before you go there, check out their facebook page. They are good about posting their most recently acquired bottles. Tell the guys working there that you are from out of state and you were hoping to get some bottles that you can't otherwise get. They are always very helpful at the Lager Mill. And check out the fish ladder behind the Lager Mill. It's pretty cool. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers put that in the Cass River last summer.

The Frankenmuth Brewery is a really nice facility. It wasn't that long ago that they did not have a very good reputation but that is turning around. They hired Steve Buszka as their brewmaster. He was brewmaster for Bell's back when they were still called Kalamazoo Brewing so he's been around the block. The beers at the Frankenmuth Brewery have been much better the last two times I have visited since he took over as brewmaster.

I assume if your wife wanted to go to Frankenmuth, she will want to spend some time at Bronner's. If you are not a Christmas kind of person, you will want to avoid this place if you can. I don't mind the place myself but one hour in there and my five senses are on overdrive.

Definitely get a family style chicken dinner at Zehnder's or the Bavarian Inn while you are there. A lot of people like to criticize these meals but not me. It is a carb fest and totally delicious. Their is a small bottle shop in the basement of the Bavarian Inn. It is tucked in a little corner of the basement so you may have to look for it. I can usually go in there and find one or two bottles that I leave with. Take the time to appreciate the Bavarian architecture in Frankenmuth but especially at the Bavarian Inn.

If you got money to burn, check out Willi's Sausage Company. They are pricey (like $6 to $10 per pound for everything) but they have just about every kind of sausage you can think of and they are all top quality. I believe the original owner got a degree in Germany for sausage making and have been passed along to all succeeding owners. Who the f*** knew you could get a degree in sausage making? Kern's is another place to get some sausage. The summer sausage at Kern's is pretty good and their prices are better than Willi's.

Are you a Pirates fan? I'm guessing you probably already know the Pirates play the Tigers on the 11th. If you make it to the Tigers game, they have the Beer Hall at the third base side of the lower level. I believe they have a good craft selection there. Just be careful not to get off the beaten path in Detroit.

 

Skip GR and head to Kzoo instead

 

I'll second the chicken dinner...after two mentions of it in this thread, I am now craving it. I grew up going there once or twice a year and loving it, but now that I'm in Chicago, I get there once every 2-3 years. I now take my wife who is from this area, and she loves it too. Those buttered noodles go down so good.

I can also attest to the small bottle shop in Bavarian Inn. I picked up a mixed 6 pack of local Michigan stuff when I was there in December.

I don't think Kuhnhenn or Witch's Hat (and maybe not Batch either)sell bottles/cans on a regular basis at all, whether at the brewery or a shop. I could be wrong on WH, but I know Kuhnhenn doesn't. I've never been to WH, and that's one I really want to get to.

I know you can get the other 3 at bottle shops easily, but not sure if the actual breweries have more limited stuff that you might not find at a store.

 

Dammit, now I'm jonesing for the chicken dinner as well. I never get the buttered noodles because my kids inhale them, even when they give us a second helping.

If you like sausage and kraut, pay the extra $2 to get this with your chicken dinner. I think they simmer their kraut in chicken stock so it reduces the bitterness. Dammit, now I'm also jonesing for the sausage and kraut.

 

Everything except special releases that is in bottles or cans from Griffin Claw, Arbor and Jolly Pumpkin can be found at good beer stores throughout Michigan. Kuhnhenn is a great place to visit for a brewery experience and great beers (no food) but their bottled beers are only available at special releases until they are able to get their new production facility open (which is supposed to happen soon). The same for Witch's Hat. I'm not even aware that Batch bottles or cans their beers, so I'll let someone else give you info on their stuff if they do.

Since I see that you are from Pennsylvania, in keeping with the spirit of your state regulations, I hope that you realize that you will be expected to purchase a case of whatever beers that want to take home. Help our economy as much as you can.

If you are going to be staying in Frankenmuth overnight, and especially if your hotel is at the Birch run exit from I-75, you should go to Tony's Restaurant (just west of the exit and on the north side of the street) for lunch, and you need to order the BLT. It's an experience. If you can't get there for lunch, at the very least, skip the chintzy continental breakfast at your hotel and go to Tony's for that meal.

Edit: If you are from eastern PA, or maybe more specifically the Philly area, hang on a month or so and you'll start seeing Short's beers in your stores. It may not be all of their specialty beers, but you'll be getting some good stuff. However, feel free to load up some cases of their stuff that attracts you while here in MI.

 

People who hate on Frankenmuth have deliberately decided to stop enjoying the simple things in life. Go, and live it up. You're bound to find something you enjoy at the brewery too; admittedly I never buy what they bottle, but if they have a dozen plus taps that you haven't had before, who cares, right?

Definitely echo the sentiment on rerouting to hit Bell's; the Eccentric Cafe has been knocking it out of the park lately; lots of surprises, R&D, forgotten favorites available there in the past year, year and a half. As measured in terms of "something new to try, but also high quality," they beat down Founders throughout 2015 IMO.

Also, why not double up in Kzoo with Latitude 42, triple up in GR with Perrin and Brewery Vivant, and maybe have the GPS "get you lost" and visit Odd Side?

 

Witch's Hat has started canning Train Hopper (great flagship IPA) and Edward's Portly Brown. Both are good so it's worth a call if you are interested. They also fill growlers and howlers of a lot of their tap beers.

 

LOL! Haven't thought about that BLT in years! I think it's like 3lbs of bacon on two huge pieces of sourdough. Heaven

 

Here's a post I recently did about my trip to Detroit's best brewpubs if you're interested: https://2views4brews.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/4-must-see-brewpubs-in-detroit-craft-beer-blog/

If it were me going to a Tigers game, I would hit Atwater first, then Jolly Pumpkin, and then end at Detroit Beer Company which is very close to Comerica. You can park right around DBC for the game and head in for a couple good brews before you walk to Comerica. Cheers, and eat 'em up Tigers!

 

Sounds like a really good plan you have there, you're going to have a really good time.

To answer your question about Batch Brewing and bottles, they just started offering some real limited stuff. Last week, they had 500ml bottles of a 15% Belgian Strong Dark Ale. I'd imagine that they may have something different by the time April rolls around. They definitely don't distribute anything so what they offer onsite would be the only thing you can possibly find to take home with you besides a growler.

If you're thinking about eating lunch around the time you are near Batch, I'd almost suggest eating at Mudgie's Deli, which is a 1 minute walk down the street from Batch: http://mudgiesdeli.com

I'm not trying to sway you from eating at Batch, their food is solid but the menu is limited. Mudgie's, on the other hand, is a phenomenal sandwich shop....and they have a crazy amount of bottled craft/foreign beer to choose from so you can enjoy a killer meal with a good brew. Then, take the quick walk to Batch for your dessert (a pint or two).

One quick note about Champane's, I love the heck out of them but they don't offer a huge singles selection when compared to the other bottle shops you plan on going to.

 

Besides, they have the best authentic German fried chicken this side of Bavaria....
Kidding aside, definitely worth going once.

 

Oddly enough even though I have been going to Frankenmuth ever year since I can remember, I'd never don't the chicken dinner. Don't know if it was the wait, cost, or what, we just never did it. Well we went this year And figured it was time. Problem is my wife is a vegetarian (I mean that's just a problem in general...), my son is a normal toddler and the baby, well yeah... So it was pretty much dinner for me, I was stuffed in no time.

@J455K Plan ample time to eat there though. The wait can be long, but it also takes a significant amount of time to actually have the meal. It is not fast by any means.

 

I haven't waited to get into those meals for awhile, but I only go once or so per year and try to get there at times where I know the wait won't be bad (if any). I think last time I went, which was right after Christmas, we got there pretty soon after they opened, though. And, the meal didn't take us a terrible amount of time, either. We had a group of 8 (including 3 kids), so we made sure to plan accordingly to avoid a heavy rush. So, it is definitely possible to avoid a wait and make it not last too long. Even if it there is a wait, though, there are plenty of shops, etc. in the basement (including the aforementioned beer/wine shop) that can kill some time.

 

Having been to Bavaria, I would put quotes around the authentic.

 

As a few other people posted, the long waits are only on weekends, holidays and typical dinner times. We usually go there for lunch and the crowds typically are not bad then. Lunch would save you a few bucks and they pretty much give you the same things, they just give you a little less. But when I say they give you a little less, you will still walk out of there with leftovers.

Just my two cents worth, go to Bavarian Inn over Zehnder's. They both have pretty much the same meal but I just like the feel of the building.