Spending a day in Detroit/Ann Arbor

As far as food goes, Jolly Pumpkin in Ann Arbor has a really nice menu, and I think they have Brunch on Sunday. Downtown Ann Arbor also has Grizzly Peak brewpub with their own brews on tap. Theres also Arbor Brewing Company. Ashleys Bar has 60 or so beers on tap and an excellent bottle selection as well though the food there isn't anything great. Its my favorite place in AA for a drink. Zingermans makes great sandwiches but be warned, they are pretty pricy.

Best stores in AA to purchase beers are probably The Wine Seller or Plum Market. Just about any grocery store, Buschs, Whole Foods, Hillers, will have a good selection of Michigan locals though.

Don't know as much about the Detroit area but Slows is a phenomenal place for BBQ and brews. One of my favorite restaurants there.

 

Hit up Wolverine State Brewing, prefer them over ABC and Grizzly Peak personally. I'll vouch for Plum Market and The Wine Seller being the best beer stores in Ann Arbor, although, they are on opposite sides of town. Main Street Party Shoppe and The Beer Depot are both good beer stores within walking distance on Main St from JP, they are a little more expensive but both have very good selection.

 

Knew there was one place I was forgetting. Wolverine is better beers to me than ABC and Grizzly, but there is no food there. They do let you order though - pizza etc - or bring your own food with you.

 

OG in Milan if you have time.

Wolverine is my favorite. Like ABC and the Griz.

 

Plum market on Orchard Lake Road in Bloomfield is pretty legit. They have a GREAT selection and as of 3 days ago had Better Half. I'd call ahead on the Better Half as they keep it behind the counter and only sell 1 bottle per person, but they will allow you to reserve a bottle over the phone.

 

That might be the way to do it. Remember that Kuhnhenns and AA are about an hour apart, without traffic or consruction delays.

There are more places in AA than you can check out in a day. No one has mentioned Blue Tractor, which I have not been to in a long time. Friends say it has improved.

ABC also has their Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, which if nothind else has a good beer garden and a cool vibe inside.

 

You're setting yourself up for a lot of travel time between Kuhnhenn and the Ann Arbor scene at the expense of enjoying an extra stop in AA, so I'd go there first to enjoy that scene and then see how much time you have left in your day before deciding on going to Detroit. (Caution - every time I try to go to Zingerman's on a weekend there is a line out the door, so that will waste some of your precious time, but weekends are busy everywhere in AA and you could wait at other places too.)

If you do decide to go to Detroit first I don't know how early Kuhnhenn opens but if you get there when they open their doors that will probably be at least lunchtime and I don't know if Kuhnhenn has food, so you might have another stop just to eat and soak up the alcohol.So check out whether food is available there.

About a half mile from Kuhnhenn is Champanes which has a good bottle selection.

 

If you're only going to Ann Arbor for Jolly Pumpkin, don't waste your time. You can get every bottled package at several stores near Kuhnhenn and Dragonmead. Plus the AA location is just a cafe, not the bigger brewery, so you may be disappointed if you are looking to see the inner workings of the barrel room.
If you do decide to do both, metro Detroit (Kuhnhenn/Drag) to A2 is 40 minutes in light traffic.
If your time is limited, stop at Champane's Wine Cellars for a great bottle selection right down the street from Kuhnhenn. They open at 10:00 on Sun and 9:00 on Mon. Then Kuhnhenn. They open at noon Sun and 11:00 Mon.
For lunch, head west toward Royal Oak. Your best overall experience will be Lockharts BBQ. Award winning food and 12 MI beers on tap. Across the lot is Royal Oak Brewery.
Or you could go to One Eyed Bettys in Ferndale. 48 drafts and 90 bottles and a great menu. If you are coming up Sun, they open for brunch at 11. During the week, though, they don't open til 4:00pm.
Hit up Holiday Mkt in Royal Oak for another amazing bottle selection.
10 min back east is Dragonmead, with 45 taps of their own beer. Definitely an experience.

If you do decide to go to A2, avoid Main St and Beer Depot. Their stock is old, poorly kept, and way overpriced; anything they have you can get for less and in better shape at the other stores I mentioned.
If you decide to stay longer in metro Detroit, I highly recommend Big Rock and Bastone for other very nearby brewery stops.
Feel free to reach out if you need more inside info.
Cheers

 

There are some tap only beers at JP, but not sure what they have right now. Also, being Sunday, an hour wait at Zingerman's is quite conservative. Traffic Jam in Detroit is a brewpub/creamery/bakery as well. Fyi, Slows will be quite packed today also...prbly an hour wait as well. And you have every reason to be skeptical about BBQ, being from NC, but trust me...we do it right!

 

I would go to Slows. Lockhart BBQ is named after Lockhart TX. Having been to Lockhart TX many times and been to Blacks, Smitty's Market and Kruetz, Lockhart BBQ was a big dissapointment. I should give it another try, maybe they have gotten better. I did have a couple of good beers there, first time I tried the New Holland Cabin Fever a good beer. As a side note, Franklins in Austin is the best I have had. It lives up to the hype as the best BBQ in the USA.

TX Q is different from NC Q.

 

If your job lasts for more time, consider a few trips, one for AA, one for the Detroit-Warren-Royal Oak scene.

 

i personely think not much in detroit area i suggested he hit kuhnhenn and then royal oak more brewerie for the buck