Traverse City?

I'm sure others can help you out more but Shorts is within a hour of Traverse City. In Traverse City I've only been to Right Brain but they usually have interesting beers on tap and I've heard great things about 7 monks, which I plan on visiting next time I'm up there.

 

Go to brewery terra firma and shorts.

 

If you're in downtown Traverse, definitely Seven Monks, they do crowlers of most things they have on tap as well, which is great of you're heading to the beach or out on the water somewhere. Also Jolly Pumpkin if you're heading up the Peninsula for wine.

 

Traverse City is a great place to go this time of year. I've been to all the places mentioned above, and this would be my preference of order. Shorts is a definite must. The drive will be beautiful, they will probably have the most beers on tap of all area breweries and have great food. If you like Jolly Pumpkin or barrel aged wild ales, strongly recommend this stop. Again a beautiful drive and they also offer beer from North Peaks, which is also in TC. Right Brain and Terra Firma are both great stops and only a couple of miles between them. RB usually has more off the wall offerings such as Schrute Farms beet saison and Cool Hand Cuke another saison brewed with cukes, basil, and coriander, along with some solid IPAs and other styles. RB has a more industrial urban feel to the place. TF has a more rural feel with lots of wood and glass. They have an onsite agricultural component to their operation - they raise a lot of the ingredients including some hops right there on their farm. Their beer will be more traditional and will have less on tap than RB. Seven Monks has almost 50 taps to choose from including beer from most of the local breweries, with a mix of Michigan and out of state taps. If you are looking for variety in one place, this would be a good choice. There are also several other smaller, newer breweries worth checking out as well - Rare Bird located in Lake Ann which is maybe 45 minutes away. Have heard great things about them, but not tried it myself. Also Workshop Brewing and the Filling Station. Not to dis any of the local breweries, but I would save your time and skip North Peak and Mackinaw - just my personal opinion.

 

We visited TC last year. Short's was definitely worth the drive. Right Brain's beers were forgettable, but the best atmosphere of the breweries we visited.

 

I went to 7 Monks this year and would definitely recommend it. I went to Short's as well for the first time and thought it was OK, but I'm in the minority in that I have never been that impressed by their beers (although I did enjoy the Sticky Icky Icky that was there during my time). I've been to North Peak a handful of times in the past, and have stopped going there.

I also went to Hop Lot up in Suttons Bay this year, and the beers were OK - they do have a great outdoor space, though, with some games.

If you can make it over to Stormcloud, that is supposed to be a great spot. I had one of their beers at 7 Monks and really enjoyed it - they pretty much focus on Belgian styles, I believe.

 

Rare Bird is on Lake Avenue in TC, @gratefulbeerhead. There is a new brewery in Lake Ann, but I know 0 about it.

There is a new place in Suttons Bay named Hop Lot that has new building and a very inviting outdoor seating area. The beers had a chalky finish, same as at Rare Bird. I chalk this up to water chemistry (pun intended).

 

I'm thinking that I read recently that you don't get many (or any) standard JP beers at this JP pub location, but rather you get North Peak beers or small batches brewed at this location, which I don't think get placed into the wild category. (Can anyone comment on that?) This is a nice place with a very scenic daytime drive to get there, and regardless of what beers are available, it's worth going.

Like hopfenunmaltz said, Rare Bird is in TC, and Lake Ann Brewing is in Lake Ann. I visited Lake Ann Brewing recently and am in the process of writing my review along with all of the others on my pub crawl. Their beers are okay to pretty good, but nothing stellar yet.

I think Stormcloud is the best brewery in the greater TC area, but going there takes time away from your vacation (but it's a scenic drive and you get to see Lake Michigan). I consider it worth the drive just like I consider Short's to be worth the drive. You really should do one or the other. Of note though, my recent visit to Short's was mildly disappointing because they had only a couple one-off beers, while all of the other offerings were beers that have been distributed in bottles, thus I missed a 'new beer' experience which I normally associate with a visit to Short's.

 

Stormcloud has the best beer in the area IMO and is worth the drive.

 

I spent a week in Traverse City last summer and in my opinion the best brewery outside of Shorts was The Work Shop Brewery, went there twice more after I initially found it. Awesome place. Right Brains was fun, some really good interesting styles. RareBird was really good too, but only had 2 of their own beers on draft, both were good. I would avoid Terra Firma, it's further away, and I wasn't impressed with their beer at all. Of course, go to 7 Monks for a great beer selection from Michigan.

 

Second Right Brain and Stormcloud. Stormcloud has best beers in area - mostly Belgian style and Right Brain has had it together for a while now, with a silver medal from GABF for a Rye IPA and a bunch of World Expo awards this spring to their credit.

If you're into sours, Brewery Ferment downtown does a pretty bang up job, and I'll also second Rare Bird and 7 Monks.

 

I have to throw in a vote for Right Brain as well. They've got some excellent pub-only offerings that are always unique (their Whiskey Barrel Aged Looping Owl was fantastic).

Short's is a must - especially since you can't get their beer in Indiana. Even if they don't have a ton of non-bottled releases, their standards are always excellent, and you can get everything in a growler to go.

Coincidentally, I'll be up in TC that same weekend for a friend's birthday celebration. We're hitting mostly wineries, but I think a stop at 7 monks and Right Brain will be required detours.

 

Storm Cloud in Frankfort was excellent. Food is ok but expensive. It is a bit of a drive from TC however.

 

My wife and I are planning a trip up there the same weekend. I've done Right Brain and Short's (x2). I second what everyone else says... Short's is a must. I'd also prioritize Jolly Pumpkin if you've never been to their other locations. I'm not a huge fan of Right Brain, but they had a big selection of drafts with a couple gems.

I'm most excited to check out Brewery Ferment, Terra Firma, and 7 Monks.

 

Shorts. Most definitely, Shorts. If time permits, go to Shorts again..

 

Not a brewery, but if you are on foot walking around, try Little Fleet on Front St. Food trucks with a multi tap in the building.

Someday I will try Right Brain and brewery Ferment again. I will wait for more possitve reviews.

The one beer I had at Storm Cloud made me want another, but a second Tripel and more driving do not mix. I would go again .

 

North Peak doesn't get much love, but the food there is very good.

 

Thanks for the correction on that.