Traverse City?

Looks like Mothergoose03 is correct on the tap list at JP. I just looked it up and it is most disappointing compared to what I experienced a year or so ago, and it doesn't look like they even have any small batches at the moment. They do have some bottles which for their style is just fine, but not the variety I would hope from them.

 

For me Brewery Ferment is best in the area..They do incredible sours...7 monks is a fantastic beer bar...Also, shorts is totally worth the visit

 

In town 7 Monks is the main MUST visit. Usually rated as one of the top taprooms in the country, great staff, amazing beer selection, awesome food, bourbon bar downstairs. Best Brewery stops in town are Ferment, Workshop, RareBird, Terra Firma, Right Brain. Outside of town is where you will find my favorites. These being Shorts, Stormcloud, Jolly Pumpkin and Hop Lot. Beverage Company is your best bet for bottles. Lake Ann Brewing is cool little spot with some good beer that I enjoy having in my home town. If you like high quality sparkling wine then come see us at Mawby in Suttons Bay(many other great wineries in that area as well). Little Fleet is one of the cooler spots in town with their food trucks cool atmosphere. Red Ginger if you like Sushi. Higher Grounds if you like coffee. Frenchies or Village Cheese Shanty if you like sammiches. Pierce Stocking Drive if you like spectacular views. Firefly for great food variety and taplist or wine.

 

If you have some cash Tratoria Stella is very good Italian. If you have a bunch of $$$ then Cooks House, very, very good.

I will reconsider a beer at Zferment, but my sour phase has come and gone.

 

The end of this thread contains my impressions of Traverse City.

 

Not your weekend OP, but on Oct. 2 there is a Bell's tap takeover at 7 Monks 12pm-12am. 30 taps for the 30th Aniversary.

 

We just got back from TC about a week ago from a wine trip. I always try to get some beer and cider in. Tried The Franklin in downtown TC, which had good food and a very nice selection on tap. Jolly Pumpkin had a great vibe on a college football Saturday - really crowded, but decent food and their beer is always top notch. Left Foot Charley hasn't been mentioned, but they have some good cider selections on tap and for purchase. I've done Short's before and it's a great scenic drive during a sunny fall day. Food and beer were great.

 

If no one mentioned Hop Lot, it's worth a stop if you go near Suttons Bay. Great beer garden. My other favorites are Brewery Terra Firma and 7 Monks (beer bar). I also liked the Filling Station, and the friends I toured with really like the Workshop.

 

I could be wrong, but I'm thinking they must not update that taplist. I was there 2 days ago and they had the bam, bam noire, their pumpkin sour la parcela, oro de calabaza, and another one I can't remember that was dry hopped on tap...along with several of their north peak brews and a handful of beers brewed on site as "old mission" beers I think (non sour beers). All in all something along the lines of 12-15 beers total I think, and you could buy pretty much any sour/wild bottle they make there as well. Just wanted to throw that out there...

Haven't been to many of the new places so I can't really compare, but I personally enjoyed my JP stop quite a bit and the drive up there is great for sure.

 

That's good to know. We are heading up there in a couple of weeks and I was thinking about skipping JP, but if they have a good tap list as you say, I'm looking forward to stopping there again. Love the Bam Noire and Pumpkin Sour la Parcela.

 

Jolly Pumpkin is a must. Great food and the drive up there is worth the trip alone. Never been there in the fall, but can imagine it would be something pretty special with the fall colors.

Unfortunately they don't keep their tap list updated online. I was worried when I went up there over the summer because they didn't list much. When you get there, you will see they have a good list along with some North Peak brews. We were there in late June and I was happy to find they had Rojzilla and La Roja du Kriek on tap.

One word of warning, do not go in there planning to buy beers to take unless there is something really hard to find. All of their prices seem to be $5 - $6 higher than what you would get in a store. Not sure on the North Peak sixers they sell. They wanted $16 for a bottle of Luciernaga when you can usually find that for around $10. So if you do go, eat, drink, enjoy the scenery, and then leave it there.

 

As someone said above, The Beverage Company has a huge selection of beer and a great staff. It is also near the airport so it is now my first stop to stock up upon arrival. The Blue Goat is a nice little beer and wine bottle shop if you happen to be staying nearby.