Trip to Ann Arbor

For stores I'd say Plum Market on Maple, followed by the Wine Seller. Other stores have good stuff to but prices usually are jacked up more.

For breweries, if you'd want to hit a brewery, I'd recommend Arbor Brewing. For drinking beer Ashley's will be the answer. Both have decent to good bar-style food. Some people will argue for Hopcat over Ashley's but it depends on what you want to drink. Hopcat probably will have more stuff on tap, but Ashley's rotating taps usually contain some gems.

I'll stay out of any food recommendations since I haven't lived there in a couple of years.

 

Wine Seller is closed currently while they remodel, but I will second Plum Market for bottles (either location, Maple or Plymouth), in addition to Blue Front downtown.

If you like sours, I'd recommend Jolly Pumpkin's taproom. Food is good there as well and it's not a far walk if you grab dinner there and then want to head to either Hopcat or Ashley's.

 

I'll also second Blue Front - it's a great little bottle shop that has a great selection with a very helpful staff. Parking can be a hassle at times, but it's worth it (plus free street parking on Sunday).

Arbor Brewing and Jolly Pumpkin are great stops and are in walking distance from one another (Jolly Pumpkin in particular has some great food). I'd also recommend Wolverine Brewing Company - they only produce lagers but don't let that scare you away. IMO, they're really coming into their own and are putting out some great beers. Plus parking (unlike downtown) is painless.

 

Also check out Bill's Beer Garden - just about a block walk from Jolly Pumpkin. In fact, Arbor is just a couple of blocks away also, so make a walking tour out of it. The Beer Depot is also in the same area for a bottle shop. Not the greatest selection, but you can pick up Michigan locals if that is what you are after.

 

If you're going this route, you'd be amiss if you didn't hit the Beer Grotto, as it's just kitty-corner from Bill's Beer Garden. It's a small craft-beer bar with 30-40 beers on tap. Usually a pretty solid selection with a handful of surprises. It's not as good as the Dexter location, but worth checking out if you'll be in the area.

 

There aren't any breweries in AA that I enjoy overmuch, imo you'll have much better local beer at Ashley's or Hopcat than Arbor Brewing or Grizzly Peak. That said, if you like sours then you should definitely stop by Jolly Pumpkin.
Pretty sure I saw a menu from Hopcat this week with one or two of the better Perrin beers still on tap, you may want to look into that.

 

Based on recent experiences:

Go to: Ashley's, Beer Grotto, Wine Seller (if they're open ... they're renovating now or soon), Blue Front, Jolly Pumpkin, Wolverine Brewing, Plum Market

Skip: Hopcat, Arbor Brewing, Grizzly Peak, Bill's, Beer Depot

 

I'll second (or third) Ashley's and Hopcat for decent food and good beer.

For breweries, I'll also suggest Jolly Pumpkin only if you want sours. Other than this, don't expect much from Ann Arbor - they don't exactly represent the best the State has to offer.....

 

I'll agree on Blue Front for bottles. Wolverine State also may have some of their Massacre in bottles (BA dark lager) from what I've heard.

 

I'll mention Blue Tractor since no one else has. Beer is hit or miss, but the food is good if you're looking for BBQ. I like going there when I have no obligations, getting the BBQ plate then slipping into food coma for the rest of the evening. Their flagship IPA isn't well-rated on BA, but the last reviews of it are from four years ago and I found it to be pretty tasty.

Ashley's and Hopcat are both worth a stop. They each give off a totally different vibe (Hopcat is a little more trendy, with higher prices to match) but they both have great tap lists, good food and good service, although I find the service at Ashley's to be a little more personable/friendly/genuine. Jolly Pumpkin is also good--they have great pizza and sandwiches and they have that whole wild ale thing going, although I wouldn't classify most of their beers as sour so much as tart (but still delicious).

For bottles, I'll reiterate Blue Front and both Plum Markets--the one on Plymouth has larger selection, but both are good. Blue Front is a tiny bit pricier, but they have good selection and, as already said, a very helpful staff. Since The Wine Seller is closed, there aren't really any other places worth stopping for bottles except maybe Whole Foods on Washtenaw. Selection is small, but good.

 

When I lived nearby, my go-to spots for bottles were Plum Market (like the 8th person here to recommend) and the Produce Station on South Main - both had a good selection of single bottles from local breweries for mix-and-match.

Also, both Whole Foods locations have bars with some great deals on pints of Michigan beer during happy hour, plus decent bottle selections to boot.

 

If you want something to take home that is a brewery-only release, and if you go to Arbor while in town take a look to see if they have any of their 20th anniversary beer left. It's a sour barleywine in a 750 ml. bottle. I tried it when I was there, and it's very tasty. It's also a bit pricey..... I think I paid around $25 for a bottle.

 

Wolverine State Brewing Company... extremely underrated. They 'only' make lagers but they do a lot of unique stuff with them. And they have awesome BBQ.

Jolly Pumpkin for awesome sour beers and pretty good food too.

Ashleys is a classic, go there.

For shopping Blue Front is an awesome store and a short walk from U of M's campus and the Big House if you'll be checking either of those out, which you should (though I'm a little biased as an alum!)

 

Took the words out of my mouth. Basically the only place I'll stop in AA. The pulled pork nachos could be my last meal.

 

Another recommendation for Wolverine State Brewing. The beers and the food are both great! Plus parking is painless as compared to downtown Ann Arbor.

 

Free in the city on Sunday. Also free every other day of the week after 6pm.