I was hoping to get some guidance on the best bars and restaurants on the beer scene in Dearborn/Detroit, as well as any good liquor stores in the area to stock up before I head back to Georgia. Also any breweries or distilleries I should visit while I'm there.
There really is not a lot close in Dearborn, but I'll list a few things, some closer than others and let you decide. I would highly recommend at least visiting Merchant's for some bottles and hitting up Slow's for some above average BBQ and a very good tap list. Best Bars/Restaurants for beer: Slow's BBQ (Detroit) Ashley's - Westland Grand Trunk Pub (Detroit) HopCat (Detroit) Ale Mary's (Royal Oak) One-Eyed Betty's (Ferndale) Best Stores: Merchant's (Dearborn) Holiday Market (Royal Oak) -lots of singles available at both locations Also, Kuhnhenn (Warren) and Witch's Hat (South Lyon) are 2 breweries that may be worth the extra drive time- both are about 45 minutes from Dearborn. I would highly recommend both. Others might be more helpful with distilleries, but I've heard good things about 3 James in Detroit, just down the street from Slow's BBQ.
What DanGeo said. Merchants in Dearborn is a top notch bottle shop. It is top 3 in metro Detroit. Not much else happening in Dearborn. You could also drive 20-30 minutes north east and hit Kuhnhenns for drafts and Champanes for bottles
In Detroit you have Batch Brewing and Brew Detroit in Corktown, Atwater and Detroit Beer Company in Downtown, Traffic Jam, Motorcity Brewworks and Jolly Pumpkin in Midtown along with Hopcat.
Distilleries there is Two James in Corktown (excellent) and Detroit Distilling by Eastern Market (very good). There's more in the 'burbs, but really Two James is the best IMO.
No way it would take 45 minutes to get to Kuhnhenn from Dearborn - probably more like 20-25 depending on traffic.
If you're strictly going to be in Detroit/Dearborn only: Two James Distillery in corktown Detroit and Detroit Distillery in Eastern Market are fun stops. Both have unique environments where TJ is more bright and open while DD is calm and dark (hard to find to). Batch Brewing is a must stop in corktown. Co-founder Stephen is awesome to talk to and a pretty down to earth dude. They have a few appetizers which are tasty. I guess they just added a coney dog pasty to the menu last week! And only a block or so south is Brew Detroit. However, they don't serve food BUT you can bring in your own or check out the food trucks they have on the weekend. Jolly Pumpkin in midtown Detroit is awesome....no servers...just order food/drinks at counter.....just FYI, if you order a sampler be prepared to make many trips back and forth from bar to table due to not having paddles! Although not a huge craft beer selection, Green Dot Stables is definitely worth checking out. They specialize in gourmet sliders and poutine and have craft cocktails. Jacoby's in downtown area is a fun spot with a rather solid craft beer selection and good german fare. Hope this helps!
Breweries / Mead Batch Brewing. Very new, very good. Kuhnhenn isn't a far drive (~20 minutes). Jolly Pumpkin Detroit Schramm's Mead (Ferndale) Beer Bars HopCat One Eyed Betty's Beer Stores 8 Degrees Plato (Ferndale) Holiday Market (Royal Oak) Distilleries Two James
