Dragonmead Brewery

Photo courtesy of me.

Dragonmead Brewery is located in Warren, MI.  I was first introduced to Dragonmead Brewery when a friend graciously brought some to a party at our house.  Warning….be very careful when consuming certain types of their beer, some have a higher than average ABV (alcohol by volume).  Since experiencing Dragonmead’s beer I have always wanted to visit the brewery, so I took this opportunity to check it out.



Photo Courtesy of me.

Mosaic. Photo Courtesy of Dragonmead Website.

The brewery has beautiful handcrafted features that you may look over if you aren’t looking for them or if the brewery were extremely crowded.  For example the oak wrap around bar that was completed in sections between 1998-2004.  There are 2 leaded art glass windows one called The Knight’s Window and the other The Dragon’s Window.  Both windows are beautiful to admire and the craftsmanship shows.  The shield mosaic is a 7 square feet mosaic made of over 7,000 titles, the mosaic houses all the beer taps. For additional details on all of these handcrafted features see their website at http://bit.ly/1waq9Ms.



The Knight's Window. Photo Courtesy of Dragonmead Website.

The food selection is not the best but according to the menu the brewery welcomes their guests to bring any food they would like.  I have never heard of this before.  I mean as a mother of two very different children I have brought Taco Bell into McDonald’s but never into an establishment nicer than fast food.



The Dragon's Window. Photo courtesy of Dragonmead Website.

Last but not least….the beer! I have always been extremely pleased with all the beers I have tried from Dragonmead.  And still very happy with the beers I tried during my visit.  My two all-time favorites are Final Absolution and Under the Kilt.

Dragonmead Brewery is a must try!  The brewery was also voted The Best Microbrewery for 2014 by readers of Metrotimes.

**Disclaimer-I am in no way being compensated for this review**

The Tale of Two Breweries!

Granite City Brewery in Troy, MI was an experience like none other.  Upon walking up to the building I was very impressed by the architecture.  The building is beautiful inside and out.  However, I could not bring myself to patronize this brewery.  Granite City is not what I think of as a brewery.  Looking at the beer selection…nothing special!  Boring, Boring, Boring!  I am 100% sure the food is excellent based on the crowd waiting to be seated.  Oh and it’s a chain restaurant/brewery, a 20+ location restaurant chain.  I am just not convinced that a chain brewery knows how to provide unique, great tasting beer.  However, if you want to see and be seen this is your place.  Just make sure you are dressed to the nines or you won’t fit in!  So back in the car we went off to a different location.  A short drive down the street from Granite City we arrived at Black Lotus Brewery in downtown Clawson.



Black Lotus Sign. Photo courtesy of me.

Black Lotus Brewery is exactly what downtown Clawson needed 10 years ago.  Prior to Black Lotus moving into Clawson the night life was less than par.  Not only is the brewery serious about their beer but also musical talent that is displayed a couple nights a week.  And with no surprise after looking into the background of the owners, one is a musician.  The brewery has an extremely laid back atmosphere including an outdoor patio to enjoy the beautiful days and cool nights that Michigan is notorious for spring/early summer.

 

I can’t place why I felt this way hanging out in Black Lotus but I felt as if the brewery had an “Ann Arbor Feeling”.  My husband went with me to Black Lotus and thought the brewery had a “College Town Feeling”.  Regardless “Ann Arbor Feeling” or “College Town Feeling” it feels like jumping back to an easier, carefree time…even if just for a night!

Beer Board @ Black Lotus. Photo Courtesy of me.

Oh and don’t forget the whole reason for visiting a brewery, the beer.  The beer was wonderful, from the names to the taste of the various brews.  Some of my favorites were Detroit Hip Hops and Funkin’ A Apricot Wheat.

 

So if any of my fellow Wolverine’s need to get that “Ann Arbor Feeling” visit Black Lotus Brewery!

**Disclaimer-I am in no way being compensated for this review**

 

 

Arbor Brewing Company: Corner Brewery!

Vintage 1969 Mercedes Benz Fire Truck. Photo Courtesy of me.

The Corner Brewery is one of three breweries under the Arbor Brewing Company (ABC) umbrella.  The brewery is located in Ypsilanti one block north of historic Depot Town. It all started when owners Matt and Rene Greff of Arbor Brewing Company Pub and Eatery in downtown Ann Arbor wanted to spearhead economic renaissance in their hometown of Ypsilanti.  They chose an abandoned warehouse that is tucked in a residential neighborhood just a few blocks of the beaten path and that is where the Corner Brewery was born.

Inside Corner Brewery. Photo courtesy of me.

Casual seating. Photo courtesy of me.

The Corner Brewery has a very unique atmosphere!  You give your waitress your food order and hold on to a pager until your food is ready.  When you pager signifies your food is ready you pick it up from the food counter.  I was reading some reviews online and this aspect people either loved it or hated it, I thought it unique but I didn’t mind it.
 

Beer Board at the Corner Brewery. Photo courtesy of me.

The beer is by far the reason to stop into the Corner Brewery.  Some of my favs were the Strawberry Blonde, Cherry Cordial mocha stout and Buzzsaw American IPA.  In addition to my picks there are about 7 other selections.



Solar Panels. Photo Courtesy of me.

One of ABC’s passions is environmental sustainability which includes waste reduction and recycling, buy and sell locally and energy efficiency.  In 2010 The Arbor Brewing Company’s two locations underwent a $1 million expansion and green brewery renovation.  The original location in Ann Arbor became Michigan’s first solar brewery.  Also, Corner Brewery’s solar panel installation is believed to be the largest capacity solar energy of any craft brewery east of Colorado.
 

The Arbor Brewing Company’s third location is in Bangalore, India.  According to the website for Arbor Brewing Company “Since opening to the public in December 2012, ABC India has quickly become Bangalore’s premiere brewpub with its focus on Western-style service and hospitality, creative American pub food, and cutting- edge handcrafted beer”.

Defiantly worth stopping in!

***Disclaimer-I am in no way being compensated for this review***

Rochester Mills Beer Co.

Rochester Mills Beer Co. is nestled in downtown Rochester 2 block east of the hustle and bustle of Main St.  As you walk up to the entrance you are reminded of the history of the building as the stone sign at the top of the building above the entrance says Western Knitting Mills and also take a few minutes to read the historical marker also located at the entrance. 

Historical marker. Photo courtesy of me.

Rochester Mills pool tables. Photo courtesy of me.

Rochester Mills Beer Co. is located in the historic Western Knitting Mills building.  The building that brewery is housed in has a wonderful history that can still be seen in the original hardwood floors, columns, beams and exposed brick walls. It’s really beautiful to see all the history in a building that has housed numerous companies in the 118 years it has been standing.

If you have never been to Rochester Mills Beer Co. it is a huge, open space that includes a dining room, pool table area and a sprawling bar.  Although the floor plan is open, the brewery has a warm, inviting feeling.  Rochester Mills Beer Co. also has a great outdoor patio to enjoy the great food and beer.  Well when the Michigan spring actually decides to appear.

Outdoor Patio. Photo courtesy of me.

Defiantly go to Rochester Mills Beer Co. even if only for their wonderful menu selections.  From your standard beer cheese soup, burgers and fish and chips to lobster mac and cheese, Shepard’s pie, shrimp pasta and steak.  Oh and don’t forget their wood fired pizza! Yum I am hungry after saying all that!



Beer selection. Photo courtesy of me.

Lots and lots of beer choices!  Some must tries…Rochester Red, Lazy Daze Amber Lager and Mils Pils.

If you are not a beer drinker a trip to Rochester Mills will still be worth it for the great food and atmosphere!  Enjoy!

What a Gem!

Photo courtesy of me.

Don’t, don’t, don’t pass up Sherwood Brewery thinking it’s just another strip mall restaurant!  Sherwood Brewery is a hidden gem! 

If watching sports is your thing Sherwood Brewery is your place!  There are TV’s everywhere.  TV’s in every booth, TV’s on the wall and a big screen TV as you walk in the front door.

The atmosphere is super laid back.  A substantial amount of seating for the size of building, booths, high top tables and regular tables.  There’s even a wall you can draw on.  How fun is that?

Cheesy breadsticks.  Photo courtesy of me.

The food is EXCELLENT!  The menu is loaded with burgers, sandwiches, fish and chips, pizza and of course beer cheese soup.  While I was dining at Sherwood Brewery I had the margarita pizza and cheesy breadsticks.  Yum, Yum and Yum!  With both the pizza and breadsticks you have your option of pizza sauces:  spicy beer sauce, garlic and wine and tomato basil sauce.  The spicy beer sauce and the garlic and wine sauces were delicious.

Beer on tap.  Photo courtesy of me.

And of course the beer is great!  It was super difficult to decide which beers to try so we had a sampler that included all 6 of their beers.  There were two extremely unique beers you won’t find at just any brewery.  The first beer was the Strawberry Wit which is a Belgian style white ale brewed with strawberries.  The Strawberry Wit was very tasty with just enough fruit flavor.  The other beer was Hemp Ale, although not my favorite of the sampler, it was a type a beer I have never tasted.  The Hemp Ale is brewed with pale and toasted malts to accentuate the toasted hemp seeds.  If beer is not your choice of drink Sherwood Brewery also makes their own wine and root beer.

Sampler.  Photo courtesy of me.

 Sherwood Brewery is a must try!

Come Fly with Me!

My most recent excursion to a microbrewery was nestled in the northern part of Macomb County amongst farms.  Just a short drive north out of Metro-Detroit, a little east of Romeo Plank Road on Armada Center Road you will come across Blake’s Ciderhouse & Winery in Armada, MI. 

 

I am going to put this out there before anyone can say anything…hard cider is not beer why are you writing about hard cider on a microbrewery blog?  Hard Cider popped up overnight on beer shelves everywhere.  The similarities between hard cider and beer are:  they are bottled in the same manner, both have a fermentation process, both are bubbly and processed in small batches.  Here is how hard cider was explained to me by the experts at Blake’s “Hard cider has a higher alcohol content than beer but easier to swallow than wine”.

 

Indoor Fireplace at Blake's Ciderhouse. Picture courtesy of me 

My absolutely favorite part of Blake’s Ciderhouse is the atmosphere!  It has this warm, inviting feeling as you walk through the doors you are taken back someplace in time.  Although everything is new it feels as if it has been there 100 years.  In the middle of the Ciderhouse is a fire place that has a campfire ambiance that makes you want to pull a chair up and put your feet on.  Also the table bases are made out of wooden barrels which is so appropriate for the décor.  Since the Michigan winter is hopefully over the Ciderhouse also has an outdoor patio with a fire pit complete with storytellers, drinks and lots of laughter.




Wooden barrel for table base.  Picture courtesy of me.

Ceiling fan at Blake's. Picture courtesy of me.
















Flight.  Picture courtesy of me

Come fly we me!  Blake’s has a drink option called  "flight” which allows you to try any 3 hard cider or wines.  Extremely popular selection for most people when I was at Blake's Ciderhouse there was at least one flight at almost every table.

The one and only thing lacking that I think would make a huge difference is a menu.  People love food!  Over and over talking to people I heard I wish they had more of a menu.  The menu consists of fries, chicken fingers, cheese sticks and a couple other items.  It would also target an audience that hasn’t been considered…nondrinkers.

Overall great place, worth the drive to Armada!  And if you wait a couple months for the strawberries to come in you could make a day out of it.

Welcome to Michigan’s Little Bavaria!

Michigan’s Little Bavaria also known as Frankenmuth, MI. 

This past week was spring break for my family and we decided to take an overnight trip to Bavarian Inn.  While in Frankenmuth we decided to check out Frankenmuth Brewery for a quick lunch. 

As I walked up to the doors I passed numerous extremely happy people walking out with cases of Frankenmuth Brewery’s seasonal brew-Twisted Helles.  Thanks to Groupon’s awesome deal which is still going on, so check it out.  Frankenmuth Brewery Groupon

 

When I walked in the door I was instantly impressed you walk directly into the retail store where you can buy shirts and other Frankenmuth Brewery souvenirs and of course 6 packs and German style growlers of five or six types of beer.  Oh and how could I forget Frankie’s Root Bier by the bottle, 6 pack or case.  Nope bier is not spelled wrong that is how Frankenmuth Brewery spells it, how cute is that?  So if ever to stop by to pick up your favorite beer or root bier you never have to be bothered with the restaurant, well unless you feel the need for some great food.

Speaking of food the menu was somewhat simple and by no means do I mean simple types of food but not an overwhelming number of options.  This is not a bad thing in my eyes, ask my husband he gets sick of the questions “What are you getting to eat?”, “Does this sound good to eat or this?”  So simple is GREAT in my family!

The building is HUGE with a great location overlooking the Cass River.  The brewery is 28,000 square feet with seating for 432 people indoors on various levels and when that Michigan winter finally breaks I expect the huge outdoor patio that can seat 250 people also on various levels to be packed.  The whole brewery has exposed brick walls that give you that loft, urban feeling and brewing equipment throughout.

So overall I am in LOVE with the Frankenmuth Brewery!

Hops Around Michigan?

 

Hops Around Michigan isn’t going to be a blog about what it sounds like-traveling around Michigan. Hops Around Michigan began with a friends brilliant idea of reviewing microbreweries around Michigan-BTW she graciously volunteered to visit these breweries with me.  Thanks for the great idea…you know who you are!  As my profile says my friends and family call me the beer snob, I consider myself as having a sophisticated palate and an appreciation for unique beer.  I can’t help that I enjoy an exceptional beer from time to time.  While visiting the various microbreweries I will also sample their food selection and critique the atmosphere.  Please stay tuned for my most recent visit to Frankenmuth Brewery.