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What makes Michigan a top beer destination?
- Michigan is home to innovative and eclectic brew towns, including Beer City USA – Grand Rapids, as well as other beer-centric communities such as Ann Arbor, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Marquette, Lansing, Traverse City, and Ypsilanti.
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Where does Michigan rank nationally in terms of breweries?
- Michigan stands at fifth in the nation for having the highest number of breweries, microbreweries, and brewpubs.
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What natural factors make Michigan ideal for brewing?
- With its glacier-rich soil and proximity to the Great Lakes, Michigan provides ideal conditions for brewing, making it a brewer's paradise.
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1. Bad Brewing Company, Mason
Bad Brewing Company is a microbrewery in downtown Mason that produces a range of over 20 tap brews and one rotating cider, all of which are brewed in-house. The brewery features a beer garden with a cozy fireplace and hosts live entertainment in the evenings such as comedy, trivia, and vinyl nights. Bad Brewing Company’s draft list includes BAD 'Cause I Got Rye – a West Coast Rye IPA; BAD Dry Hopped Apple Cider with Mosaic Hops; BAD Grape Cider – a Fruit Cider; BAD Hibiscus Gose; BAD Hop Resolution – a Double IPA; BAD Hoppin' on Da Bandwagon - NEIPA; and BAD I'm A Dragon – a Lactose IPA. Food trucks provide fresh, local artisan food throughout the week, and the brewery and tasting room is open Monday through Sunday at various hours.
440 S Jefferson St, Mason, MI 48854, Phone: 517-676-7664
2. Big Lake Brewing, Holland
Founded in 2009, Big Lake Brewing was the brainchild of three engineers living in Holland, Michigan, two of whom were devoted homebrewers for years, working out of a garage with a half-barrel Sabco Brewmagic system. As the hobby grew into a business, the system eventually turned into a three-barrel system and later a seven-barrel system with a small canning line, and the garage was transformed into 3000 square foot pub with sixty seats. Today, the brewery is based in a 7000 square foot brewery with a full kitchen and has a production facility with a fifteen-barrel brewhouse that produces a range of brews and ales, including a classic amber ale, Michigan Amber, New England IPAs called Blood Orange Haze and Lake Haze, a juicy IPA called the Breakwall IPA, and a traditional Shandy known as Lake Shandy.
13 W 7th St, Holland, MI 49423, Phone: 616-796-8888
3. Blackrocks Brewery, Marquette
Located in a small house in Marquette, Blackrocks Brewery is a mellow microbrewery with a friendly neighborly ambiance, a taproom offering craft beer, comfortable outdoor seating, and live music throughout the week. Blackrocks Brewery brews on the original 1 BBL system along with the 3 BBL pub system and 20 BBL production system, producing signature beers such as 51K IPA, Grand Rabbits, Coconut Brown, Classic Pilsner, Flying Sailor, Nordskye, Honey Lav, Potter’s Porter, and Gnomas. Blackrocks Brewery’s tasting room is open Monday through Sunday at various hours.
424 N 3rd St, Marquette, MI 49855, Phone: 906-273-1333
4. Brewery Terra Firma, Traverse City
Brewery Terra Firma is a production brewery and modern taproom with a scenic patio offering sustainably-produced craft beer and a BYO-food policy. Located on 10 acres of land in Traverse City, Michigan, the brewery is a MAEAP certified farm that produces delicious, culinary-inspired beers using sustainable methods. The brewing process uses an innovative water capture system that reclaims over 185,000 gallons of water from the manufacturing process for reuse as irrigation and fertilization on the farm crops. Signature beers include Soul Butter Triple IPA, Black Bikini Coconut Porter, Manitou Amber Ale, and Sun Cup Lemon Wheat, all of which can be tasted in the taproom, which is open Monday through Sunday at various hours. The brewery also has locally-made snacks and sodas available for purchase, or visitors bring along a meal from their favorite eatery.
2959 Hartman Rd, Traverse City, MI 49685, Phone: 231-929-1600
5. Dearborn Brewing, Dearborn
Dearborn Brewing is a small microbrewery on Michigan Avenue in Downtown West Dearborn that brews handcrafted beers with an on-site taproom. The locally owned and operated microbrewery produces eight beers on tap, including West Village Wit - 2018 Witbier, Hizzy Biscus Wheat Pale Wheat Ale, Pretentious Toad Belgian Tripel, and a range of specialty beers such as Brown Bruin - Batch 2 Sour - Flanders Oud Bruin, HIIPA IPA - Imperial / Double, and a Belgian Table Beer. Beers can be enjoyed by the 5oz glass, 16oz pint, flights, growlers and in kegs to take home. Dearborn Brewing is a carry-out friendly establishment, so visitors can bring in their favorite food to enjoy with their favorite beers.
2351 United States, 21930 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48124, Phone: 313-914-4187
6. Dragonmead Microbrewery, Warren
Founded in 1997, Dragonmead Microbrewery is a medieval-themed craft brewery offering a wide range of brews, ranging from German lager and ale, to English ale, and Scottish ale, including mead, and a hearty food menu. Signature brews include the award-winning Final Absolution, an English-style Crusader Dark Mild Ale that was a World Beer Cup gold medalist, Crusader Dark Mild Ale, Erik the Red, and Russian Imperial Stout. The décor is renowned and features stained glass windows, two sizeable vitreous glass tile mosaics and a copper-top back bar with custom oak cabinetry with a plethora of unique beer tap handles. The brewer also produces and serves its root beer and sodas and operates a kitchen with a specialized menu designed to accompany the variety of beers available.
14600 E Eleven Mile Rd, Warren, MI 48089, Phone: 586-776-9428
7. Fenton Winery & Brewery, Fenton
Fenton Winery & Brewery an award-winning and innovative microbrewery and Winery located on the north end of Fenton offering craft wines and beers, delicious food, and live music and other entertainment. Founded in 2007, the Fenton Winery & Brewery features a taproom open to the public six days a week, where visitors can taste signature beers and wines, such as Fenton Light, Ignescent Amber Ale, Unbridled IPA, Staggering Bull, Head-n Collision, and Eminent IPA, among others. The establishment also features a sprawling 1.25-acre park-like Wine and Beer Garden, a full-service banquet hall and a retail store for homebrewing supplies and carry-out essentials.
1370 N Long Lake Rd, Fenton, MI 48430, Phone: 810-373-4194
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