The debate rages on amongst beer lovers: where can you find the best breweries in the United States? The sides usually align along regional terms such as East Coast and West Coast. Recently a columnist for CNN wrote a lengthy article praising West Coast breweries such as Russian River and Sierra Nevada. While I agree that these breweries and many of the others he details in his article are excellent in quality, I believe the rapidly expanding brewing business in Michigan is being unfairly ignored. In particular, Southwest Michigan offers numerous opportunities to sample the state’s great selection of award-winning beer.
The brewpubs and bars on this list are selected in the following order to facilitate the easiest travel, not by any rank of quality or favoritism. Also, this list is not all-inclusive of the many breweries in the region. These are simply the places I would recommend as must-visits.
- Dark Horse Brewery, Marshall — The tiny, mug-filled taproom located just south of town belies the size of this expanding brewery. If you visit, you’ll find a lot of off-beat humor and good beer. Dark Horse is probably best known for their award-winning Crooked Tree IPA, but another favorite is Raspberry Ale.
- Arcadia Brewing, Battle Creek — This brewery specializes in “handcrafted British-style ales”, according to their website. Some of their mainstays include their London Porter and Whitsun, their summer ale. More recently they’ve gained attention for their excellent barleywine Cereal Killer, an allusion to their location in the “Cereal City” (Battle Creek is the home of the Kelloggs and Post cereal brands).
- Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo — While this city is home to several breweries and brewpubs, Bell’s is the best known nationally and offers the most to its visitors. This pioneering brewery has been in business since 1985 and is the creator of Two Hearted IPA, rated #2 in Zymurgy magazine’s list of the top 50 beers in the US earlier this year. Oberon is a huge seasonal favorite in the spring and summer; local bars and restaurants hold events on the day of its release every year. Visit the newly expanded Eccentric Cafe to sample beers available only at the brewpub.
- Kalamazoo Beer Exchange, Kalamazoo — Located just down the street from Bell’s, this bar has become increasingly popular in the short time since its opening last year. It is not a brewery or brewpub, but it still earned a spot on this list because of the selection of Michigan beers it offers. At any given time the bar has 28 beers on tap, but they frequently feature Michigan beers from up-and-coming breweries. They also have excellent pricing with their stock exchange gimmick: prices fluctuate several times an hour depending on how well each beer is selling.
- The Livery, Benton Harbor — This brewery, located in what was once literally a livery, won’t be as nationally recognized as some on this list because it doesn’t bottle for distribution. However, they offer many excellent brews such as Kentucky Kaffinator, Karhu IPA, and Umami Wheat Wine. On the fourth Sunday of each month they have an event where they feature two of their beers in firkins.
- New Holland Brewing, Holland — One of Michigan’s better known breweries, New Holland creates not only fantastic beer but a selection of spirits as well. However, if your focus is strictly on beer try some brews from their High Gravity Series and Cellar Series. Some interesting ones are Envious, a spiced fruit ale, and Dragon’s Milk, an extremely strong, rich ale aged in oak barrels.
- Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids — if Bell’s has the distinction of having the #2 beer in the country, Founder’s claimed the #3 spot (in a tie with Dogfish Head) with their KBS (formerly Kentucky Breakfast Stout). They moved their facilities across town to a new location a few years ago, so the taproom you’ll see is still relatively new. Centennial IPA and their Scotch Ale are well-liked in the region.
- Hopcat — this list would be remiss if it didn’t feature Hopcat, recently rated the third best beer bar in the world by Beer Advocate. They have 48 rotating taps, and over 100 bottled beers available. What makes Hopcat different than other bars with a huge beer selection is their knowledge of what they serve. Their staff can answer questions about any of their current selection; their attention to detail is exhibited in something as simple yet important as pouring your beer in the right type of glass.
If you’re interested in visiting other Michigan breweries, I recommend visiting the website for the Michigan Brewer’s Guild. They have a “Beer Finder” feature that lists all the microbreweries in Michigan and shows their location on a map.
