Here are 5 Michigan beers to crush at your Super Bowl LVII party (or any party)

Brian Manzullo, Detroit Free Press
·5 min read
2

Super Bowl LVII is this weekend and, if you're anything like me, you still have some shopping to do to get ready for the big game.

One of those choices you might have to make when you're at the store or placing an Instacart order: libations. What's going to be your drink (or drinks) of choice? You could always go for that 24-pack of Bud Light at the front of the store like a lot of other people do, and given the volume and this economy, few would blame you.

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But as the resident craft beer "taster" who has been to a supermarket or two this week, there are plenty of better, local choices on the shelves (or on taps, if you'd rather get a growler at your local brewery). If you're looking for some new flavor to enjoy as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday — dreaming of a day the Detroit Lions will be in this game — here are some suggestions on what to look out for:

Keep in mind, many of these beers are sold in four- or six-pack cans, at 12 or 16 ounces, not like the party packs you see from bigger Michigan breweries such as Bell's Brewery or Founders Brewing Co. (though the Hearted IPA Variety Pack and All Day Variety Pack are in stores now). But the advantage is you can mix and match these to your liking; maybe pair a six-pack lager with a four-pack IPA, for example, and have your friends try one out.

House Lager

5.5% alcohol by volume, Waypost Brewing Co.

Waypost, based in Fennville, is one of those breweries I've yet to visit, but I pay attention whenever I see its distinctive cans on beer shelves. Just about everything I've had from there is solid, and that includes its flagship House Lager, brewed as an unfiltered German zwickelbier with spicy hop character, light grain notes, floral aroma and a crisp finish. You can find it in four-packs of 16-ounce cans on beer shelves across the state; chances are, if you enjoy any lager, you'll enjoy this one, too.

Float Copper, an amber lager from Blackrocks Brewing Co.
Float Copper, an amber lager from Blackrocks Brewing Co.

Float Copper Amber Lager

5% ABV, Blackrocks Brewing Co.

Float Copper — a crisp, light, malty amber lager — was one of the better beers I tasted during last year's Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival, and Marquette-based Blackrocks has it back in six-pack cans and in stores this winter. It's one of those beers with a lot of versatility; it's bold enough to be a winter beer, yet light enough to be a summer beer, and can be enjoyed in just about any setting. And the copper color is just gorgeous. If you're a fan of Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Shiner Bock or Killian's, seek this one out.

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Lil' Rez, a session IPA from Drafting Table Brewing Co.
Lil' Rez, a session IPA from Drafting Table Brewing Co.

Lil' Rez Session IPA

4% ABV, Drafting Table Brewing Co.

Drafting Table's Rezolute IPA is one of the better West Coast IPAs out there, and you wouldn't go wrong if you decided to pick that up instead. But here is the sessionable version of it. Lil' Rez is lighter, but packs a punch with citrus, pine and hoppy resin notes, is clear gold in color and finishes clean. A four-pack of 16-ounce cans will work just fine for a Super Bowl Sunday if you want something crushable with the IPA flavor you need. You'll only find it in cans or on tap at Drafting Table's taproom in Wixom, though the original Rezolute is available on beer shelves.

Czech Dark Lager from Griffin Claw Brewing Co.
Czech Dark Lager from Griffin Claw Brewing Co.

Czech Dark Lager

5.7% ABV, Griffin Claw Brewing Co.

One beer style growing in popularity of late is the Dark Czech-style lager; when done right, it's the perfect amount of malty, roasty, dark chocolate and caramel, with a little bitterness yet the crispness of lager. One local brewery doing it right is Birmingham's Griffin Claw Brewing Co., which began brewing its Czech Dark Lager last fall and found just the right balance with this style. It's an easy drinker, with good roastiness, and complements the cold weather like hand in glove. (If you're unable to find Czech Dark Lager, another good Griffin Claw beer to look out for: El Ligero, its Mexican-style lager with lime notes.)

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MI, MI, MI Triple IPA from Old Nation Brewing Co.
MI, MI, MI Triple IPA from Old Nation Brewing Co.

MI, MI, MI Triple IPA

10.08% ABV, Old Nation Brewing Co.

Here's one for the high-ABV lovers out there. Though Old Nation has been making waves lately for its outstanding lagers (such as Fritts Lager, one of our top beers of 2021 and still in distribution), this is a reminder that it makes New England-style IPAs as good as anyone in Michigan. MI, MI, MI is a hefty Triple IPA that doesn't drink hefty at all; it's loaded with Citra, Magnum, Crystal and Chinook hops to produce citrus, pineapple, mango and tangerine notes, and finishes smooth with a touch of dank. Maybe this isn't a "crusher," per se, but if you're looking for something to savor without consuming a high volume of liquid, MI, MI, MI should do the trick. It's one of the best Triple IPAs I've had.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Top 5 Michigan beers to crush at your Super Bowl LVII party