A visitors' guide to Detroit breweries and beer bars

Robert Allen
Updated

If you've just arrived in Detroit and seek great local beer, read on.

The scene here is at its most vibrant in decades, with multiple Detroit breweries having opened taprooms and received national awards. Meanwhile, craft beer-forward bars have made it possible to try more beers from across the state, and beyond, than ever.

While several breweries are planned to open beyond the central business district, all of the ones operating today are a few miles, or less, apart. That makes it easy to hit a few of them in one bar-hopping venture.

Corktown

I recommend starting here. The neighborhood southwest of downtown has a rich bar history, and two breweries within walking distance of Michigan Avenue are must-visits.

Batch Brewing Co. at 1400 Porter Street does traditional beer styles and off-the-wall experiments with the same high level of consistency and prowess. It opened in 2015 with help from an online crowdfunding effort. The small brewery frequently sources ingredients from in state, and its food menu is fantastic — try the pork belly bolillo.

Among 20 Batch Brewing taps, watch for:

  • Second to Last Word (6.7% ABV), a sour ale inspired by the Last Word, a Prohibition-era cocktail made with gin, green Chartreuse, lime juice and maraschino liqueur.

  • Antwerp's Placebo (15.4% ABV) Belgian strong dark ale, which won a bronze medal in "Other Strong Beer" category at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

  • Roggenbier (5% alcohol by volume), a smooth, German-style rye beer.

  • In warm months: Beer slushies, such as the Grapefruit Saison (5.6% ABV).

A block south of Batch, there's a large, industrial-style building with a little orange sign: Brew Detroit at 1401 Abbott Street.

Brewmaster Joe Thorner has more than 40 years of experience, including Sam Adams-maker Boston Beer Co., and starting with Stroh Brewery Co. when it previously operated its historic brewery in Detroit. Today, he makes a Michigan-only Stroh's pilsner that's far more flavorful than the mass-produced lager found elsewhere. And while he brews for Stroh's and several Michigan breweries on contract, Thorner has also created some great recipes under the Brew Detroit brand.

Among 30 taps at Brew Detroit, watch for:

  • Cerveza Delray (4.2% ABV), a Mexican-style lager that won bronze in the "International-Style Pilsener" category at the 2018 GABF.

  • Violet's Fault Blueberry Cream Stout (5.3% ABV).

  • Stroh's Bohemian-Style Pilsner (5.5% ABV).

Midtown

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales makes its artisanal wild sours in Dexter, west of Ann Arbor. It's opened several other taproom locations, including at 441 West Canfield in Detroit. There, you can find a mix of the sours as well as beers from Traverse City-based North Peak Brewing Co., which is part of the same company. Also, the margherita pizza is delicious.

Among 32 taps at Jolly Pumpkin, watch for:

  • Calabaza Blanca (4.8% ABV) Belgian biere blanche (witbier) with orange peel and coriander.

  • Bam Bière (4.5% ABV) farmhouse ale that won a bronze medal in the "Session Beer" category at the 2009 GABF.

  • In the fall: North Peak Brewing Co.'s Hoodoo Midwest Wet Hop IPA (8% ABV).

Jolly Pumpkin is a brief walk from two longtime Detroit breweries, Motor City Brewing Works and Traffic Jam and Snug, the latter of which opened in 1992 as the first brew-pub in Michigan.

Walk about a little more than a block east, and you'll reach Hopcat Detroit, a 120-tap gastropub. It's a great spot to taste from a well-curated list that usually includes plenty of Michigan breweries, such as Odd Side Ales, Old Nation Brewing Co., Short's Brewing Co. and, of course, Bell's Brewery.

For a bar that doubles as a retail beer store, travel several blocks south to 8 Degrees Plato Detroit on Cass and Peterboro. The staff here is well-versed and enthusiastic about good beer, and the 16 taps usually include an eclectic mix of local beers as well as some from outside Michigan. The store is a great place to find rare and limited releases as well as products from smaller, more far-flung Michigan breweries.

Founders Brewing Co. operates a taproom nearby, on 456 Charlotte Street. Michigan's largest brewery, Founders is based in Grand Rapids, but the Detroit location also offers some unique beers made on-site through a small, three-barrel operation.

Among 40 taps at Founders Brewing in Detroit, watch for:

  • Barrel-aged Sumatra Mountain Brown (11.8% ABV) imperial brown ale made with coffee and aged for 460 days in used bourbon barrels.

  • Breakfast Stout (8.3% ABV) made with oats, chocolates and coffee, that won a silver medal in the "coffee stout" category at the 2018 GABF.

  • Comet IPA (6.7% ABV).

Downtown and Eastern Market

Detroit's downtown transformation the past few years has brought plenty of trendy restaurants offering hand-picked tap and bottle lists, but my go-to is Grand Trunk Pub at 612 Woodward.

All 24 taps pour Michigan beer, frequently including lesser-known and limited releases along with flagship brands. The ambiance is warm in the former Grand Trunk Railway ticket office built in the 1870s, and the Grand Trunk Rub Reuben is fantastic.

Detroit Beer Co. on 1529 Broadway is downtown's only local brewery (Granite City Food and Brewery's wort is produced out-of-state and trucked in for fermentation) and keeps about nine beers on tap. Detroit Dwarf (5.8% ABV), a German-style brown ale fermented at a lager temperature, is amber-hued and smooth with nutty, fruity flavors. It's regularly available and won gold in the "German-Style Altbier" category at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival.

Just northeast of downtown is Eastern Market, where Eastern Market Brewing Co. on 2515 Riopelle offers a rotating mix of about a dozen beers, from juicy New England-style IPAs to wheat beers and stouts. The Solstice Blend 1 (11% ABV), an "English Barleywine blended with a whiskey barrel-aged stout that was brewed with warming winter spices," as the brewery describes it, is delicious.

At Cøllect on 1454 Gratiot, you can find 14 taps from across the world, including some local options. There's also a free popcorn machine.

Rivertown

Atwater Brewery and Tap House at 237 Jos. Campau is the city's largest brewery. It keeps about 26 beers on tap along with a full restaurant menu, and the tropical habanero chicken wings are quite good. Watch for:

  • Whango (4.9% ABV) wheat beer with mango, releases in springtime.

  • Voodoo Vator Doppelbock (8% ABV).

  • Vanilla Java Porter (5% ABV).

The big festival

Late October is the best time to find great beer in Detroit. You can stock up on big, hearty beers to get through winter; there's the Detroit Beer Experiment — when the city's breweries take on themes, such as Faygo soda flavors, for special collaboration beers — and the city's biggest annual beer fest: Detroit Fall Beer Festival, which is in late October.

The event brings more than 100 breweries from across the state to Eastern Market, where attendees wander with tasting cups and tokens. There's live music, food and a dizzying mix of beers, including special releases, and it's a great chance to meet the people who make the beer. Just make sure you plan transportation in advance, because there's a chance you won't be able to legally drive afterward.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A visitors' guide to Detroit breweries and beer bars