With slight embarrassment, I announce my favorite beers from oldest to current, dating back to when I was…. well 21 of course:
- Busch Light
- Miller Light
- PBR
- Killians Red
- Fat Tire
- Dirty Bastard
- Any Bourbon Barrel stout
The “uptick” in beer quality is closely related to our move to Michigan. This state’s craft beer culture and breweries proudly put their pints against any state in the country.
Below are a few of my favorite places to grab a delicious craft brew in Detroit:
Hopcat Detroit – When Hopcat opened in Detroit, it was known as the great craft beer bar from Grand Rapids. The heaping praise and accolades were enough to persuade Nellie and I to wait 3 hours in the cold for their Detroit grand opening (that and the promise of free fries for a year).
While their beer menu, fries, and atmosphere has been top notch, our favorite events have been their four course beer pairing nights. We have been treated to some great food with some well thought out beer pairings.
Brew Detroit – Brew Detroit is actually considered a tasting room for this unique brewery. Brew Detroit is a large beer warehouse that allows other beer companies (like Detroit mainstays Atwater and Motor City Brewing) to make their beer onsite. As cool and revolutionary as that idea is, it’s the low-key vibe and amazing revolving 10 beer menu that strikes my fancy. I even leaned on Brew Detroit’s hospitality while editing my Challenge Detroit Spotlight video with my buddy (thx again Justin).
8 Degree’s Plato – My final favorite beer spot is a craft beer store (not bar) called 8 Degree’s Plato in Ferndale, gasp, yes Ferndale. Lured by the promises of free beer pours from a famous Michigan brewery, we ventured into this small store not knowing what to expect. What we found was a well-stocked craft beer store run by two very customer centric and wonderful business owners: Tim & Brigid.
The best part is Plato’s is planning on expanding to a second store that will open this summer. Their next location…..DEtROIT!
