One of my favorite things about living in Detroit is the expansive list of local and Michigan beers on tap in nearly any metro Detroit bar. Thanks to places like Grand Trunk, Mercury Bar, and Hopcat, I can have my choice of a variety of local browns, pales, IPAs and porters, all depending on what mood I’m in. And places like Atwater, Motor City, Detroit Beer Co., Dragonmead, and Woodward Ave. Brewers (and soon, Jolly Pumpkin!) let me try one brewer’s take on the whole gamut. Below are a few of my favorite Detroit brewskies.

1. Motor City Ghettoblaster 

This is a classic and the first beer I ordered when I moved in a block away from Motor City Brewing Works a few years ago. This English Style Mild Ale is always my go-to when I’m not sure what I’m in the mood for and it never fails to satisfy. Pair it with one of Motor City’s specialty pizzas (I suggest the “Mary did have”) or a medium-rare cheeseburger.  Oh, and you can find this on tap at just about any bar in Detroit.

2. Atwater’s Winter Bock

If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for seasonal beers (or you didn’t know but you could have guessed quite easily). And Atwater’s Winter Bock hits the spot. This high gravity, dark caramel lager is sweet-but-not-too-sweet and pairs nicely with a visit to the Jos. Campau taproom on a chilly January night. Fill up a growler to-go, hit the coney on your way home, and you have an ideal winter evening.

3. Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire

So I’m jumping the gun on this one, but when my favorite undergraduate restaurant and brewery announces it is opening a new location just one block from my Detroit home, I have the right to be a bit excited. This all-sour brewery earned my love with it’s seasonal pumpkin beers, but it’s the dark farmhouse ale that won my heart. This smooth ale goes down warm and leaves a tart finish fitting for nights when the seasons start to change. Pair with one of JP’s rustic sandwiches or granite baked pizzas and you’ll be wondering why you haven’t been drinking sour beers all your life.