Our first stop was King Brewing Co. and Pub. Quite hungry from the drive, we asked for menus and wanted to find out about the beers.

 We sampled a couple beers and bought a glass of Amber. Cheryl ordered the Calamari… We were told that we were the first to try the chef’s new recipe. We were definitely impressed (they boast their top-notch chefs). The hors d’oeuvre filled us up, but, we were very pleased to find out the chef was “testing” a new recipe of scallops and bacon. The bartender passed out healthy “free” portions of the new scallop recipe. There were only 6 people in the bar, and all received a free sample dish. 

Wow, trying to get past the awesome hors d’oeuvres was enough, but, we got to sample some awesome beer. We didn’t go near the Raspberry beer, however, we had the Amber Ale and a Porter and got to taste the Two-Fisted Ale and Pale Ale. Everything was tasty and we ordered a growler of Porter to go. ...

see also: Rochester, BigRock, King, Bo's, WAB, Bastone, Copper

We headed onto Big Rock Chop House and called our friends to see if they would meet us there. They decided to instead meet us at WAB, after we hit Big Rock.

 We arrived at Big Rock and were impressed by the look of the place. But, the Valet Parking made us wonder. We decided to save $4 and to park ourselves. Before we even entered the place, we felt like we shouldn’t be there – Jaguars and Mercedes filled the parking lot. We entered and even felt less in place – us in jeans and everyone else in dress and suits. We quickly sat at the bar and hoped we’d get served quickly so we could remove ourselves from the situation, after all, we’re not going to travel all the way there and not “sample” beer. 

We patiently waited for the bartender. Seemed weird to sit at the bar, behind the taps of a microbrewery and not see a bartender for at least 5 minutes. Finally, the bartender appeared. She explained that there was a wedding going on in one side of the place and a funeral going on in the other side. We explained that we just were looking to get a growler. She allowed us to sample the Amber Ale and the Seasonal. We quickly decided to get a growler of Raymondo El Rojo (a red amber Ale) and hit the road, after all, our friends were waiting at WAB. 

We felt displaced at Big Rock and didn’t even get a chance to look at a menu. It’s just that we felt like it was an inconvenience to be sitting at the bar asking questions about the beer. ... (see Bastone for re-visit)

see also: Rochester, BigRock, King, Bo's, WAB, Bastone, Copper

Our friends were already at Woodward Avenue Brewers when we arrived. We walked in the side door after parking in back (at a meter) and found that we could only go upstairs. 

The original brick and plaster in the place was classic. The license plate menus (yep, metal), were even a nicer touch to the style. The bartender told us of the street level area that is open in summer – 2 large garage doors that open onto the sidewalk for “outdoor café” experience. 

Darrell was drinking a Stout, while Todd (yep a different Todd) was having a La Trappe - which he was bragging about being 12% alcohol content. We tasted their beers and the bartender was helpful in our decision by letting us taste the other brews. We weren’t crazy about the Vanilla Stout (way too much vanilla), nor the Winter Ale (too strong of nutmeg). The Brown Ale, Porter and other stout were excellent. 

Cheryl ordered a Brown Ale and we got a growler of Brown Ale to go. Another satisfying brewery day. Hit 3 different microbreweries and picked up 3 growlers. Had a LOT of fun. THANKS and looking forward to the next adventure.

see also: Rochester, BigRock, King, Bo's, WAB, Bastone, Copper

  Home  

  Sanford Lake & Mountain Town (June, 2001)  

  Big Buck & Alcatraz (Aug, 2001)  

  Jamesport, Lighthouse, Mackinaw, Northpeak, Brewzone, Boyne River (Sep, 2001)  

  Wiltse's (Nov, 2001) & Tawas Point (May, 2004)  

  King, Big Rock, & WAB (July, 2001)  

  Hereford and Hops (starting Dec, 2001, several trips)  

  Harpers, Tuba, & MBC (Mar, 2002)  

  Tahquamenon, Lake Superior, Jasper Ridge, Library brewpub (Aug, 2002)  

  Quay Street, Dragonmead, Great Baraboo (Apr, 2003)  

  Hair of the Frog, Robert Thomas, Grand Rapids, B.O.B.'S, Founders (July, 2003)  

  Grizzly, Arbor, Leopolds (Aug 6, 2004)  

  Sports, Traffic, Stoney, Kuhnhenn (Aug 7, 2004)  

  Thunder Bay, Belle Isle (Aug 8, 2004)  

  Jamesport, Salmon fishing (Aug 29, 2004)  

  Rochester, Big Rock, King, Bo's, WAB, Bastone, Copper (Sep 11, 2004)  

  Black Forest, Frankenmuth (Oct 1, 2004)  

  Old Hat, Bilbos, Olde Peninsula, Bells, Kraftbrau (Oct 8, 2004)  

  Arcadia, Dark Horse, Harpers (Oct 9, 2004)  

  Midland St. Ale Tour, Bay City, 2004  

  Old Boys, New Holland, Via Maria, Grand Rapids Brewing (Nov 12, 2004)  

  The B.O.B., Founders (Nov 13, 2004)  

  Thunder Bay, Kings, Bo's, CJ's (Feb 5, 2005)  

  Great Baraboo, Dragonmead, Belle River (Feb 26, 2005)  

  Boyne River, Shorts (Apr 30, 2005)  

  2nd U.P. Trip - Part 1, Tahquamenon, Lake Superior, Vierling, Jasper (Aug 24,25, 2005)  

  2nd U.P. Trip - Part 2, Red Jacket, Keweenaw, Library, Hereford & Hops (Aug 26,27, 2005)  

  Mountain Town, Sanford - 2nd Trip (Sept 10, 2005)  

  Michigan Brewing, Jolly Pumpkin, Redwood Lodge, (Sept 24, 2005)  

  Livery, Saugatuck, New Holland, Via Maria (Sept 30, 2005)  

  Middle Villa, Schmohz, Hideout (Oct 1, 2005)  

  Redwood Lodge (Sep, 2004), Redwood Lodge (Oct 8, 2005)  

  Kuhnhenn, Bastone, Lilys (Oct. 21, 2005)  

  Bonfire, Etouffee (Oct. 22, 2005)  

  Cork 'N' Ale 11th Annual Fall Beer Tasting (Nov. 3, 2005)  

  Traverse City, North Peak (Dec. 2, 2005)  

  Mackinaw, Shorts (Dec. 3, 2005)  

  Lumber Barons' Charcoal Grill & Brewpub (Dec. 9 & 10, 2005)