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	Lumber Barons’ Charcoal Grill and Brewpub (Dec. 9, 2005)
	The old Hereford and Hops building in Bay City has been closed for almost 2 years and after a long awaited time, Bay City has a Brewpub again.  We were so glad to hear that Lumber Baron’s would have the same brewer as Hereford and Hops who is Brett Moody.  The grand opening was unannounced but we found their phone number and were able to attend the grand opening on Friday.  For the most part the inside looks the same as it did (click picture or here for more pics)  The best part is the old stables in the basement have been converted into a Martini and Cigar room.  This is the coolest.  Each Stall has been made into private rooms, some of which are setup as small conference rooms.  There is a pool table, leather chairs and couches.  Very warm and inviting.  (click here to see pics of The Stables Martini & Cigar Room).  They also have banquet rooms upstairs and you can still cook your own steak if you want. We sat at the bar so we’d be able to talk with more people.  Stephany waited on us and she did an excellent job.  We met Alan Sian the bar manager and Liz the floor manager.  Everyone was very nice and great fun to talk to.  Brett the brewer was not there. We ordered up a sampler to try all the brews and we tasted:  Timberland Ale (light, nice and smooth), French Quarter Amber Ale, Sawmill Stout (very good), Delta Wheat (very good for a wheat, not too wheaty), Log Booom Razzberri Wheat (only a hint of raspberry and also very good), Rowdy Rouge IPA (nice and hoppy like it should be, hop heads will like this one), and Lumber Barons’ Pilsner (also light, smooth and not too hoppy).  We ordered a pint of the stout to have with dinner.  They are not expected to have their growlers in for about another 3 weeks, but we brought our old Hereford and Hops and a plain one we had.  To go we got the Sawmill Stout and the Delta Wheat. For dinner we started with the Wild Mushroom Bisque, lots of morel mushrooms, a little bland but still good.  We also ordered the Seafood Etouffee, which had shrimp, scallops, crab, and whole crawfish served in a traditional Louisiana style, included were 2 sides and a salad. This was very good and we were stuffed by the time we got done.  See below for our Saturday visit.   Cheryl Todd Timberland Ale 4 stars 3.5 stars French Quarter Amber Ale 3.5 stars 3 stars Sawmill Stout 4.75 stars 4.5 stars Delta Wheat 3.75 stars 3.75 stars Log Boom Razzberri Wheat 3.5 stars 3.5 stars Rowdy Rouge IPA 1.25 stars 2.25 stars Lumber Barons’ Pilsner 3.25 stars 3.25 stars Based on out personal preferences, yours may vary   Appearance:  5 stars           Food:  5 stars            Beer:  4 stars Atmosphere:  5 stars

	Lumber Barons’ Charcoal Grill and Brewpub (Dec. 10, 2005)
	We came back on Saturday so we could take our pictures and since we were very hungry again we ordered food along with a glass of the Timberland Ale.  Stephany waited on us again.  To eat we ordered the Muffuletta sandwich, round Italian bread with provolone, salami, ham, onions, garlic, with olive salad and oil and vinegar.  This sandwich is huge (see the pictures section above) and we made a joke to Alan (the bar manager), Alan (the general manager), and Stephany that it should be served with a brick to smoosh it down so you can get your mouth around it.  We also had a glass of the Lumber Barons’ Pilsner.  Very, very good food here.  We talked with Liz for a bit and went down to the Martini room to take pictures, they don’t open down there until 3:00pm.  While down there, Alan Shoe (general manager) came in and we chatted with him.  He was pleasant and informative and we found out he used to be at the Mountain Town Station in Mt.Pleasant, and also cooked at the old Hereford and Hops for about a year. Liz left Brett a message that we were here and he came in.  We had a great time talking with Brett and he showed us his brewing equipment.  We talked with him for a long time and shared information about other brewery happenings.  Brett does a great job brewing and we like the fact that he doesn’t make a lot of hoppy brews (even though he is a hop head).  Brett trained at the Siebel Institute in Chicago and his parents opened the original Hereford & Hops in Escanaba.  He is still in constant contact with the brewer there and will probably be helping with their newest location in Cranberry Twp., PA.   They also have a location in Wausau, WI.   You can  see our last journey to the Escanaba Hereford & Hops by clicking here.