Brewery Tour

[RickBeer]

Today Dark Horse, Bell's original, Bell's Comstock, Olde Peninsula. Tomorrow New Holland, Founders, then home.

[Whamolagan]

fun. pics or it didn't happen

[RickBeer]

Soon. Have to be resized, rotated. Too much work on tablet. Tomorrow evening or Monday.

[Inkleg]

Mmmmmmmmmm, Founders!

[RickBeer]

Dark Horse did 25,000 barrels last year, 35,000 this year. Bell's did 318,000 last year, 400,000 this year. Olde Peninsula does 550...

[RickBeer]

At New Holland now.

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[Brewbirds]

Enjoying a Bell's as you enjoy the tours; sounds like fun. Looking forward to the pics.

[RickBeer]

Lunch at Founders. Rubaeus on nitro and Portobello sandwich.

[RickBeer]

So we're home.

The trip was originally to be a family biking, museum and brewery tour trip. My son and I successfully eliminated all but the brewery tour part, and when it rained off and on most of the first day we got an acknowledgement that we made the right call. Haven't toured a brewery that I remember since Stroh's in 1982 or 1983.

We drove from Ann Arbor to Dark Horse in Marshall, Michigan (70 mnutes). Heard of it, never drank any of their beer. We were expecting a crude environment with crude language, and we were not disappointed. Arrive shortly before noon, and entered the very small restaurant/bar. Here's a pic of some of their mug club, around 4,000 handing from ceiling.

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mug club.jpg

Nice sign out the window:

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nice sign.jpg

Clay took us on the tour, which costs $10pp, but includes a pint glass AND samples. He gave us a colorful history of Dark Horse, including how Aaron Morse changes directly often, usually "hey boss, what are we going to do today" is the kick-off. They brewed 25,000 barrels last year and plan on brewing 35,000 this year - and are in 20+ states. They don't go into a new state unless they can ensure that they don't short an existing state. Tour walked us through the entire brewery, stepping over hoses, into puddles, and met "Wiggs", the head brewer. He was making a weird concoction for an upcoming event that included beets and a bunch of other stuff that didn't belong in beer, making a Saison. He didn't say more than 2 sentences.

After the tour we ended in the VIP room, which is a small room up in a mezzanine with ceiling and walls covered by foam insulation painted gray. Water drips from the ceiling due to condensation. Clay started to give us samples, but the first tap was running dry - Amber Ale - so we got a big cup of the flow-through. Same with Raspberry Ale. The samples included Sapient Triple, GingeRed - an Imperial Ginger Red Ale, Crooked Tree IPA, Too Cream Stout, Double Crooked Tree IPA, 4 Elf Winter Warmer, and SLASM (Smells LIke A Safety Meeting), an India Pale Ale. None of us liked 4 Elf, much too much spice. Or GingeRed. The IPAs were interesting, but often too much. Too Cream Stout was excellent, as were the Amber and Raspberry. Clay was a character, they have a nice little sign that says "Go F___ Your Self" in his VIP room.

Here's a real blow-off tube:

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blowoff tube.jpg

They whole area is a bunch of patched together buildings, and renovations seem to be constantly happening. Seems tremendously unplanned and disorganized, but clearly someone knows what they are doing to be in 20+ states and heading to 35,000 barrels.

From Dark Horse we drove to the original Bell's in Kalamazoo, about another 35 minutes. Immaculate little store, large restaurant, brewery is two small rooms and very unimpressive (this is the ORIGINAL BREWERY). Tour was awful, basically stood in two rooms and didn't move, guy said "um" over and over.

After the "tour" we had some time so we went into the Eccentric Cafe' and ordered a Deb's Red and a Roundhouse IRA, both of which we'd never had. Both were ok, nothing special.





We then headed to Bell's main facility in Comstock. Holy Crap! Typical of many breweries, it's undergone many expansions. What's amazing is not the size today, but the addition they are building is massive. Huge towering poured concrete walls braced up, must be around 50' tall. It's an enormous addition (forgot to take a picture). It's 200,000 square feet and will cost around $50 million. http://www.mlive.com...50_million.html During the tour we got to taste 2 beers (there were 3 of us so we tasted each others). I got Venus, 7.5% ABV a Blonde Ale with honey, apricot, cardamom, and vanilla (reminded me of a creamsicle), nice but you wouldn't want more than a little, and the Amber. We also tried Lager Beer - "Lager of the Lakes". Good tour, but you only get to see a small amount of this massive brewery, and all from a catwalk at best. Not like Dark Horse. Bell's brewed 318,000 barrels last year, will brew 400,000 next year, and is growing rapidly. Lots of pics on their website. Tours are free.





From there we went back to town and went to a brewpub called Olde Peninsula. Standard brewpub. We had booked a "tour" that was supposed to be $10, but include a flight of beers, so it seemed to work out reasonably. My son had a Dark Side of the Moon IPA while we waited. Turns out the brewery area is a very small room, and the manager isn't very knowledgeable. A lot of stuff is piped "downstairs" for conditioning, but you don't get to see that. They didn't offer us the flights, nor try to charge us for the 10 minute tour, so we ordered a Razberry Wheat and a Sunset Red, both were good. Food was very good also.



The next morning we drove northwest for a bit over an hour to New Holland, knowing we'd only be in the pub not at the closed brewing facility (tours only on Saturdays, cost $10, and include samples). The pub is very commercial, and the waiter was very pushy - trying to get us to order food (we didn't want to).





My son had The Hollander, a Michigan Saison. I had a Sundog Amber, and my wife had an Ichabod Pumpkin Ale.



After New Holland we headed east to Founders, again knowing we wouldn't see the main facility ($10 tour that includes a pint glass, $30 tour that includes samples of "all" their regularly distributed beers). My wife and I got a Rubaeus, which is a raspberry wheat. It was on nitro (only in the pub). Oh my god, it was amazing! My son ordered an Azacca, an IPA (only served in the pub), and then I ordered an Oatmeal Stout and he got a Curmudgeon, an old ale (9.8%), oak aged. Tasted of whiskey to me. The Stout was disappointingly thin, but with a good head. We also got lunch there, which were very good but expensive deli sandwiches.











For those of you who expected this to be a "I drank 50 beers in 2 days story", sorry. On the first day I might have had the equivalent of 5 pints, probably a bit under. On day two I had 3 pints.

It was a great trip. About 4 hours of driving, and cost ~ $160 for three people including one dinner and one lunch (we ate lunch on the way in the car on day 1, and the hotel had free "breakfast" on day two, and we were home for dinner (but not hungry) on day two. Hotel was free with points, so that helped, but wouldn't have pushed us to $300 for total.

We have to do another brewery tour trip someday.

[Inkleg]

Sweet trip Rick! Thanks for taking us along.

[Kealia]

Here's a real blow-off tube:

Just. Damn.

[Rebel_B]

Sweet!

[Whamolagan]

Like I was a mouse in your pocket. Thanks for sharing. Sounded like a fun trip. Wow 200,000 sqft expansion. I can't even find a properly zoned 1500 sqft.

[duff]

That's a heck of a tour. I did Bell's a number of years ago. Keep meaning to go out to Dark Horse and Founders.

[Brewbirds]

Not jealous...

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No really... not jealous

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