Big Ten Road Trips, part 7, Michigan

This weekend, the U of I football team travels to Michigan to take on Rich Rodriguez' Wolverines. Meh. Ann Arbor is Closer to Detroit, so breweries and brewpubs in Detroit will also be featured in this edition, as opposed to part 6, Michigan State. The drive there is about 6 hours and 344 miles.

On the drive, it's pretty much the same as going to Michigan State, except you keep going on I 94 instead of turning north on I 69 around Marshall.

This week, you continue on 94 and head to Ann Arbor (the whore). The first place you'll come to is the town of Dexter. That is the home of Jolly Pumpkin (well one of the 3 homes). Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales makes some really interesting beers. Their beer is available in CU at various locations in bottles and on draft. Many of their beers are barrel aged, and most have a slight tart flavor to them. They also have a location in Ann Arbor.

Also in Ann Arbor is Grizzly Peak Brewing Company. They seem to have at least 6 house beers. They also have a 9 beer sampler for $10, so maybe they have more than 6 beers. Some of the food menu items look good and are decently priced. Beer Advocate gives them a B+.

Arbor Brewing Company, is also in Ann Arbor. Beer Advocate gives them an A-. They claim to have between 8 and 12 house brews on tap at any time, with half being seasonal and half year round. Growlers are only $4, and can be filled for $8-12. Which isn't a bad price.

Another Ann Arbor brewery is the Blue Tractor BBQ and Brewery. They seem to have 3 year round beers, a pilsner, IPA, and a bock; in addition to some seasonals. Beer Advocate gives them a C.

That seems to be it for Ann Arbor, but some of those places look pretty good. If you continue heading on down 94 towards Detroit (rock city), you'll come across the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. Corner is a part of Arbor Brewing, so if you went there, you don't need to go here, unless you really want to.

When you get to Detroit, there are a couple of places you might want to go to. Atwater Block Brewery, is probably the most familiar brewery in Detroit. Voodoo Vator is probably their most familiar beer.

The Detroit Beer Company is also in Detroit. They have 7 yearly beers and several seasonals. Motor City Brewing Works, shows 11 beers on their website. Traffic Jam & Snug claims to be Michigan's first brewpub.

Since you are pretty close to it, if you are in Detroit, head up 94 towards Warren. Go to Dragonmead Microbrewery. If you went to the game, it's only about an hour away (if you didn't go to Detroit). They make a lot of different beer. A few years ago, at the Great Taste of the Midwest, I tried their Ring of Fire, which is an ale with hot peppers. That beer tasted like I was drinking pepper jack cheese. Which sounds bad, but it was great. These guys are very creative and make some damn fine brews.

Another brewery you might want to check out is Kuhnhenn Brewery and Winery. That's also in Warren. If I'm not mistaken, that is where the Blind Pig Brewery guy worked after he left Champaign.

That's about it for breweries/brewpubs that you'll want to hit if going up to Ann Arbor. Of course, you still get to go past Kalamazoo, and Munster, so if nothing else, pick up some Bells or Three Floyds.

Big Ten Road Trips, part 6, Michigan State

So, you are taking the trip from Illinois to Michigan State University, in East Lansing. From Champaign to Spartan Stadium, it's about a five and a half hour drive. (Since the University of Michigan is closer to Detroit, Detroit will be featured in the next segment).

On your way up, you'll pass a couple of breweries that were featured in the Northwestern trip, Flossmoor Station, and Brick Stone. Once you turn east onto interstate 80, you get the opportunity to go to some really great breweries.

The first that you'll come across is in Munster, Indiana. It's Three Floyds Brewing Company. Three Floyds is awesome. Go there. If you've been before, go again. If you haven't gone, it's well worth the trip. They make awesome beer. They make Dark Lord. Their current tap list is amazing. From their usual suspects that are great (Alpha King, Gumball Head, Dreadnaught) to the things that are rarer (Admiral Lord Nelson, Ruggoop, Moloko, Munsterfest) to the things I've never heard of from them before (Sodom, Ice Grill, Owd Engwish Barley Whine) you're sure to find something you like.

A little further down I-80 is BrickWorks Brewing Company in Hobart. If you took the turn off of 80 and went up 94 along the coast, you are close to Shoreline Brewery and Restaurant in Michigan City, Indiana. (I went to Shoreline in March of 2008, shortly before starting this blog). Shoreline is really on the shore. This weekend may not be the greatest time to go there, but if you want to go to the beach and have a beer, this place would make a great day trip.

As you continue up 94, you'll pass Round Barn Winery, Distillery and Brewery, in Baroda, Michigan. A little further up 94 is the Livery, in Benton Harbor. I've tried some of their beers at the Great Taste of the Midwest, and was impressed. Next is Old Hat Brewery and Grill, in Lawton.

Keep driving, and you get to Kalamazoo. Home of Bell's Brewery, and the Eccentric Cafe. They have a live updating tap list. It's not easy to read. Hell Hath No fury is on tap, as is Expedition. Those are worth stopping in for.

From Kalamazoo, there are two ways to get to East Lansing, stay on 94 and go to 69, or... go up 131 to Grand Rapids. Neither are bad options.

On the I-69 route, you go to Marshall, Michigan. In Marshall is Dark Horse Brewing Company. Some of my favorite beers from Dark Horse are Double Crooked Tree, Three Guy Off the Scale Barley Wine, and Plead the 5th Imperial Stout.

If you went up to Grand Rapids, you can go to Founders. As of today, they have Breakfast Stout, Nemesis, Looking Glass, and some other good beers on tap. When Kridz and I went there in 2008, they had just moved locations and their deli wasn't up and running. If you are going up Saturday, October 16 for the football game, it's their 7th Annual Harvest Party, for their release of Harvest Ale. It costs $8 for admission, for that you get a pint of Harvest Ale, and can keep the glass (while supplies last).

Once you get to East Lansing, it seems the only place that brews their own is Harper's Restaurant and Brewpub. They appear to have 6 original beers on tap.

If you are looking to take a different route back, than the one that got you there, there aren't too many other options (other than the ones listed).

If you are looking to hit the best breweries and not get off the path too much, here's the route I recommend.

Take 57 to 80 to 94 to 69 up to Lansing. You'll be able to hit Three Floyds, Shoreline, the Livery, and Bells. On the way back, take 96 to 196 to 94 to 80 to 57. You'll be able to hit Founders, and in Holland, Michigan, New Holland Brewing (along with going past Shoreline, and Three Floyds, Flossmoor and BrickStone).

If planned correctly, with enough time budgeted, you can get some great beers, from some great breweries. It's a good 5+ hour drive each way, so if you leave Saturday morning, (they are an hour ahead) you'll have to leave by 5am. But, most of these breweries are also bars, so they are open late. It's a good drive, and worth it. If you want to pick up extra beer, you can ask at the brewery where they recommend purchasing their beer at (if it's not sold there, Three Floyds and Founders do sell on site).

Big Ten Road Trips, part 5, Penn State

So, you are taking the trip from Champaign to Beaver Stadium. You apparently have some vacation time saved up, and a lot of money for gas. It's 615 to get there and about 11 hours. Drive safely. On the way, you'll go through Indianapolis, Dayton, and Columbus.

Once you go past Columbus, you are about half way there. The first stop you can make on the way is in Zanesville at Weaselboy Brewing Company. They are open Tuesday through Friday from 4pm to midnight, and on Saturday from 3 pm to midnight. They are closed Sunday and Monday, so if you want to stop, you should do it on your way there, not the way back (if you spent the night in Pennsylvania.

If you aren't making any side trips, and are just driving straight to State College and don't want to get too far off the interstate, the next place that makes beer is Marzoni's Brick Oven & Brewing Co. They are open Sun-Wed from 11 am to 10 pm, and Thu-Sat from 11 am to 11 pm. They seem to have 7 house beers on tap. They are located in Duncansville, just before you get to Altoona.

Once you get to State College, your local beer option is Otto's Pub and Brewery. Otto's is about 9 minutes away from the stadium. They've got 9 or 10 beers on tap, and may have more. They also have some of their beer for sale in 22 ounce bombers, so if you go, bring me something back.

Since you are probably the adventurous soul, you aren't just going to go straight there. So take the slight diversion on the route and go up to Pittsburgh. If you go to Pittsburgh, go to The Church Brew Works. It's out of the way on the trip to State College, but it's really cool. Seriously, you should go to church.

Also in Pittsburgh are 3 (sort of large) breweries; Iron City, Pennsylvania Brewing, and East End Brewing. East End is the smallest of the three. Iron City is kind of famous in that town, and PennBrew makes some pretty good beers.

There's also a Rock Bottom, and out by the airport is Rivertowne Pour House.

If you have the time, don't go directly back to Champaign (or if you are going to State College from one of the northern Big Ten schools) take a ride through Cleveland. Cleveland has some damn fine breweries. Great Lakes produces some awesome beer. I'm a huge fan of the Blackout Stout. If you can time it correctly to get some of the Blackout Stout that's been aged in various barrels, you are a lucky person.

Also around the Cleveland area is Thirsty Dog. I'm a fan of their Siberian Night and their Hoppus Maximus. There are other breweries and brewpubs in Cleveland, if you have a favorite that isn't listed here, feel free to leave a comment.

If you want to take a quick jaunt down to Akron from Cleveland, you can hit Hoppin Frog. Some of their beers are really good, like BORIS and DORIS.

Since you went to Penn State for a football game, you probably need to get a beer. It won't take long for you to get a headache from hearing that lion in the stadium all day. Seriously, every first down?

Big Ten Road Trips, part 4, THE Ohio State University

O-H

eh fuck 'em.

So, you are heading to the horseshoe. From Champaign, it's about 300 miles and 5 hours. On the way, you go through Indianapolis. You'll probably want to take the beltway around Indy, and the south part is the quickest option. Remember, on the south of 465, there's plenty of breweries (we talked about them for the University of Indiana). On the north side, there's also breweries (we talked about them for Purdue). So, there's plenty of places to stop on the way.

I didn't talk about beer stores, but on 31 south (exit 2b) from 465, there's two good beer stores that I like to hit, the first is Crown Liquors. The other is further down the road at East Stop 11 road, and that's Party Pak Liquors. Both have really good beer selections. At Party Pak, you can buy any individual bottle there, or buy the six pack. If you are traveling and not from Indiana, there's lots of beers that you can't get here.

As you are heading east on 70, you'll go past Dayton. In Dayton, there's another good beer store, Belmont Party Supply. Belmont also has a great selection.

But, we're going to try to hit breweries, not liquor stores.

In Columbus there are several breweries.

One of my favorites is Elevator. I've been to Elevator a couple of times, and have never been disappointed. In the picture, my buddy Jim is eating their famous Rock Filet. The steak comes out rare, and you cook it in front of you on a really hot (450 degrees) rock. Cut it up, and cook it to however you like it done. It comes with some dipping sauces, but you don't really need them on a good piece of meat. Elevator currently has 11 beers on tap, and the full sampler looks really cool. The beer is good, and it's a nice place. Elevator is about 3 miles away from the stadium.

Another good place is Barley's Alehouse. There are 2 Barley's locations in Columbus. Ale House No. 1 and Ale House No. 2. Ale House #1 is down the street from Elevator, #2 is a bit further away from the stadium. Kridz and I stopped at Ale House #1 on our east coast trip. Previously, I had been to Ale House #2 a couple of times on trips to Columbus with Jim. They have a good variety of house beers, mostly with a Scottish theme.

There's apparently a Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in Columbus as well.

Also in Columbus, is the Columbus Brewing Company. Why haven't I been here? It's about 10 minutes from the stadium.

There's another brewery, L. Hoster Brewing Co. Their website is under construction, and I haven't had any of their beers. Hoster is about 6 miles from the Stadium.

That's about it for breweries on the trip. As long as you are in Ohio, you should stop at From the Vine. It's a nice 20 minute drive from the stadium, but it's worth the trip. Jaimie has a really good beer selection along the side wall. Look for some stuff that you can't find elsewhere. You may pay a premium for it, but it might be the best beer in the world, ask nicely.

So, enjoy your trip to the whore's shoe. I hope you don't get too sick of hearing "Hang on Sloopy".

Big Ten Road Trips, part 3, Purdue

Time to head to West Lafayette, Indiana for Purdue. For football season, you are heading to Ross-Ade Stadium. It takes less than 2 hours to get from Champaign to the stadium, and there's really not much on the way. Google maps says there are 3 ways to get there, some are more country than others.

In Lafayette, there's the Lafayette Brewing Company. I've had a couple beers from here, and they were pretty good. Lafayette Brewing Company is about 7 minutes from the stadium.

There's a Scotty's Brew House in West Lafayette too. It's about 2 miles from the stadium. (You can follow them on twitter).

People's Brewing Company doesn't seem to have a restaurant, but has a tasting room open from noon to 7 except for Sunday, and 11 am to 3 pm on Sunday, and brewery tours (weekends, check for times). If you are planning on visiting People's get there early.

Also in Lafayette is Black Sparrow. Black Sparrow is about 2 miles from the stadium.

When you leave Purdue and start to head back to Champaign (or wherever), this would be a good time to hit breweries on the north side of Indianapolis. Half Moon Restaurant and Brewery is located almost directly east of Lafayette. It's about 45 miles east of the stadium, in Kokomo.

Once you get to 31, head south, for the town of Noblesville. There you will find Barley Island Brewing Co. I've been to Barley Island, and enjoyed the beers I had there. Their barrel aged stout is pretty good. When I was there they had some stuff that isn't their normal beers, and they were pretty good.

In Fishers, just south of Noblesville is another Ram. There's another Rock Bottom on the north side of Indianapolis. There's a Granite City on the north side too.

One of the highlights of Indianapolis beers is Brugge Brasserie, which is in the Broad Ripple Village area. My friend Scott seems to love Brugge. Also in the Broad Ripple area is Broad Ripple Brewpub. And the Barley Island Restaurant & Brewhouse.

So, that's Lafayette and the north side of Indianapolis. Tomorrow, we'll continue heading east and visit THE Ohio State University.

Big Ten Road Trips, part 2, Indiana University

So, for some inexplicable reason, you decide you want to go to a football game at Indiana. You just can't get enough Hoosier; or you figure it might be the only win on Illinois' schedule that year. And you want to stop and have a freshly brewed beverage on the way (or in the area), where are you gonna go?

In part 1, I listed some of the breweries that you'll find on the way up to Northwestern. Now, we'll see what's around Memorial Stadium (Indiana). From Champaign to Memorial Stadium, it's about a 3 hour drive. There's not a whole lot on the way. It's nice in Indiana with the 70 MPH speed limit, but that's on the interstate; the shortest trip takes you on some backwoods looking roads.

The main brewery in Bloomington is Upland Brewing Company. Once you find Memorial Stadium, Upland is about a 3 minute drive away. When I think of Upland, I think of their Lambics. Their sour beers don't seem as sweet as Lindeman's flavored lambics, but they have a really good taste. I've had some of their other beers, like the Wheat Ale and Bad Elmer's Porter. I don't remember them significantly, but don't remember them being horrible either. The B'ton Tap Room is open daily for lunch and dinner. Even though it's in Indiana, it's smoke-free; so you'll be able to fully enjoy your beer.

There's really nothing else on the direct route to Indiana. There's some wineries, but that's not my focus.

Now, if you take an alternate route to get to Bloomington, like say... Go around 465 on your way back, you've got some more options.

Your Saturday might start off with a trip to Bloomington from Champaign, and you go straight there. The game ends, and you head to Upland. But, it's still only about 4 pm and you want some more beer. You don't really have anything else to do, so you head straight east out of Bloomington, to I 65. Now, you've got choices.

The first choice is Oaken Barrel Brewing Company. From the Stadium to Oaken Barrel, it's about 45 miles (you don't have to go to I 65). Oaken Barrel puts out some good beers. Snake Pit is a pretty good porter. Gnaw Bone is a good APA. Indiana Amber is a good gateway beer. They are open from 11 am until midnight (m-th) 1 am (f,s) and until 10pm on Sunday. They have a full restaurant. I've heard good things about the place.

If you head into downtown Indianapolis, there are 3 brewery/brewpubs within a couple of blocks of each other.

The first one I go to is Ram Restaurant & Brewery. It's on South Illinois Street, in the same building as a large parking garage. If you are driving down Illinois Street, it's the building on the left that has a grain bin on the side. Ram Brewery is kind of like a slightly fancier TGIFridays. It's not Olive Garden-esque to me (not that I think Olive Garden is fancy); it might be like Cheddars (is that still open in Champaign?). Their beer is good, and their appetizers are good. They are a chain, like Rock Bottom, but aren't as well known, or available as Rock Bottom. Their beers are good, and the food is good.

Directly across the street is Alcatraz Brewing Company. Alcatraz is kind of a chain, except there are only two of them. One in Orange California, the other in Indianapolis. The food at Alcatraz is good. The beer is good. If you are wanting to try a lot of different beer in a day, and not have to travel very far, go to downtown Indy.

About two blocks away from Alcatraz is another of the Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery chains. Again, it's a big chain. They do make some awesome specialty brews, but their regular daily brews (the ones that pay the bills) aren't the greatest. They are good/serviceable beers, but the usual suspects aren't the best. Look for a seasonal or brewers special if you go.

Since there's doesn't seem to be too much around the Lafayette area, we'll leave northern Indianapolis for the Purdue trip.

*When you want to know about Indiana beer, go to the experts. HoosierBeerGeek, they were the people at Three Floyds Dark Lord day at the Dork Lord tent. They sent me some info about some other places to go to.

Big Woods Brewing Company is located in Nasheville, Indiana. Nashville Indiana is about 20 miles away from the stadium on Indiana-46 E. HBG hasn't had their beer yet, so can't say how it is.

Further down 46E is Columbus, Indiana. Home of Power House Brewing Co. Columbus is 36 miles east of the stadium. HBG says they are a tiny brewery. Their website doesn't even mention their beer.

Another downtown Indy Brewery is Sun King Brewing Co. HBG says Sun King isn't open on Saturday nights; so you should get there early.

There's also a Scotty's Brew House in downtown Indy. Although HBG says they don't brew their own.

So, there's some more if you are coming up from Bloomington over to Indianapolis and back to Champaign Urbana.

Big Ten Road Trips, part 1, Northwestern

With the addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten, someone asked me what beers were from Nebraska, so I put together a quick list of what I could find for Breweries/Brewpubs around Lincoln. But, I figured, I should put out a road trip plan for the places to get beer if you are on a road trip to go see some sort of Big Ten action. This is not an all inclusive list. If you know of any breweries/brewpubs that I've missed, leave a comment. If some brewpubs aren't listed, there's a chance they will be on other school road trips. There are only so many ways to get around Big Ten country. If you are coming from one of the schools to Illinois, just read the trip backwards and wind up at our only (current) brewpub, the Blind Pig Brewery (the piglet).

This will be an 11 part series (since the road trips are leaving from Champaign Urbana).

Our first road trip will take us up to Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern plays their football at Ryan Field, at 1501 Central St, in Evanston. It's about 3 hours north of CU according to google maps.

On the way, there are several breweries. One of the first you'll pass on the journey north is in Bourbonnais, at the BrickStone Brewery. I haven't been there, but have heard decent things about it. It's right around 70 miles north of CU from the 57/74 interchange. It's a restaurant and brewery, so you can stop and eat or drink on the trip.

The next brewery you'll pass on the way is Flossmoor Station. Flossmoor is 104 miles north on 57 from the 74 exit. I really like going to this brewery. They produce some damn fine beers. They've won several awards for their beers and were named the Best Small Brewpub at the 2006 Great American Beer Festival. Their limited bottle release beers are great as well. The beer sampler platter is well worth it. Some of their food menu items are outstanding as well. I love their fish & chips.

As you continue traveling north on 57, if you want to take a little side trip, you can exit at interstate 80 and head west towards Iowa. If you turn north onto 45, there are 3 breweries/brewpubs in that area. The first one you come to is Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery. Rock Bottom is a chain, to me, it's the TGIF of breweries. They do produce some award winning beers. I've not been to this Rock Bottom.

A little bit further up the road is Harrisons Restaurant Brewery. Harrisons is ok. When I went there, I had the Reuben sandwich. Which went really well with their Cherry Wheat. Some of their beers are good, some are just serviceable. None are too horrible.

If you keep going on 45, there's another brewery. Granite City Food & Brewery. GCFB isn't the greatest of brewpubs. Their beer is just sort of ... meh. It all seems rather... uninspired. If you want to appreciate great beer, go have this beer.

If you took the 80 exit, but skipped out on turning north onto La Grange, you can continue to 355. Take 355 up towards Chicago, and you can go to Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant. GB is pretty much the original brewery restaurant chain. GB pretty much just makes lagers. They are a German brewing restaurant. So if you are looking for an IPA or a stout, you've gone to the wrong place. When I went there, they had a Macaroni and Cheese with lobster, that Kridz enjoyed. If Rock Bottom is TGIF, then Gordon Biersch is Olive Garden, it's slightly better, and has a less... um... tacky, what can we put up on the walls feel to it.

If you stayed on 57 and connected onto 90/94, then you are getting close to your destination.

If you went up for a Saturday afternoon football game, and spent the night, then you probably want to have breakfast somewhere before heading back south. The perfect spot for this is Goose Island Beer Company, Clybourne. GI Clybourne, is the original Goose Island brewpub. Get the sampler, get 2 or 3 of them. Each is 4 beers. They have many many many beers on tap. You won't be disappointed. Their sausage plate was awesome.

Another place that I've heard great reviews of is Piece Pizzeria and Brewery. I've not been to Piece, but have heard good things.

Another in the downtown Chicago area is Half Acre Beer Company. I've not been to Half Acre. I have had some of their beer (I think) and don't remember it being terrible.

One of the newer breweries (not pub) is Metropolitan Brewing. Their beer isn't available downstate (yet). Metropolitan Brewing is a brewery, they only offer tours on select days at select times. Check their website store for dates and times of the tours and to make reservations.

There is another Rock Bottom Restaurant closer to the lake.

Further out of the way, in Warrenville, is Two Brothers Brewing Company. If you are on a road trip to Northwestern, to watch Illinois play, you should stop at Two Brothers. The brothers went to U of I, so stop in there in your orange.