Trailhead Brewing - Akron, OH

On our way back from Columbus we stopped in Akron for the night to visit the two big breweries and I was lucky enough to come across Trailhead Brewing in my searches to add a third stop.  This place is a very small operation, one main brewer who is a really genuine and nice guy who you can tell loves to brew and takes pride in his work.  You may drive right past the place since it is located in a mini plaza.

 We tried all 4 beers which were the Gold which was real nice, the Winter which had a really good Christmas beer taste to it, the Black IPA which was very easy to drink..my girlfriend who doesn't typically like Black IPAs was a fan, and the Calvin and Hops IPA was excellent I ended up taking home a growler of this.

I was tired from a long day and since we were the only customers we were so into chatting I completely forgot to take pictures but if you check out their yelp page others have posted pictures http://splashurl.com/lmnpbqc  or you can check out their Facebook page for updates http://splashurl.com/n7mureh

Half Acre Beer Company - Chicago, IL

After a few beer store stops it was time to hit up Chicago's breweries. First stop was Half Acre.  Located north of Chicago, it's in a busier part of town but we were lucky to find once we got there that it wasn't TOO packed....probably because it was a Tuesday at 3pm.  They have a giant merchandise store next door to the tap room.  TONS of merchandise for sale.

-As for the beer samples we had...Space IPA was realy nice, Navaja Imperial IPA was really nice, Daisy Cutter Pale Ale was really good and hoppy for a pale, Pony Pils was pretty good.

-Not much else to say because this stop was simple, very nice people working at the bar and gift shop, tasty beer, MUCH recommended when you're in the Chicago area...check out their current taps halfacrebeer.com/

Three Floyds Brewing - Munster, IN

This was my most exciting/nerve racking stop of the whole trip. For beer nerds, Three Floyds is one of those MUST have beers.  So many of their beers are very highly rated, most notably Zombie Dust.  They update their beer list everyday (on tap and for purchase).  For weeks leading up to it Zombie Dust was on the 6 pack list, on and off each day, so I was very nervous if I'd get me a case or 2 if it were there.  We drove from Grand Rapids to Munster...different time zones we had an extra hour. We arrived at 11:25 (they open 11:30).  They have a different entrance for beer purchase, with only one guy waiting at the door I was even more nervous. Once inside it's just a little window, the guy was VERY helpful and nice but unfortunately no Zombie Dust. But I still got a case of Alpha King and a mixed pack of all different 22s (including Dreadnaught, Apocalypse Cow, and Arctic Panzer Wolf). **Side note, I ended up tracking down a 6 pack of Zombie Dust at a diner, I convinced them to sell me a 6 pack and I had to pay 6$ a bottle!

-Now I am a constant Yelp reader and there were endless reviews stating how horrible customer service is at Three Floyds from the hostess to the waiters to the bartenders. Thankfully we were there right when they opened, so we sat at the bar. Luckily for me Zombie Dust was on tap! I will review beers in a minute...the bartender wasn't the friendliest guy but going into this expecting the worst he seemed nice compared to what I expected. They play metal music, but I barely even noticed, lots of reviewers said it's SUPER loud but it's not (maybe later at night?). They deck the place out with random toys, old Floyds bottles (which have awesome designs) and just other random stuff. 

-We split the Bison burger, pulled pork sandwich and the poutine.  They all were very good! I read a lot of reviews that the food is mediocre and overpriced, while I kind of agree with the latter I will say it was very tasty especially for brewery food.
-Now to the beers...Zombie Dust pale ale just hands down amazing in my top 3 beers ever, Alpha King pale ale was amazing, Jinx Proof pale ale was eh, Gumball Head wheat is really good and never would guess it's a wheat, Masonic Rite was good you can taste the blood orange, Evil Power pils was smooth, Arctic Panzer Wolf double IPA was strong and not bad, Apocalypse Cow double IPA is tasty but strong, and Dreadnaught double IPA was strong but VERY good. 

-All in all, their worst beer was better than most beers I have at other breweries and they have about 4-6 AMAZING beers regularly on tap here. The food is good. From what I read, if you show up at night be expected to wait a long time, and they don't let you wait inside you have to give your name and go wait outside. I highly recommend going when they open if you can...it's worth a day off of work!
-As for merchandise, they have t-shirts, an AWESOME glass, some bad ass stickers and some of the best coasters I've ever seen.

-My favorite brewery stop on my entire trip, very close to Founders and Surly (which I'm reviewing later). Check out their website for more info and a tap list....www.3floyds.com/

Perrin Brewing - Comstock Park, MI

Few hours of driving after Quay and we made it to our first "Grand Rapids" brewery (it's technically not in Grand Rapids).  This place is HUGE. Tons of tables, decent sized bar and lots of merchandise for sale.. Just look below and can see how nice this place is.

-We had a snack here also...fried pickles and onion rings.  Both were very good and just like Quay they came with great sauces.

-As for the beer we tried just about all of them on the massive beer list. The Rye Wine was strong not bad, Golden Ale usual taste but good, Raspberry Blonde not bad, Amber was light and good, Gateway XPA was very nice, Pale Ale was very nice, Peace Out stout was smokey not bad, Grapefruit IPA tasted a lot like grapefruit which I'm not a huge fan of so I didn't love this beer, the IPA was tasty I liked it, Black Manifesto was very good, and the Rapture Strong Ale was different but good.

-Overall the place is out of the way but I highly recommend this brewery, lots of good beer, good food, nice atmosphere, plenty of parking...check them out! www.perrinbrewing.com/

Quay Brewing - Port Huron, MI

Coming from Buffalo, it made most sense to drive through Canada to get to Grand Rapids. Our first stop was right after the Canadian border into Michigan at Port Huron at a place called Quay Brewing. It is right near the water, nice view. No parking lot, so we parked in the street but not an issue.  Walking in, the place is a good size, giant bar and tables to the immediate left and a restaurant up and downstairs ahead of us.  As always we chose the bar.

-The bartender was very knowledgeable and even mentioned they have new owners and plan on expanding the selection of beers at the brewery to almost triple what they have now.  We ordered a sampler of ALL their beers and some food.
-For lunch we had fried duck and fried shrimp. Both were VERY tasty and the sauces they came with were delicious.

-As for the beers, the Pilsner was sharp, Raspberry wheat had a really nice after taste of raspberries, Michigan Cream Ale was decent not much to it, Nutting Better brown was decent, Black River stout not bad, Quay Street wheat was good, IPA was different but good, and the Pale Ale had a caramel smell and taste to it...we liked it.

-Not much in the merchandise area...they have pint glasses and a couple t-shirts.

-Overall I would say if you're crossing the border into Port Huron stop in for a beer but I wouldn't make a long drive out to this place.  Food was good, beer was decent, so it's worth a stop if convenient.Check them out...quaybrewing.com/

Bridgeport Brewing - Portland, OR

The last brewery of the trip (unless you count Lucky Lab for a second time) we stopped at was Bridgeport Brewing. Luckily it was only blocks away from Rogue.  This place reminded me of Alameda because it was clean, classy and seemed somewhat upscale. Apparently it's one of or THE original breweries in Portland. They bottle most their beers for sale.

-The scenery is nice, kind of a unique feel, our waiter was very good.  Prices were average and we grabbed lunch. I got the BBQ chicken quesedilla..when it arrived I was a little worried since it looked bland and it wouldn't be good but it turned out it was VERY good. 

-As for the beer, I got my last sampler of the trip! All their beers they have on tap..Summer Squeeze Bright Ale was tasty and light, Blue Heron Pale Ale was tasty, Kingpin Double Red Ale I liked a lot, Porter was decent, Old Knucklehead was really good, Something Tart nothing special, the IPA was really good, and Hop Czar Imperial IPA was really good. 

-Lots of good merch..free stickers and keychains which who can complain about that? Each of their beers on a pint glass, t-shirts. Waiter even gave me all the coasters they have in stock, nice guy.

-Overall since this was our last brand new brewery stop, I was happy. Check them out..www.bridgeportbrew.com/

Deschute's Brewery - Portland, OR

On Day 3, our first brewery stop was Deschute's Brewery. This place was another I had been to on my first visit years ago, but didn't remember much.  We arrived at about 12:30 and this place was PACKED. Funny thing is, it's the biggest brewery I've ever been to and had a line out the door.  We luckily were able to grab a bar table which doesn't require a reservation.  Our bartender quickly arrived and was a nice guy, he seemed to be pouring his own drinks for his tables so it was understandable that he wasn't there every two minutes asking if everything is okay.

 -As always I did the sample, they had so much to choose from and every beer was free range for the sampler. I went with the Fresh Squeezed IPA Cask which was very good, Cinder Cone Red was very good, White IPA I liked a lot, Hop Henge was decent, Inversion IPA which is their flagship IPA was really good as expected, Double Impact Double IPA was just fantastic best beer of them all, and the Oatmeal Pale was pretty bad unfortunately. Needless to say they were about 80% success which is better than I could imagine in a brewery taster platter. 

-We ate the pretzel which unfortunately wasn't as good as memory serves. Hopworks killed them in a taste test for pretzels.
-Merch wise, they have a LOT. I bought a beer sampler glass and my girlfriend a great "how beer is made" t-shirt, and they had lots of other great stuff, and even more on their online store. Plus the girls at the counter also act as hostess' and they were GREAT help and very polite even though it was extremely busy. 

 

-Deschute's is a must if you're in Portland...great beer, I'm sure the food is good, and good service, just plan on waiting at least 20minutes if you want a regular table. Check out their site...www.deschutesbrewery.com/

Alameda Brewing - Portland, OR

Alameda Brewing was brewery #3 of the day. Great place, and I must say my favorite thing is the giant hop on the entrance sign. When you walk in it is a very large long bar with probably about 40 bar seats and plenty of tables. This place was very classy and upscale especially for a brewery.

-With lots of beers on tap, I got a sampler which you're able to choose.  I had the Yellow Wold Imperial which was very tasty, Double Down barley wine Double IPA...10% but I liked it a lot, a Session beer which wasn't bad, Pale Ale which also wasn't bad, the El Torero IPA I liked, and the Stout Black Bear which was just okay.

-The waitress was very nice and even took time out to cut some stickers to give me when I asked for them. Not much else in the merch dept at least that I could see. All in all a great experience, we didn't eat but they had great happy hour prices and the food looked delicious. Check them out...alamedabrewing.com/

Kennedy School - Portland, OR

Our first brewery stop on Day 2 was Kennedy School which an old school taken over by McMenamins (they buy out lots of old buildings and turn them into breweries). Unfortunately we went a little early so most the room attractions weren't open but this place is awesome!

-First off it is huge and as I guessed it looked just like a school inside.  Long hallways, tons of artwork, old school pictures from the actual school.  They have a giant restaurant and brewery. We only had the IPA and it was probably one of the worst beers we had on the trip but hey we weren't expecting great beer there.

-The Boiler Room is a bar downstairs with pool tables, darts and a great hang out.  The Detention Room is a cigar bar.They also have a movie theater and banquet hall. Plus an awesome giant courtyard with a fire pit and lots of outdoor seating.You also can rent a room here which is literally steps from the restaurant/brewery, they are somewhat expensive but would be fun for a night.

-If you can make it here while in Portland make sure you do..just come later in the day. Don't come for the food or beer, but simply to enjoy the scenery and fun of drinking in a school. Check them out! http://www.mcmenamins.com/427-kennedy-school-home