Southern Tier Brewing Co - Lakewood, NY

I have been living less than 2 hours from Southern Tier Brewing Co and have yet to visit..until now.  It was a Saturday with rain outside and nothing else to do so we took a ride.  It is out there...a lot of farm land and whatnot, tucked away on a little quiet side road. Once we got there we realized Saturday maybe was a bad choice since it was slammed.  They have tons of parking which is nice, although it's awkward parking...a lot of the spots are a long a straight line so get your parallel skills ready!

-From the outside the place was massive and looked really nice. In the backyard they have some type of lawn game you can play and also tons of tables with live music.

-Upon entering you see a decent but kind of small taproom with a small bar and a LONG line.  We grabbed a table that just emptied and I waited in about a 10 minute line to order my samplers. The way the ordering process is set up is just a little weird because it's a small L shaped bar but you had a couple locals hanging out like it's a bar at one side and then confusion on the other side.   We also wanted to order lunch and they only serve 2 things...pulled pork and lobster bisque.  Well they were out of food and would have more in about 20-30 minutes...this upset us since it was 2:30pm and we hadn't eaten a bite yet planning on eating here. 

-As for the beer we had Steve which was light and nice, 422 not bad, IPA is good, Double IPA is real nice, Live is really hoppy and I like this one a lot, Unearthly is smooth, Iniquity Black IPA was good, and Double stout has a good after taste and wasn't bad overall. I've had most of their beers in bottles, unfortunately they didn't have either of their best beers which are the Pumking (best pumpkin beer I've ever had) and the Chokolat (best choc stout I've had).  Most their beers are good, not great, but those 2 I just mentioned are top notch if you get them at the right time. 

-Overall it wasn't a horrible experience..but it was over an hour drive, no food to eat, crowded line to wait in, but again it was a Saturday afternoon and being to over 100 breweries I should know that on a Saturday a good brewery will be packed. They have a merch area with a good amount of stuff..some of it overpriced I thought. If you have the time though they're def worth checking out...www.stbcbeer.com/‎

End of the trip (plus Fat Heads Brewery stop)

On our way back we stopped in at Fat Heads in Cleveland..I didn't review it because I have in the past but I will say we had their InspirationAle IPA it was OUTSTANDING even better than Head Hunter which is top notch.  Also tried the Holly Jolly for Xmas in July it was a great Xmas beer, and the Trailhead Pale Ale it was real hoppy, but didn't love the aftertaste. 

-But there you have it...8 cities, 45 breweries, almost 300 beers tasted, lots of great food and I wanted to include some fun pictures from the trip here that include visits to the Home Alone house outside of Chicago, Married With Children Fountain in Chicago,  Family Matters house in Chicago, and the Bronze Fronz in Milwaukee.

Family Matters house

Deep dish @ Giordano's in Chicago

Van Gogh's The Drinkers @ Chicago Art Museum

Married With Children opening scene

Home Alone house

Night time in Milwaukee

The Bronze Fonz aaaaaaye

Lego scene made of all Legos in Mall of America

Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewing - Ann Arbor, MI

Last stop of the night was Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewing. Double sided they have dining on one side and also a bar with plenty of seating on the other.  Being a BBQ fan we decided to eat here to end the night. 

-One thing I really like is they have the ice chiller around the bar in which you can set your glass on the ice and keeps it cold...never saw a bar in person with one.  I had the Bumper Crop IPA it was real nice I enjoyed it..I also tried the Smokehouse Amber it was light and smooth.

-For dinner I had the pulled pork, brisket, ribs, cheese grits and beans.  None of the food BLEW me away but it was good.

-If you're a BBQ fan hold out and drink/eat here last on your 4 brewery mini tour.  Or just stop in for a beer but it was a cool place with a redneck feel check em out...www.bluetractor.net

Jolly Pumpkin Brewery - Ann Arbor, MI

Our third stop on the trip is the most famous of them all and that is Jolly Pumpkin.  This place was packed (of course) with tons of tables and a good sized bar.  They had a small gift shop at the register with t-shirts and other typical items.  They also have an upstairs with plenty more tables and a good sized bar which is where we sat.  All the workers were extremely nice.

-As for our sampler we had Diabolical Double IPA it was malty but nice, Roja Pale Sour it was tasty, Tamicon Fruity Floral not bad, Siren Red was decent, and Liciernaga not bad.

-This place makes a lot of beers and sell plenty. I've never drank a ton or been a huge fan but I respect what they do.  It's a great place, and you can buy their beer all over.  I recommend going here over any other place in Ann Arbor but that is expected...www.jollypumpkin.com

Grizzly Peak Brewing Co - Ann Arbor, MI

Next stop of the four was Grizzly Peak Brewing Co.  This is a good size place, long bar with some tables and an additional room for tables for dining.  Bartender said that was a recent addition.  The bartender was friendly, talkative, and it helped the place was dead. 

-As for the beer they had GP Pale Ale real hoppy and nice, Steelhead Red Ale was malty but nice, El Hefe was typical hefe not bad, Countrycork Irish Stout kinda watery, Sheer Water IPA on cask...again not a cask fan and this was warmer then usual, PJ Pale Ale cask not bad.

-Overall this place is a good size, it's classy inside and clean.  Not really much in merch department.  Check em out..grizzlypeak.net/‎

Arbor Brewing Co - Ann Arbor, MI

Our last stop of the night was a nice part of town with lots of shops, restaurants and bars.  Within a quarter mile radius was four breweries! Our first of these four was Arbor Brewing Co.  Good size place with plenty of tables and a small bar.  Unfortunately this is one of these places who don't do a sampler but they did offer free samples so we tried a few and had a pint.  They serve a full menu we didn't eat here though.

-For beer we had Ryeclops Imperial Rye on cask...not bad, Phat Abbot Belgian Triple was tasty but strong, Sacred Cow Cask Conditioned IPA not a big fan of cask when it's too warm but I could tell it wasn't a bad IPA, Bavarian Bliss Hefe not bad, Anahata Chakra was eh it had a lavender taste, and lastly was Michael Faricy's Stout it was good.

-We didn't spend a ton of time here, it wasn't a place that blew me away but hey if you're in Ann Arbor for beer you gotta do all four of these breweries! This one is worth stopping in..www.arborbrewing.com/‎

Wolverine State Brewing - Ann Arbor, MI

Next stop on our Ann Arbor trip was Wolverine State Brewing. I didn't know much about this place, but once I got there I realized they specialize in lagers.  There is lots of private parking, and inside it's a good size with a few tables and a massively long bar.  They had a few pieces of merchandise on the walls.  The bartender was really nice and knowledgeable, they also had some pretty cool music playing.

-As for the beer Gulo Gulo IPL was real nice smooth and hoppy, Au Sable Rye IPL not bad, Virtuous White IPL not bad, Scavenger IPL Aged on Soft Maple not bad, Abalus Amber pretty good, Insolent Mink IPA unique but not for me, Volitionist Stout Lager not bad,   Common Reaction California Common not bad, and Drag Me to Helles not bad.

-Overall I didn't LOVE the beers, a couple of the IPLs were good...different taste for me but I liked a couple.  But the setting is cool, service was good and it's in the city so if you're in Ann Arbor I would def recommend them! Check em out...wolverinebeer.com