A Beer Journey to West Michigan Part 1

As I planned my annual Thanksgiving visit to Michigan, I decided I would borrow a car and make the trek over to the west side of the state.  The plan was simple, make a drive to Kalamazoo and then head north towards Grand Rapids.  There are plenty of breweries and bars to visit along the way.  

It is easy to find the way

Hallway at the entrance

My journey began this past Monday morning at around 8:30AM as I started west.  1st stop was for some breakfast in Battle Creek, and then onto Bell's General Store, which is adjacent to Bell's Eccentric Cafe in Downtown Kalamazoo.  The Store opened at 10:00am, so I had some time to browse at merchandise and a gigantic cooler of beer before heading over to the cafe.  



I wandered over to the Cafe, just as the bartender was unlocking the doors.  It is a beautiful place with brick walls and many varieties of artwork.  But enough about that, it was time for some beer.  

A flight shaped like Michigan!

Sample of Artwork

They offer sampler flights of 5 beers, so jumped straight in with the Roundhouse IRA, which is a nice hoppy brew under the "India Red Ale" classification.  Well, I was off an running and went straight 2 of the Experimental Hop Series from 2012, #3 (Rye Pale Ale) and #5 (Floral, Piney and Citrus IPA).  And not to be outdone, the bartender Sean went to the back bar (mainly the event room) and got me a sample of the #6 (Double IPA), small amount of disappointment though that there was no Bourbon Barrel Aged Batch 9000 remaining (he checked for me).  All of the experimental hop brews were pretty good in their own special way.  Next up was the spicy goodness of the Sweet Potato Stout, which included some brown sugar, all spice and nutmeg.  It was a tasty brew.  The last two beers were also Stouts, a Milk Stout and the Dagger Stout.  The Milk Stout was a pretty good example of the style, while the Dagger was a hoppy and bitter stout with a 10.5% ABV.  

Patio area

I also got a little pretzel plate snack with some tasty and pretty good Porter mustard.  It was only a small sampling of food, and I'd like to try more upon my next visit.

After that, I made a short walk (about a block) over to the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange.  I didn't get to witness many changes in the exchange as the place was relatively empty.  I was happy to find out that a Short's Brewing tap takeover had recently taken place and there were plenty of options left to try.  Now, I had to drive, so I settled for the Key Lime Pie beer, which I had never tried before and grabbed a hot dog and chips.  I wish I could have stayed longer as it was a cool place with friendly people.

But this was going to be a long day, and I had a drive ahead of me.  I made one last stop at the Bell's General Store to acquire one beer (Sparkling Ale), a snifter glass and a work shirt.  After all, I need to be a consumer.  

I wanted to get some further nostalgia by visiting the old Alma Mater, but a wrong turn sent me away from Campus, and I instead visited the empty lot where the movie theatre I used to work at no longer stood.  Then, it was time for the trek to Holland, Michigan and New Holland Brewing.  Holland is roughly a little over an hour's drive from Kalamazoo and closer to the Lake Michigan coast.  After some incomplete directions from Siri that only got me to 8th Street, I headed towards downtown and was there in no time.  

A beautiful building in Downtown Holland

6 good beers!

Make your own Flight!

It is a nice downtown area, and easy parking as I walked into the brewery.  It was back to the sampler flight for me, as I was able to choose 6 beers this time.  First up was the Mad Hatter IPA, which is their flagship brew and a good IPA.  Beer number two was the seasonal Ichabod Pumpkin Ale, which was mainly cinnamon and nutmeg with light pumpkin.  It was still tasty, and then I went light with the Golden Cap saison.  Very light and citrusy, this beer was very refreshing.  Then, it was back to hoppyville with the Hopivore, which was very earthy and very subtle in the overall hop flavor.  It paired very well with the Poet Chili I ordered.  The next beer was near and dear to my heart, JP's Coffee Stout.  A good coffee stout with some java and chocolate flavors.  And last but certainly not least, Dragon's Milk, which is a wonderful barrel aged treat.  Vanilla, oak and bourbon booziness make this strong brew an awesome finisher. 

New Holland was a really cool place with good beer and the Chili was pretty damn tasty as well.  After a couple of glasses of water, I exited back to the car for a 45 minute drive to Grand Rapids.   

Well, this has been a lot of writing, so this is the end of Part 1.  Part 2 will follow with the Grand Rapids part of the trip.  Cheers and I need a beer!