Michigan

On Saturday Doug (son #2) and I headed for Michigan to see my brother and his family. What a perfect opportunity to explore some brew pubs:)
First stop was the Blackrocks Brewery in Marquette ( http://www.blackrocksbrewery.com/ ).  I had a Jasmine IPA.  It was different but very good.  We got there about 1pm and the place had a good Saturday afternoon crowd.  They have as much outdoor seating as inside.  It was an absolutely beautiful day to sit outside and sip a delightful brew.  Pints were $3.50.
Blackrocks has been around for only a short time (2010 or 2011) but definitely know what they are doing.  They don't serve food but you can order food to be delivered from other establishments.  There is another brew pub in town (Ore Dock Breweryl ) that has a similar philosophy regarding food.  Ore Dock even has a special from noon to 4pm on Tuesdays thru Fridays - a $1 off your pint if you bring your lunch.
My only complaint is that they were out of growlers - guess I have to head back to get one  (and to visit Ore Dock).

Patio at the Black Rocks Brewery

After a pint we left for Grand Marais.  It was a crazy trip.  You need to understand that Grand Marais is in the middle of nowhere - it might be the most remote brewpub in the Continental US.  So we leave Marquette and Doug types in Lake Superior Brewing Company to his IPhone and proceeds to tell me it's in the middle of nowhere.  Now I have never been there, but am well aware that its in the middle of nowhere so  I really didn't worry about it too much until 15 miles (give or take) down gravel roads that turned into damn near impassible roads.  Don't always trust google.  A bit of backtracking and some more back roads got us to Grand Marais.

The Lake Superior Brewing Company (Dunes Saloon http://www.grandmaraismichigan.com/LSBC/ ) is the place to be.  We got there at 5ish on a Saturday and had to wait 5 to 10 minutes to get a beer.  The bartenders were methodical but lacked a real sense of urgency.  The waitress on the other hand was busting her ass.  

This place was packed.  Apparently the food is very good and there are many rustic campgrounds within 30 miles.  When you have good food and beer and there is nothing else for miles around....

I had a pint (OK 2 pints, but Doug drove) of pale ale.  It was good, not memorable but good.  I bought a growler of their stout which also was quite good, but again, not memorable.  I was disappointed that my growler, which on the shelf looked awesome,  really wasn't.  It is the only growler in my collection that has a glued on paper label.

We left and Doug drove down to US 2 where we got a $50 motel room for the night before heading south of the bridge - damn can that kid snore.

Grand Marais - Lake Superior Brewing Company

On the way home to Two Rivers we made a detour to Marshfield and the Blue Heron Brew Pub. I love this place.  The last time I was here I had their fantastic IPA, sadly this time they had neither a pale ale or an IPA.  I had a pint of their nut brown - for a nut brown it was very good.  I chose the nut brown since they have a special.  Each day of the week they have a different beer of the day ($2.50/pint) - what would you have done?  It was a nut brown day, so said the calendar.
They have 10 beers on tap and have a 6 beer sampler and a 10 beer sampler (3 oz each) so after our pint Doug and I split a 6 beer sampler before hitting the road.
Before leaving I bought a growler of their stout (which I'm drinking as I type).  They had 2 different growlers, the $5 and the $25.  The $5 one was your typical growler, while the $25 was really cool but sadly, not in the budget (maybe next time).

Me and the requisite pic at the Blue Heron