10 Best Breweries in Michigan with 30 Beers Worth Trying
Michigan brewery routes span southwest Michigan, Grand Rapids, Bellaire and Traverse City, the Detroit area and the Upper Peninsula. These ten editorial picks offer thirty beers across American IPA, wheat ale, stout, barrel-aged stout, fruit ale, farmhouse ale, festbier, amber ale, porter, pale ale, blonde ale and light lager.
Three beers per brewery make the differences useful. The order is an editorial selection, not a statewide tasting score. Current producer specifications and brewery-authored beer profiles support the cards. Historical listings can retain older strengths, names and labels; check the actual package, venue menu and batch before travel.
Michigan brewery picks at a glance
| Brewery | Base | Three beers to explore |
|---|---|---|
| Bell’s Brewery | Kalamazoo and Comstock, Michigan | Two Hearted IPA · Oberon Ale · Expedition Stout |
| Founders Brewing Co. | Grand Rapids, Michigan | All Day IPA · Breakfast Stout · KBS |
| New Holland Brewing | Holland, Michigan | Dragon’s Milk · Mad Hatter · The Poet |
| Short’s Brewing Company | Bellaire and Elk Rapids, Michigan | Huma Lupa Licious · Soft Parade · Local’s Light |
| Vivant Brewery & Spirits | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Farm Hand · Big Red · Coqtoberfest |
| Right Brain Brewery | Traverse City, Michigan | CEO Stout · Northern Hawk Owl · Pig Porter |
| Dark Horse Brewing Co. | Marshall, Michigan | Crooked Tree IPA · Raspberry Ale · Boffo Brown Ale |
| Odd Side Ales | Grand Haven, Michigan | Citra Pale Ale · Bean Flicker · Mayan Mocha Stout |
| Atwater Brewery | Detroit, Michigan | Dirty Blonde · Vanilla Java Porter · Atwater Light |
| Keweenaw Brewing Company | Houghton and South Range, Michigan | Widow Maker Black Ale · Pick Axe Blonde Ale · Red Jacket Amber Ale |
1. Bell’s Brewery
Bell’s Kalamazoo Eccentric Café and its Comstock brewery are distinct destinations. Two Hearted, Oberon and Expedition Stout span American IPA, summer wheat ale and Russian imperial stout. The name Two Hearted refers to Upper Peninsula waters rather than the production location of that IPA.
The current beer pages make availability meaningful: Two Hearted is year-round, Oberon is late March through September while supplies last, and Expedition is a limited-time specialty. Confirm the venue’s present taps and the exact Hearted or Oberon family member instead of borrowing a related beer’s specification.
Two Hearted IPA
Brewed by Bell’s Brewery
Centennial-only hopping gives Bell’s flagship IPA its pine and grapefruit direction.