Oktoberfest Dinner & Brew Cruise on MI Princess

Renowned meadery B. Nektar held their first Spring Mead Festival on Saturday, April 20, from 12-6 pm in the massive parking lot of their Ferndale headquarters. The weather was typical of Michigan’s mercurial spring: chilly, overcast, with temperatures hovering around 38 degrees. However, this did not stop the mead-loving masses from enjoying a festive afternoon with several blood-warming delights.

Two blocks south of the Big Rock Chop House in Birmingham, a glorious 12,000 square foot glass-enclosed structure is arising, though not from the ashes like the mythical phoenix. This new edifice will soon house the entirely unmythical Griffin Claw Brewing Company, the new home of Big Rock’s former brewing operation. Recently, owners Norm & Bonnie LePage and well-known and oft-awarded brewer Dan Rogers hosted a tour of the nascent facility, and it was truly inspiring.

Falling Down Beer Company in Warren will soon become Michigan’s newest brewpub, and both Mark Larson (brewmaster) and George Lang (president) are excited, anxious, and tired. After several months of renovations at the soon-to-be former My Mother’s Place on 10 Mile Road east of Dequindre, the paint is drying, the bar has been built and epoxied, the exterior sign is in place (and quite eye-catching at that), and the brewing equipment has been installed and is awaiting the final go-ahead from the various bureaucratic and licensing bodies.

Clubhouse BFD in Rochester Hills is a truly a mighty bastion of craft beer. The “BFD” stands for “beer, food, drink”, and while that might seem a little redundant, the beer part of the acronym rightly does deserve its own recognition at the Clubhouse. The business is owned by Scott LePage, whose father you may know as the owner of Big Rock Chop House and the forthcoming Griffin Claw Brewing Company in Birmingham, so there’s definitely a pedigree of success and beer knowledge in play here.

Located on a busy intersection right in the heart of downtown Clawson, Black Lotus Brewing Company has become a mainstay in the city. Featuring outdoor patio seating and a taproom that feels at times like a coffeehouse, it has a somewhat rustic feel as well, with a cobblestoned horseshoe bar and lots of exposed wood and beams on the interior. One might say that Black Lotus offers craft beer enthusiasts a little bit of everything.

Fenton Winery & Brewery has the feel of an upscale coffeehouse without the pretentiousness you’ve come to expect from your local beanery. From the comfy environment to the staff and all the way up to the owners, Matt & Ginny Sherrow, this place is just plain friendly (with nary a beret or pencil-thin goatee in sight). Intimate, yet not overbearing, FWB has many good things going for it, not the least of which is the beer and wine.

When 8 Degrees Plato opened in Ferndale on October 7, 2011, it filled a desperate niche for many of southeast Michigan’s craft beer lovers. As Michigan’s only strictly beer store – they don’t sell liquor or lottery – 8 Degrees exists to educate and indoctrinate its customers into the craft brewing universe. Owner Tim Costello spent 25 years on the road as a stand-up comic, and whenever he’d return home to Ann Arbor, he would invariably bring with him as many regional beers as he could find, to share with his family and friends. And from much sampling and experimentation (why can’t all of our homework be like that!) grew his love of craft beer and the genesis of an idea for a new business.

The comeback of Detroit continues this fall as Tashmoo Biergarten presents three weekends of events in October. Tashmoo is a pop-up European-style outdoor beer garden that utilizes vacant space in the West Village neighborhood of Detroit, located at 1420 Van Dyke. Featuring Michigan craft beer and lots of local food, Tashmoo Biergarten hopes to foster a sense of community and contribute to the rebirth of the Detroit culture.

Dreams are being fulfilled in Warren this month, as the Falling Down Beer Company starts to take shape at Dequindre and 10 Mile. Mark Larson, brewmaster, and George Lang, president, are working on transforming a diner into a top-notch brewery and taproom. Demolition began last week, with lots of dust and flying brick, and this week they turn their attention to plumbing, drywall, bathroom remodels, and building the bar. Volunteers are welcome; contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information. Payment will be in, what else, beer, and trust me, it’s good stuff. This humble correspondent has had the opportunity to sample several of Mark’s brews in the last few months, and there is a wide variety of styles, all very good. The highlight is the Ninja Chicken IPA, planned to be their flagship beer (just imagine the artwork and marketing possibilities with that one!).

Tucked away in an industrial parking lot on the shores of the St. Clair River, Vinomondo Wine Bar and Brew Pub is a hidden gem in Port Huron. The surprisingly opulent tap room certainly reflects Vinomondo’s first priority – there’s a reason the place is called “Vinomondo” and not “Beer-o-mondo”. The beer is in the background here, but it’s certainly not forgotten. Open now for about one year, the Wine Bar and Brew Pub is actually the secondary location of the little Vinomondo empire – the first, also in Port Huron, contains the winery and a gift shop, which sells wine- and beer-making kits.