Petoskey Brewing: Great Michigan Beer in a Historic Building
When it comes to Michigan breweries, few can beat the historical setting of Petoskey Brewing north of Petoskey. Already located on a beautiful stretch of M-119 that runs from Petoskey to Harbor Springs and past Petoskey State Park, Petoskey Brewing opened in 2012 in a beautiful brick building that was a brewery from 1898-1915. We first stopped in here in 2014, waiting out a heavy rain after taking down our campsite at the state park. That trip would end up being the one that really pushed visiting breweries as a hobby for us, so we owe Petoskey Brewing a big thank you for that.
During our 2014 visit, we tried out a sampler flight of five beers including the New Moon Belgian Pale, Morning Fog Mocha Java Stout, Horny Monk Belgian Dubbel, North 45 Amber Ale and the Mojo Ryezing IPA. The Java Stout was great and the IPA had good flavor, but the Horny Monk stood out the most. That was our choice for a take-home growler. In the year that followed we were able to find Horny Monk, Mind’s Eye P.A. and even a delicious double IPA called Hopsessed in four-pack cans at retail outlets in Marquette, Alpena, and even here in Grand Rapids.
When we stopped in again in 2015, we were able to try a few more of the fantastic beers that we had missed out on the first time around. We got things started with Michigan Cherry Wheat, a delicious and slightly sour brew made with Michigan Cherry Juice. Next up was Sparkle, Petoskey Brewing’s homage to a beer brewed here in the early 1900s – a crisp, easy-drinking lager. We enjoyed the Petoskey Grapefruit Shandy and its great citrus flavor, then were finally able to try the Brain Freeze Waffle Cone Raspberry Cream Ale. This light but flavorful beer was every bit as tasty as we had hoped, and was the easy choice for a growler fill to bring home and share with friends.
Hopscenity proved to be a great IPA, and Up In Smoke was one of the best smoked beers we’ve had at a brewery so far. We finished things off by trying the Red Brick Cider, a gluten-free hard cider made with a tasty blend of Michigan apples. There’s a pretty good rotation of beers here seasonally, and since we visited there is a hard root beer and a couple of rye beers on tap. For an updated tap list, check out the Brews on Tap page.
Petoskey Brewing offers food options that include snacks, salads, hot dogs and sandwiches. Growlers, shirts, and four-pack cans of their flagship beers (Horny Monk, Sparkle, North 45, Mind’s Eye P.A.) are also available on site. The service here has been great both times, and the atmosphere is friendly and inviting – make sure you stop in the next time you head up to the Petoskey area!
Petoskey Brewing contact information:
1844 M-119, Petoskey MI
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