Frankenmuth/Flint Breweries

Jeff, Graham and I recently decided to make a trip out to Frankenmuth to visit some breweries, see our good friend, Eric and do a little shopping at the outlet mall.  We weren't exactly sure how Graham would fare on a longish trip (2+ hours each way) but he did remarkably well.

Frankenmuth Brewery
 After touring around Birch Run outlets, we were HOT and in need of a beverage.  Frankenmuth Brewery is at the end of the main drag in historic Frankenmuth, a tourist trap of a town with a Bavarian Christmas theme.  The outside of the the brewery was certainly no exception, but inside we were pleased by the big spacious interior, which had outdoor patio and upstairs private facility.  The beer selection was decent.  I had the weizen (of course), which was light and refreshing.  Jeff had an IPA (again, of course) which he rates as average, slightly better than New Holland.  I tasted it and thought it was pretty dry and oakey.  I prefer my IPA's more on the floral side.  Looked like a decent menu, but we weren't eating.  Since we were hitting up numerous breweries, we called it good after one.  I was disappointed that their dachshund logo is supposedly being discontinued and therefore not available on pint classes.  See how cute:

Black Forest Brewhaus
On the opposite end of the main drag, next to the giant Christmas mega-store was Black Forest Brewhaus in Sullivan's restaurant.  First impression - this place had a kind of funny smell.  And was in SERIOUS need of a facelift.  The menu had lots of German meats and pizza (why not?) but again, we were only there for the beer.  I had already had my beer for the day (I'm still a limited drinker), so it was water for me.  Jeff had the Lost Sailor IPA which he liked better than Frankenmuth brewing (it's won some sort of award).  I tasted it and I agree - more floral like I like it.  They had a decent selection - maybe 10 beers, some were seasonal.  The beer made up for the lack of ambiance.

Redwood Lodge
We ventured next about 20 minutes south to Flint/Grand Blanc to Redwood Lodge (to meet up with Eric and his son Cameron), which is a mildly upscale restaurant and brewery.  Their beers are much heralded, with giant banners on display as proof.  Needless to say, the beer was darn tasty.  Again, I could only sip from Jeff's, but he was very pleased with their American IPA. At this point, we were getting a little hungry, so we ordered some delightful barbecue pulled pork nachos (which were only going to be a snack, but the portion was SO huge, we ended up skipping dinner that night).  My only complaint - needed more cheese, but the pork was delicious.  A bit pricey, but well worth the beer and food.

The trip was long and a little tiring (especially being a sleep deprived new mom as I was at the time), but the Frankenmuth breweries were better than expected, and Redwood Lodge lived up to all the hype.