southern michigan brew tour.
After moving back to Indiana from California, Logan wanted to take me to Michigan as I had been feeling pretty land locked. Lake Michigan, often referred to as the Third Coast, is truly a beautiful place. In typical fashion for us, we drove the southern half of Michigan in a loop, hitting many different cities. We drove north from Fort Wayne to Kalamazoo, and cut over to St. Joe. We stopped at Silver Beach in St. Joe, a very touristy beach offering a pizza restaurant, beach cafe, and many beach volleyball nets. After St. Joe, we worked our way north to South Haven. Just north of Safe Haven, we stopped in Saugatuck and continued onto Holland before heading east to Grand Rapids and back down to Fort Wayne to complete our loop! We did all of this in just a weekend and didn’t take any time off! Of the cities we went too, I though Saugatuck had the best beach and Holland had the best downtown area.
Unfortunately the weekend we visited, we had overcast skies and rainy weather. Also, due to COVID, everything seemed super busy as everyone finally decided to start traveling again. Due to the weather and busyness, we spent most of our weekend doing what we do best, exploring local breweries and wineries.
Where We Stayed:
We booked our trip extremely last minute so our hotel options were very limited. Our first night we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Benton Harbor. The hotel was not bad but it was about 15 minutes inland from the coast and not in the best area. Our second hotel was pretty rough! We stayed at the Baymont Inn in South Haven. The location was about 10 minutes from the coast. This hotel was one of the worst I have stayed out. Lesson learned, book in advance! BUT, last minute trips are fun and honestly, we barely spend anytime in the hotel but to sleep. So if you are last minute or looking to save money, lower end hotels are not the worst, it just depends what you are looking for!
Where We Ate:
Benton Harbor is just inland from St. Joe, Michigan. The city used to be a booming industrial town but now, Benton Harbor is nearly deserted other than the Maytag Headquarters. If staying in Benton, you will need to go to St. Joe to eat. We stopped at the Coffee Canal right on the canal that separates Benton Shores from St. Joe. The Coffee Canal was a super cute coffee/breakfast spot with a patio right on the water! It was a little pricey for the area.
In South Haven, we had a blast at Captain Lou’s. Located right on the water in the harbor, this is certainly a local’s 21 and older party spot. We found seats in their bar on the water and enjoyed bloody Mary’s and buffalo shrimp! Drinks were cheap and food was pricey!
Captain Lou’s, South Haven, MI, July 2020
For dinner, we ate at the Idler Riverboat. The food honestly was not very good but it was neat to eat on a boat. I would recommend just staying at Captain Joe’s and the Idler.
We also ate breakfast at Peppercorn’s in Saugatauck (not even linking it because you should just skip this place). Though a super cute aesthetic, we had horrible service and food. Dining in Saugatauck was difficult because due to COVID, there were still many restrictions in Michigan. Many restaurants were closed and the ones that were open had long waits.
Breweries/Wineries:
On our way to the coast, we drove through Kalamazoo just so we could visit Bells Brewing. Bells is a very well known brewery, especially in the Midwest and it’s definitely worth a visit. Due to COVID, we were unable to sit inside but their patio was huge and had a great vibe. Bells is most commonly known for their Two Hearted Ale and Summer Oberon but I tried their Mango Jalapeño Wheat and it did not disappoint (probably the spiciest beer I’ve ever had).
Bell’s Beer Garden, Kalamazoo, MI, July 2020
Harbor Brewing Company, in St. Joe, was awesome! The street the brewery was on was closed down and turned into a large patio complete with corn hole, an outside bar, and live music. COVID certainly has brought some positives and outdoor dining is definitely one of them! While outside, you are able to see lake Michigan. Harbor Brewing has a super cute flight board shaped like the state of MI. We tried all sorts of brews, they even have a smoked beer, think Old Fashion but beer! We also ate dinner at Harbor, they had upscale bar food.
Just north of St. Joe on the wine trail, is Vineyard 2121. We loved the design of this tasting room, complete with a gorgeous patio overlooking the vineyards. Vineyard 2121 has many sweet and fruity wines.
Vineyard 2121, Benton Harbor, MI, July 2020
We stopped at The Filling Station, owned by the popular Round Barn company. This tasting room was right off the highway in an old gas station. The location left a bit to be desired but it’s a good stop if you are on the wine trail. The Filling Station makes their own spirits and wine.
The Filing Station, Coloma, MI, July 2020
About half a mile past the Filling Station is Contessa Wines. This was a super cute, small tasting room on a hill. The tasting room was very quaint and older. They had great fruity wines. Contessa is a vineyard but also grows many of their own fruits, such as cherries, that they use in their wines.
Arclight Brewing Company has a large indoor and outdoor space. They had quite a few sours and fruit flavored beers. We also enjoyed their taco truck out front!
Harbor Light Brewing in downtown South Haven was an urban brewery with many different types of beer. If walking the streets of South Haven, this is a great stop.
One of my all time favorite breweries (and that’s saying a lot!) is New Holland Brewing, located right downtown Holland, Michigan. New Holland is a pretty big brewery with two floors, a store, and a large patio. We sat upstairs but I recommend sitting outside. We both got flights and I loved the Marshmallow Dragon’s Milk Stout. SO good. We also bought a bottle of New Holland’s Lake Life Vodka.
Finally, we stopped at Founders in Grand Rapids. By now you must be thinking all we did was drink….well, that’s pretty accurate! Anyways, Founder’s was a fun spot to stop and have lunch before heading back to Fort Wayne. Founder’s is about three hours north of Fort Wayne. I recommend sitting on their patio and enjoying their delicious beer cheese dip! I also recommend getting their Raspberry Ale on Nitro, both creamy and fruity! Thank me later.
Founders, Grand Rapids, MI, July 2020
Best Time to Visit:
Summer
Fall