Fall/Winter 2009

Many of us have meandered along a wine trail or two; now, the Michigan Brewer’s Guild has applied that same concept to the state’s burgeoning microbrewery industry. Ranked sixth in the country for total number of breweries, Michigan prides itself on handcrafted beers that range from the palest of ales to the most robust stouts. To discover the best, take a romantic drive along the Central Michigan Microbrewery Trail as it winds through the state’s heartland, an area of rolling hills, historic towns, lush orchards and the gentle shoreline of Saginaw Bay.

You can jump in anywhere along the trail, but a good start is Marshall, a town of Victorian and Queen Anne mansions. Here, the Dark Horse Brewing Company offers both seasonal and year-round beers, as well as pizzas, salads and sandwiches. Then it’s on to the Arcadia Brewing Company in Battle Creek, which uses only authentic British equipment and malted barley from England to make small-batch beers.

Other great stops include Mountain Town Station in Mount Pleasant (above), a microbrewery located in a late-19th-century railroad depot in the city’s downtown. Try a Hobo’s Breath Brown Ale or a Railyard Raspberry Wheat, and enjoy hand-cut steaks in the restaurant. At the Tri-City Brewing Company in Bay City, try the Hell’s Half Mile, a German-style pale gold Helles Lager with a creamy white head, and dine on seared whitefish, a Michigan delicacy, at Harpers Restaurant and Brewpub in East Lansing. Finally, sip Celis Raspberry, a traditional Belgian-style fruit beer, at the Michigan Brewing Company in Webberville — the company’s artisan beers are so popular they’re now sold in Sweden.

- State - Michigan

- Type - Romantic Weekends

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