We gathered our family bubble members for a mini winter beer run to support a few Michigan brewers and enjoy great Michigan beer.
Mini Winter Beer Run 2021
It was time for a road trip, a mini winter beer run. We’ve been ordering food and beer to go from local favorites such as Edelbrau Brewing, Old Town, Bobcat Bonnies, Detroit Filling Station, Pizza House, Broad Leaf Local Beer, and more that escape me. However, there are times when you need a change of scenery. We picked up our Covid safe quarantine bubble friends Jeff and Angie to search for beers and banter.
The weather this particular Saturday wasn’t looking too bad. Having spent many hours outside at the Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer fests, we dressed for success. A number of breweries are offering outside seating to provide a safe space to enjoy a great beer. For this mini winter, beer run we decided to visit our old friends at Batch Brewing and Witch’s Hat with a first-time visit to Urbanrest.
Fauci Field House at Batch Brewing
The first stop on our mini winter beer run is to see our friends at Batch Brewing Company in Detroit. We were a bit surprised when we pulled up to see all the cars along Porter street. Then we remembered that the parking area at Batch was now the world renown Fauci Field House.
The Fauci Field house is a pole barn with a single enclosed side, astroturf covering the asphalt, and picnic tables spread out for folks to enjoy great Batch Brewing beer and food outdoors. The ingenious placement of a couple industrial containers creates a wind block. Giant overhead headers keep everyone cozy.
I’m sure everyone is tired of the word “pivot”. It seems like we’ve all been doing so much pivoting to outfox the pandemic, that we’re starting to get blisters. Michigan businesses have had to pivot like crazy, especially our breweries. Fauci Field is an example of a lot of pivoting by Batch. They have also been using this space to help out those who are struggling to make ends meet.
Just like their beer, the space is fantastic. We enjoyed the Orange Lotus IPA, StrataVarious pale ale, and Nascent hard cider with the spicy hot, and drop-dead delicious vegan chili. We were so happy to see plenty of people enjoying the great outdoors at Batch Brewing Company.
Poolside at Urbanrest Brewing Company
Before you start to get your polar bear shorts out for an ice swim, there isn’t a pool outside of Urbanrest Brewing Company in Ferndale. I don’t know, I just had this feeling of hanging out by the pool with friends. Sure it was 30 degrees in January in Michigan, but whatever. They do have a fun outdoor space along the side of their building with well-spaced picnic tables and those propane fire tables.
This stop on the mini winter beer run was our first visit to Urbanrest Brewing. We grabbed our masks and popped in to grab some beers to enjoy outside. Urbanrest is all about using local Michigan ingredients. They also have an amazing series of hazy IPAs. Their Fluff series is off the hook. Michigan barley and plenty of Michigan hops make for a very enjoyable beer.
Sonny’s Hamburgers were on site with their food truck in case anyone got hungry. We hung out and enjoyed our beers. Once again we were thrilled to see a nice turn-out of folks either checking out the outdoors or picking up beers to go. Urbanrest is doing it right and has most of their beers available in cans to go.
Last Call at Witch’s Hat Brewing
Our last stop on our mini winter beer run was Witch’s Hat Brewing in South Lyon. Like every brewery in Michigan, Witch’s Hat has been rolling with the pandemic punches to keep folks safe and stay afloat. Their outdoor space has a little bit of cover and a bit of the great outdoors. The ever-popular fire tables were well attended (I wonder how many of those tables have been sold this year?).
Again, we were very happy to see a nice contingent of customers making the best of the situation. Witch’s Hat typically has a lot of beers on tap covering a variety of styles and today was no exception. The winter months seem to call for stouts and we enjoyed a Sweet Lou milk stout. This delicious beer is available in cans, so I had to get a four-pack to go. Evening was approaching and the temps were dropping, so we made for the magic bus to take us home.
Mini Winter Beer Run 2021 Pictures
We have a few more pictures in the gallery. Our Mini Winter Beer Run 2021 was just a tiny peek into all of Michigan breweries keeping us supplied with Michigan beer as we ride out this storm. We would love to hear your stories. Feel free to share them in a comment on our website or on social media.
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