Vacation Day 2, Part 2: Michigan State Parks

Campsite number 86

We decided to stay at Fort Custer State Park for a couple of nights. We were met at the park entrance by a Park Ranger who told us what we needed to know to find a campsite. The campground was busier than I expected but we found a site we liked. We then went back to pay our fees. There is an out of state resident car tag required along with a daily fee to drive into the park and of course the campsite fee. We also bought two $5 bundles of wood so we could have a fire and get the full camping experience.  We went back to our campsite ready to settle in, start a fire and cook the steaks we brought for our first night. There was just one problem. Having done most all of my camping in Missouri State Parks where the fire enclosures include a hinged grill I never considered it would be different in Michigan, but it is. We got back in the truck and headed to the nearest Wal-Mart, about 30 minutes away in Kalamazoo, to look for a grill. A grill in hand we went back to camp. The lost time meant we were eating in the dark.

Michigan fire pit

Our new grill

Vacation Day 2, Part 1: Welcome to Michigan

Arcadia Brewing Company

The drive from Indianapolis to Battle Creek seemed short compared to the previous day's drive. We went straight to Arcadia Brewing for lunch and a beer. They offer a varied selection of beers on tap. We wanted to try them all so we shared a sampler. We also shared an order of hummus and a smoked brisket sandwich. They smoke the meats they serve on site and also bake their bread in a wood fired oven.  Maybe I was just really hungry, but that was a really good brisket sandwich. Having lived all my life in the Kansas City area I've eaten some brisket before. While we were there we talked to a couple of guys about local breweries. They told us we should go to Dark Horse Brewing . It would turn out to be good advice.

What's on tap

Sample platter

Vacation Day 1: KC to Indy

Rasberry Coffee Stout

The first leg of our journey was about making the 465 mile drive from home to Indianapolis. From Indy we would have only a relatively short drive to Michigan. We made a stop at a Schnucks grocery store on our way through St. Louis to get a couple of 750 ml bottles of Schlafy's Rasberry Coffee Stout. This was to be our first beer purchase of the trip. Our first stop in Indianapolis was at a place called Bier Brewery. It is a small brewery selling beer in growlers only. They are making good beer as was evidenced by the steady stream of people coming in for a growler or two, or three. We sampled each of the beers they offered and ended up purchasing a growler of their Roggen Schnizzle, a rye beer. We spent our first night at a Hampton Inn located just a few miles from the brewery.

A new growler

Bier Brewery

The people we met were often more intersting than the beer we drank...

My wife and I just returned from a short vacation to Michigan. It was a beer pilgrimage of sorts. We set off toward Michigan with a few breweries as destinations then relied on the recommendations of people we met as our travel guide. We ended up visiting 10 different breweries and tap houses. We drank at least one beer at each stop and ate at most of them. Some beer was better than others, some food was better than others, but the people we met were often what made the difference between a memorable visit and just another beer at a brew pub. We also did a little camping in the Michigan state parrks. Even though this is primarily a beer blog, I will post a little about the state parks because this was an integral part of our beer related journey.

Chocolate Tight Skirt Stout taste test

Saturday the 17th I opened a couple of 12 oz bottles to do a sample test. Carbonation was good. The flavor was a nice roastie stout but did not have quite the chocolate flavor that I was looking for. Maybe a little longer in the bottle will bring it more forward.

Prize winning beer

I am proud to say I am now a prize winning brewer. My beer took second place in the Kansas City Irish Festival's brewing contest. It's not exactly a medal at GABF but it is still an exciting event for me.