Think global and drink local.
Craft brewing has exploded in the U.S. and Michigan is near the top of the pack. Currently, the Mitten has 80 breweries and about another dozen in the planning stages. With Metro Detroit breweries gaining global attention and winning medals at such competitions as the World Expo of Beer and the Great American Beer Festival I figured it was time to see how these beers were actually made.
I chose some of my favorite breweries (Kuhnhenns and Bastone) and some that I don't get to often enough (all the rest), and experienced the incredible attention to detail that goes into every keg. I was able to pick the brains of some of the brewmasters at these breweries to hear what lead them to beer-making, and in pretty much all cases they started with home brewing.
My faves? I think it's safe to say that Dragonmead's Final Absolution and Bastone's Nectar Des Dieux Triple put local brewing on the map for me. Both beers are Belgian triples with pretty high alcohol content but are both surprisingly drinkable.
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