Our five day, Michigan-focused adventure started out Thursday with a short flight to Chicago. By the time we landed and got our rental car we were itching for beer, but there was an hour drive between us and our first stop so off we went towards Munster, IN, home of the revered Three Floyd’s.
Besides making great beer, beer which we no longer have access to in MN, and only limited access to when we run across the border, they have a pretty damn cool place. Nestled in a typical light industrial area, the interior is filled with, well let’s just say “quirky” artwork. Also, when we stopped there, there were a couple of “quirky” “ladies” sitting at the bar. You really had to be there but I think the quote from one of them will sum it up. “They don’t got any of my Colt 45.” I wish I could say they were entertaining but it was really more annoying and we were relieved when they left.
Although they didn’t have a sampler, we managed by ordering pints, mostly of beers we hadn’t had. And since it was mid-afternoon by this point, a little food was in order. The pork belly pizza was tasty, as expected, although I’m of the mind that more pork is always better. The pretzel and sausage sampler, though, was outstanding. Both the pretzels and sausage were made in house and are some of the best I’ve ever had. The olives added a nice salty kick and the Iowa acorn-fed prosciutto was fine, but the pickled red onions were an unexpected treat that rounded out the plate.
With such an outstanding line up of beer it’s not surprising that all four of us chose a different favorite, mine being the Black Heart, Mag’s the Rabbid Rabbit, Kat favoring Dreadnaught and Scott the Alpha King. The beer monster being quieted and a bit of food in our bellies, it was time to hit the road for the remaining 2 ½ hours to Grand Rapids.
Once settled in Grand Rapids, we hit our first Michigan location, The Hideout. Housed in what we later found out was the pool house of the adjacent apartment complex, it’s an unassuming, cozy joint. But the best part is out back. The former pool had been reimagined and now serves as a horseshoe pit, surrounded by an array of chairs and tables. The feeling is that of heading over to hang out in a good friend’s backyard, a good friend that doesn’t mind if you order pizza or subs (The Hideout itself has a very limited menu consisting only of snackies).
Sitting out there, enjoying pitchers of our favorites, Gangster IPA and Black Lager, and the afternoon sun fading into the evening, made for a wonderful end to the first day of our pilgrimage.
Dreadnaught is fantastic. Did they have any Dark Lord on tap?
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the interesting arwork...during Dark Lord Day, they had T-shirts for sale with extremely questionable political messages. I won't go into it here.
Nope, no Dark Lord on tap. The rest of their stuff is so good that it was ok.
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