The Quintessential Midwest Brewery Roadtrip
Goose Island and Knob Creek Team Up for a Reserve Bourbon County Stout—We Tried It
Summit, St. Paul, MN
Based in the heart of grain country—also known as St. Paul—Summit’s selection of good beers is impressively broad. Just as impressive is the company’s commitment to supporting local causes and charities. Their flagship beer, Summit Extra Pale Ale, is super popular, but it’s their limited releases, like the Vienna-style lager and the spring saison, that showcase Summit’s distinctive personality. (910 Montreal Circle, St. Paul, MN; 651-265-7800)
Surly , Minneapolis, MN
Surly doesn’t mess around. They started doing their thing in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota in 2005, and just two years later, they were named the “Best Brewery in America” by BeerAdvocate. Since then, they’ve enjoyed so much success that they opened a second location in Minneapolis. Playing favorites here is nearly impossible, but the CynicAle is spectacular, and their Coffee Bender, an American oatmeal brown ale, is intense and nutty and everything good. (520 Malcolm SE, Minneapolis, MN; 763-999-4040)
Half Acre , Chicago, IL
At its two breweries on the north side of Chicago, Half Acre is producing some of the best microbrews in the city. The brewery offers a number of seasonal ales and three year-round beers, including the endlessly drinkable Daisy Cutter, a West Coast pale ale. Half Acre is also experimenting with mixed fermentation in their Wyld beers, the first of which, Magick Is Purple, is brewed in oak red wine barrels. (4257 N. Lincoln, Chicago, IL; 2050 W. Balmoral, Chicago, IL; 773-248-4038)
Revolution , Chicago, IL
In Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, Revolution stands out as one of the city’s finest craft beer destinations. Of their year-round offerings, the Eugene Porter is a favorite: it’s a robust, chocolatey porter you’ll want to drink year-round. There’s also the Anti-Hero, which, despite its name, is a commendable IPA; the Bottom Up Wit, a white ale, is classically Belgian-style. And the food offerings at Revolution’s tasting room, which includes beer mussels and fried giardiniera, is top-notch. (2323 N. Milwaukee, Chicago, IL; 3340 N. Kedzie, Chicago, IL; 773-588-2267)
3 Floyds , Munster, IN
30 miles south of Chicago is Munster-based 3 Floyds, the brain child of, you guessed it, three Floyds—Nick, Simon and their dad, Mike. The flavor of their ales—not to mention their spectacularly intricate labels—truly delivers on the brewery’s motto, “Not Normal.” Gumballhead, an IPA, is a refreshing cult classic, and similarly beloved is Dark Lord, a Russian imperial brewed with molasses and coffee. (9750 Indiana Pkwy, Munster, IN; 219-922-3565)
Upland , Carmel, IN
Bloomington got so much cooler when Upland was founded in 1997, and now the brewpub has locations in Columbus, Carmel and Indianapolis. Their Wheat Ale, despite the boring name, is a next-level witbier, and the Easy Chair amber is dependably well-balanced and smooth. In Upland’s Wood Shop, brewers have been experimenting with sour ales brewed in wine barrels from Oliver Winery. They currently have ten sours on tap, among them the expected fruited sours (Kiwi, Persimmon, Blackberry and Strawberry, to name a few) and more surprising options, like Dark Before Dawn, a tart, dark saison, and Darken, a sour brown ale. (820 E. 116, Carmel, IN; 148 Lindsey, Columbus, IN; 4842 N. College, Indianapolis, IN; 317-564-3400)
Founders , Grand Rapids, MI
Technically no longer a craft brewery, Grand Rapids-based Founders has grown into one of the most recognizable beer names in the country over the past twenty years. The Kentucky Breakfast Stout, an American imperial, is their prized brew; made with chocolate and coffee, the beer is aged in bourbon barrels. The taproom makes for a great hang, too, and the brewery puts on the annual Founders Fest, a massive food and beer party, every June. (235 Grandville SW, Grand Rapids, MI; 616-776-1195)
Bell's , Kalamazoo, MI
Back in 1985, Bell’s (then known as Kalamazoo Brewing Company) cooked its beer in giant soup kettles and fermented with plastic wrap. Things have changed since—they’ve got barrels now, to say the least—and they have two Michigan locations, in Kalamazoo and Comstock. Their Two Hearted Ale is one of the best thing you can buy in a can, but their Oberon, a summer wheat ale, and the Winter White, a Belgian ale, are road-trip-worthy as well (though relatively accessible around the country). (8938 Krum, Galesburg, MI; 355 E. Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, MI, 269-382-2338)
Arcadia , Kalamazoo, MI
In Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Arcadia specializes in award-winning UK-inspired beers, like the Loch Down Scotch Ale, and the specialty barrel-aged Cereal Killer, a barleywine. The Cheap Date, a malty session ale, is one of their most beloved brews. Arcadia opened in 1996, when their early brewers used a brew system from England. Now, all their recipes are produced on an American-made system in downtown Kalamazoo. (103 Michigan, Battle Creek, MI; 701 E. Michigan, Kalamazoo, MI; 269-276-0458)
Great Lakes , Cleveland, OH
Ohio’s first microbrewery started something big in Ohio City, the West Cleveland neighborhood that’s now home to several thriving brewpubs. Since brothers Patrick and Daniel founded the company in 1988, Great Lakes has grown up—their beers are distributed throughout the country—but the Cleveland pub has lost none of its charm. By way of their beers’ names, the Conway brothers honor their Ohio roots; among their best bottles are the Eliot Ness, named for the Cleveland prohibition officer, and the Edmund Fitzgerald porter, named for a Great Lakes steamship that sank in 1975. And their Christmas Ale may just be the best part of being alive in December. (2516 Market, Cleveland, OH; 216-771-4404)
Platform , Cleveland, OH
Down the street from Great Lakes is the new cool kid, Platform. Platform has two goals: brew good beer, and educate up-and-coming brewers. Their flagship Cleveland brewhouse opened in 2014, and since its launch, the company has grown at an incredible rate—they’ve bought the former 60-barrel Leisy Brewery and opened a second location in Columbus. They’ve started canning, too, and have been celebrated by those in the know for beers like Speed Merchant, a citrusy white IPA, and the cleverly named New Cleveland Palesner, a mix between an old-timey pilsner and modern American ale. (4125 Lorain, Cleveland, OH; 408 N. 6th, Columbus, OH; 216-202-1386)
Hoppin' Frog , Akron, OH
After rubber, the greatest thing to emerge from Akron is beer from Hoppin’ Frog, a small brewery founded in 2006. They’re known best for their stouts and porters, including the celebrated Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout, known as BORIS. The tasting room, open since 2013, offers HF brews as well as guest pours, and their food is better than most, too. The brewery offers a generous Hoppy Hour from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., because puns. (1680 E. Waterloo, Akron, OH; 330-352-4578)
Rhinegeist - Cincinatti, Ohio
Since 2013, Rhinegeist has been brewing in the home of Cincinnati’s now-defunct Moerlein bottling plant, a building that’s been in the city’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood since 1895. Rhinegeist’s modern, stylish taproom offers more than a dozen beers, chief among them being Truth, an American IPA, and Cougar, a blonde. But their unique seasonal offerings aren’t to be missed, including summer’s Chester, a cherry saison, and Peach Dodo, a Gose. (1910 Elm, Cincinnati, OH; 513-381-1367)
Maybe it’s all the grain, or the football, or the wholesome appreciation for life’s best things—whatever the reason, the Midwest is home to some of America’s best breweries. This is not news; beer lovers drool over many of the region’s ales, even if they’ve never made the trek to the area. But hey: modern roadways allow for easy weekend trips to these brewpubs (provided you buckle up and designate a driver.) Below, check out some of the greatest breweries east of the Mississippi. —Claire Luchette