Friday, April 13, 2012

[EID Feature] Motor City Brew Tours Photo Essay

Big gay bus. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

Last week Two weeks ago my friend Dave Bardallis ("Uncle Dave" - I still don't know why) of AnnArborBeer.com invited me along on a bus tour of mid-south-western Michigan breweries with Motor City Brew Tours because we are meeeeeeeedia. I got to play the role of official picture-taker for this journey; here is the evidence.


We started at the Fleetwood Diner in Ann Arbor. It's about the size of a mobile home. Like, one of those 1950s tin tube mobile homes, that is. I got the Meaty Hippie Hash. Both "hippie" and "hash" are funny words to use when talking about Ann Arbor.



"Oh gee, the keg is taking up a whole seat and it's a full bus, whatever will we do?" Nicole to the rescue! Because I am a self-sacrificing individual.



Stop 1: Bell's Eccentric Cafe, Kalamazoo. Uncle Dave with Stephen Johnson, owner of Motor City Tour Co. AKA, the "before" picture.



Hopslam direct from the source and it tastes even better. (ABV: 10%. No sense pussy-footing around.)



Stop 2: Arcadia Ales, Battle Creek. Some nice person attempted to give us a tour of the brewery. We made funny faces then got really worried we weren't maximizing beer-drinking time. I had the Imperial Stout, which is 9.5% ABV. This day did not get any easier.



Stop 3: Dark Horse Brewing Co., Marshall. Bourbon Barrel Aged Plead the Fifth Imperial Stout. 14%ABV. (Two of those is pretty much equivalent to a whole pint of whiskey.) Things became...fuzzy...after this.



But I took a lot of pictures.



Because I thought the place looked cool.


Yeah, I don't know.



This is in their employee bathroom (specifically the men's employee bathroom) and is pretty much the best thing I have ever seen.



This is their upstairs loft area for private parties. Please note the couches for napping.



Stop 4. Bad Bear Brewery, Albion. I took one usable picture here. This is that one.


Thank you Stephen once again for your hospitality, and also to the Detroit Draft Divas and I'm a Beer Hound for hanging out and "Beer Todd" Parker of Copper Canyon Brewery for supplying the travelers!

Want to see more? View the Flickr set here