Pils. Grimage.

PilsGrimage!  Thanks to our Michigan correspondents the Loud Guy and the Science Guy, here's a Happy Hour Guys motorcycle excursion to Northern MI, and Short's Brewing Company's original brewpub in Bellaire, MI. A true PilsGrimage indeed: People travel from all over the world to sample the bounteous brews that are only offered at this location.

Loud Guy not so loud with face covered.

Loud Guy not so loud with face covered.

Science Guy.

Science Guy.

Lodging: SET.

Lodging: SET.

We're On Approach.

We're On Approach.

Outside the BrewPub in Bellaire, MI.

Outside the BrewPub in Bellaire, MI.

Sweet Nectar!

Sweet Nectar!

Choices, Choices, Choices...

Choices, Choices, Choices...

Roads well traveled.

Roads well traveled.

And thanks to Hydroflask, we're taking some home!

And thanks to Hydroflask, we're taking some home!

Hopefully we'll see more updates from this quest. Keep 'em comin' guys. Now everyone, get out there and BEV-TOUR!

To micro or not to micro

This weekend I'm having family over for an early season cookout. I have the grillables ready, plenty of veggies for those who don't like meat, and plenty of meat for those who don't like veggies, and a ton of cheese for both. 

But now the tough question: should I buy the "standard family macro beer"?  I'm a Happy Hour Guy, and with that comes great responsibility -- sharing my love for craft beverages.  But, my family drinks macro-brews when they get together. In fact, a macro-brew that I've never liked and won't drink when I visit them (I'd rather just have tap water, thanks). But, I'm the host, and I want to please my guests.

How can I please my guests when they only want horrible beer?

I think this is from the SI swimsuit edition, 1988.

I think this is from the SI swimsuit edition, 1988.

So this evening, as I wander the ever-expanding beer aisle of my local supermarket, I will be faced with a decision -- do I force my love for craft beer on folks who aren't ready for it? Or do I break down and buy a 6-pack of the family-standard brewskis and just shut my pie hole?

What will you do?

The 14 Best USA Craft Beer Bars.*

*That we've visited.  

Alright, keep your shirts on.  We know there's a bewildering number of mind-numbingly awesome Craft bars there are out there, and we're aware of how many more there are for us to visit.  And it is our QUEST to get to every single one of them - (oh hey, do us a solid and add your suggestions to the comment section, will you?).  In the meantime, it's time to celebrate some great locals.  Check out these terrific Craft Stops:

First, one of our most recent stops, in Midtown Manhattan; Beer Culture. Just next to the Hirshfeld Theatre in the Broadway District, this new watering hole is also a bottle shop.

Winner of Best Beer Bar in NY in 2013? Check. Long Island City? Check. Amazing owners? You've gotta meet the folks at Alewife NYC.  

We happened to stop in to this spot in Hollywood a few years ago, and even though it's weathered some storms it's still going strong: The Blue Palms Brewhouse.

No NYC Craft Beer Bar experience is complete without a visit to Jimmy's. And if you're very lucky, you'll get to hang out with owner Jimmy Carbone, (or Jimmy Pots & Pans), a legend in the NYC Craft Community. Come home to Jimmy's.

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HOPCAT. The Midwestern Craft Beer Mecca in Grand Rapids, MI. We didn't shoot video here, but dammit, we visited. And we came away very, very happy.  By the way, HopCat is opening a new location in Downtown Detroit this year, and we hear it's going to be massive.  Beer hear!

Pacific Standard, on 4th Ave in Brooklyn.  We're pretty sure that this is what the dorm rooms at Beer Appreciation College look like.

Tucked away in the Berkshire region of Western Mass, MOE's Tavern is the bar you always dreamt about. No seriously, it is.

Adobe Blues - This may be the best reason to ride the Staten Island Ferry.  Over, and over, and over. You'll 'flip' for this place...

Pizza and great Craft in Amish Country?  Yup. We've seen rare beers at The Fridge in Lancaster, PA, that we have a hard time finding in a city of 8 million people! 

Truly not to be missed, Proletariat is a tiny (and we mean tiny) place in the East Village of NYC that sports some of the rarest worldwide Craft we've ever seen. A bucket list bar.

Ah, the Pony Bar Hell's Kitchen on 45th and 10th Ave in Midtown Manhattan; the bar that helped turn the Craft Beer wave in this part of NYC into a Tsunami.  We were there at the beginning.

This place in Minneapolis was Craft long before it was cool: Mackenzie, the Bar Next Door to the Theatre is the place you've always wanted in your neighborhood.

Ever been to Portland, Maine?  Once you've seen our episode featuring The Great Lost Bear, you'll be looking to book your ticket.

And lastly, in memoriam: The Collins Bar, which sadly is long gone now, reduced to a hole in the ground on 8th Avenue NYC that's on its way to becoming a tall shiny expensive set of apartments. We fondly remember discovering flavors of Craft here that we never knew existed.  Still one of our favorites, and deserving of the memory.  And as you can see, also one of the first places we ever shot.

That's how our list starts.  What's on yours?

Video #273: BEERmuda Triangle - Bell's Brewing, and Bagger Dave's Cascade!

Last summer's BEERmuda Triangle Tour continues, as the Guys continue onward from Beer City USA for 2012/2013, Grand Rapids, MI, and head to one of the places where Craft Beer got started in Michigan - Bell's Brewing. Larry Bell got Craft going in the Great Beer State way back in 1984, fermenting with a 5 gallon soup tureen covered with Saran Wrap! My how things have change.  And how happy are the folks at Bagger Dave's Cascade location, when they discover what their prize is! Eat well, drink local! Cheers - 

Video #271: BEERmuda Triangle - GR, and Brewery Vivant!

Midway through last summer's BEERmuda Triangle Tour, the Guys make a stop in Beer City USA for 2012/2013, Grand Rapids, MI, where the beer truly does flow like water along the nearby. And not far from an amazing burger/beer event at the Downtown GR Bagger Dave's, there is a Brewery the likes of which you've never seen...Brewery Vivant. Enjoy!