Beer Review – Sanctuary Spirits – Cream Ale

According to its own howler, Sanctuary Spirits – Distillery, Brewery, and Winery is “the best-kept secret” in Grand Ledge. Despite the plea to “not tell too many people”, I have to share at least one of the delicious beers I picked up from them a few weeks ago.

I visited the brewery thanks to a recommendation from Bill, the current curator of the Better on Draft beer map for the state of Michigan. I was picking up a few beers from him and he recommended I check out Sanctuary Spirits.

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The brewery is in a former church/school right off M-43 or Saginaw Hwy to locals in Grand Ledge. The seating areas included spaced out tables and couches and there was a nice patio space as well. The timing of my visit was right when Michigan was announcing plans for bars, breweries, and restaurants to open back up for dine-in options instead of only being limited to curbside and delivery. I remember chatting with the bartender about how the brewery was doing and preparing for the re-opening. She seemed optimistic and relieved that normalcy was on the horizon.

Inside one of the howlers was the Cream Ale. With the rising temperatures of the summer months, I find cream ales to be an amazing beer style to crush and enjoy. Sanctuary Spirits’s version checked all the boxes. I loved how light the beer was. It exhibited an amazing balancing act between being creamy yet crisp. The beer had only 17 IBUs and was 5.7%. I feel like this beer could be enjoyed all year round!

After my visit, friends told me about more of Sanctuary’s offerings including more top-notch beers, along with wine and spirits. While they do not have food, they do have a few snacks available for purchase and allow patrons to bring in food. The Mexican food truck parked outside, Pancho’s Taqueria, received rave reviews from friends as well. Another visit is surely in my future.

Pancho’s Taqueria Menu | Photo Credit – Sanctuary Spirits

Cheers!

Disclaimer: Ed purchased this beer for this review.