Now that we have left Sault Ste. Marie behind, it is time to head West for the first time on our journey through the Upper Peninsula breweries. The first stop along the way is at beautiful Tahquamenon Falls, and the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery and Pub in Paradise, Michigan.
Tahquamenon Falls Brewery and Pub first opened in 1996 and has been slinging beers to thirsty tourists for almost three decades now. The brewery is located on the Upper Falls at Tahquamenon. I visited the lower falls the first time I visited, and had no clue there was a brewery at the Upper Falls until I got back home and saw it in my Michigan Beer Guide. I knew that eventually I would make it back.
A little about the falls themselves, they are the largest Waterfalls in all of Michigan and one of the largest in the Eastern half of North America. The falls are divided into the upper and lower falls. The upper falls consist of a single drop of about 48 feet (15m), and the river is 200 feet (60m) across. During the late spring runoff the river drains 50,000 gallons (190,000 L) of water per second. This makes the Upper Falls the third most voluminous waterfall East of the Mississippi, behind only Niagara Falls and Cohoes Falls. The Lower Falls are 4 miles downstream and consist of five smaller falls cascading around an island.
Now when it comes to Tahquamenon Falls, I had never visited them until after I turned 30. They are very beautiful and the scenery is breathtaking. That being said, now that I am 40, I visited the falls so many times in my 30s, I will not be upset if I never end up back at this tourist trap again in my lifetime. I literally have gone about a dozen times in the last 10 years. Every time someone new is on a trip with us, we end up at the falls. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I have seen them enough now. Sorry, I just had to rant about that for a minute. Back to more important things.
The brewery is a massive facility with enormous amounts of seating throughout. They also have quite a few seats at the bar, approximately 20 or so. They also have plenty of additional outdoor seating in the food court area on the grounds.
Since it is a Brewpub, they do offer food at Tahquamenon Falls Brewery. Their menu consists of quite a few appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, pasta and a few dinner entrees. I have never had the food here, although it looked great, the prices for what you get are just a little higher than I like to spend (that happens at tourist trap places like the falls).
When it comes to the beer they offer four options on tap at any given time. The options rotate between their Harvest Wheat, Summer Wheat, Bird’s Eye Maple, Lumberjack Lager, Black Bear Stout, Porcupine Pale Ale, Raspberry Wheat Ale, Falls Tannen, and White Pine Pilsner. The beer that they are most well known for has to be their Blueberry Wheat Ale, it seems to be the only beer that everyone that visits Tahquamenon Falls Brewery orders. I have heard many people mention this beer over the years.
Just a few things to know about trips to Tahquamenon Falls Brewery. You have to have a recreation passport on your car to get in, this is a State Park. If you don’t have one, just to get into the park will run you 14 dollars before you have even bought a beer. Be prepared to pay tourist trap prices for the beer while you are there. I don’t remember exact prices, but it was definitely above industry standard. The brewery is also seasonal, so check to see if they are open during your visit before you head up.
On your visit to Tahquamenon Falls to check out the largest waterfalls Michigan has to offer, stop at the brewery to refuel after walking up and down all the steps to see the falls. Grab a bite to eat while you are at it. Cin Cin!
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