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The 12th Annual Detroit Fall Beer Fest took place on Saturday, October 23, 2021. It was a sold out event put on by the Michigan Brewers Guild and was an eventful day with beautiful fall weather.

After months of being home and conducting beer fests on your own, being among people in an outdoor venue as amazing as Eastern Market was a liberating experience.

RELATED – 20 Beers You Need to Try at the Detroit Fall Beer Festival (2021)

Wendy and I were the lone Better on Draft representatives to attend the festival. We crossed paths once in the maze of beer tents and sheds to exchange notes. Here is our list of 13 winners from the Detroit Fall Beer Fest in alphabetical order by brewery name.


Ægir’s Double (Wendy)

Archival Brewing | Belmont | Sahti Farmhouse Ale | 6.8%

I honestly couldn’t tell you if I’ve had a Sahti Farmhouse Ale before. I won’t soon forget Ægir’s Double. I wasn’t sure what to expect of a hopless, juniper beer, so this tasty treat was a pleasant surprise. It had a remarkable flavor combination that I kept going back to try other beers that Archival Brewing brought, including the Strict Observance, a Belgian Dubbel, which was on point.

Photo Credit – Arctic Circle Brewing Company’s Facebook page

Labelle’s Pie (Ed)

Arctic Circle Brewing Company | Chesterfield Twp | American Brown Ale | 5.1%

Breweries that bring a few beers to a beer fest are the bravest, in my opinion. There is no hiding behind three or four brews. Kudos to Arctic Circle Brewing Company for taking on this feat. As a newer brewery they rose to the occasion.

Their American Brown Ale, Labelle’s Pie, was earthy and spiced to perfection. The sweet potato gave the Brown solid body, and the vanilla gave a little kiss of sweetness at the end.

Triple Voyager (Wendy)

Arvon Brewing Co | Grand Rapids | Triple New England IPA | 11%

I’ve had Triple Voyager, a Triple IPA, from Arvon Brewing Co before, but I couldn’t help myself and have it again. It is amazing!

Holy Diver (Wendy)

Beards Brewery | Petoskey | Belgian Tripel | 9.7%

Holy Diver from Beards Brewery was another old favorite that definitely deserved a mention at this beer festival!

Golden Waffle Porter (Ed)

Burzurk Brewing Co | Grand Haven | Porter | 6.2%

Burzurk Brewing Company, another newer brewery in Michigan’s craft beer scene, showed off their Golden Waffle Porter, taproom favorite to the masses in Detroit. The maple was hidden by the coffee and vanilla from the Belgian waffles used yet was an amazing example of a porter. Burzurk informed us its going to back on in the taproom this coming Saturday, October 30.

Almond Coconut Crunch Stout (Wendy)

Ferndale Project | Ferndale | Imperial Stout | 12%

Ferndale Project‘s Almond Coconut Crunch Stout was another one of my favorites from the festival. Can’t go wrong with this BBA Stout!

PERMANENT HOMES: Curse of Pastry Lake (Wendy)

HOMES Brewery | Ann Arbor | Imperial Pastry Stout | 13%

The “Best in Show” for me was HOMES Brewery‘s PERMANENT HOMES. It might be because it was a timed release and I have greatly missed “timed released beers” at festivals. It may be because HOMES was an unexpected surprise. It may could have been that it was 4pm at the festival. The Imperial Pastry Stout was every bit sweet and over the top with adjuncts. There was almond, toasted coconut, caramel, peanut butter, Tahitian vanilla bean, and Ghanaian cocoa nibs. It was a tasty delight and it was the way to end an epic beer fest!

Pumpkin Cream Ale (Ed)

Ludington Bay Brewing Company | Ludington | Cream Ale | 5.6%

You know that creaminess you get when you have an orange cream pop or beer? Ludington Bay Brwing Company captured that unique cream taste in a Cream Ale, threw pumpkin into the mix, and made a memorable beer perfect for the fall!

Peach Brandy Barrel Aged Sacred Gruit (Ed)

Mountain Town Brewing Company | Mt. Pleasant | Gruit | 6%

Mountain Town Brewing Company specializes in the Gruit category. I haven’t had a Gruit done as well as how Mountain Town brews them. When I saw the Peach Brandy Barrel Aged Sacred Gruit on the list, I knew I was in for a treat. It was sweet and boozy and exactly what I needed near the tail end of the fest.

Beer City Rye IPA (Ed)

Perrin Brewing Co | Comstock Park | Rye IPA | 8%

I tried this Rye IPA from Perrin Brewing Co on a whim and it was worth it. This beer was a collaboration between Perrin and Beer City Bread Company. To say that it was bready, would be obvious, but I have to state it. Beer City Rye IPA lived up to the hype of being named after the infamous Grand Rapids nickname.

Force Field Nut Cup (Wendy)

SuperNatural Brewing & Spirits | Livonia | American Brown Ale | 6.5%

While I tried my best to stick with trying breweries I have never been to or may not get to often, a few favorites, including Force Field Nut Cup from SuperNatural Brewing and Spirits.

Smoked Porter (Ed)

Tenacity Brewing/Tenacity Craft | Flint/Detroit | American Porter | 6.1%

Tenacity Brewing has been on my radar to check out in Flint. Now they opened a taproom in Detroit called Tenacity Craft. The Flint location has a 9 bbl system, while the Detroit location has a 1 bbl system that will be used to experiment. Smoked Porter was one of those experiments and was perfectly smoky from the cherry wood used. It also didn’t blow up my palate.

HAZYpotamus (Wendy)

Trail Point Brewing Company | Allendale | New England IPA | 6.9%

HAZYpotamus, a Hazy IPA, was everything you could ask for in a New England IPA. The fact that it stood out above the others I tried says a lot. The strong juicy flavors paired well with the kick of hops made for a smooth experience that had me longing for warmer weather. The name caught my attention, but the explosion of flavors made me add a trip to Trail Point Brewing Company to the “must visit” list.


Which beer was your favorite from the festival?

Cheers!


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Ed Norton

Edwin "Ed" Norton was first introduced to craft beer when his designated fraternity Big Brother Vince asked him if he knew anything about the topic. Ed admitted his ignorance and the rest is history as Ed and Vince would split six-packs of craft beers each week during Ed's probationary status. Ed is now a craft beer enthusiast who is always on the lookout for a beer he has not tried when bottle shopping or drinking at breweries and bars. In addition to drinking beer, this livelong Michigan resident enjoys a bunch of hobbies that he doubts you really care about, other than drinking beer and sounding off about it.

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