Northern Michigan Road Trip ~ Breweries, Wineries, Dining, Casino

January - February 2019, Weekday and weekend visits

Winter in Michigan!
Location: Charlevoix county.

We had a Michigan Brewvine Passport with several unused discounts, which had some bearing on the places we chose to visit this trip.

Four Leaf Brewing Sampler

Clare, Michigan: Four Leaf Brewing

This was our first visit to Four Leaf Brewing, and we only learned about the brewery because of their participation in Michigan Brewvine Passport. We liked all their discounts, and chose to use the coupon for 50% off a flight with our order. My personal favorite was Tiramisu Stout. The service was excellent, and we hope to visit again soon. Pere Marquette Rail Trail runs very close behind this brewery, on the west side of Pine Street.

View behind bar at Dead Bear; photo taken during 2016 visit

Grayling, Michigan: Dead Bear Brewing Co.   

We have previously enjoyed good food and brews at Dead Bear Brewing Co., although our experience was a tad disappointing this time. We split the Rueben appetizer, which we had had before, and really liked. The appetizer had been more like an egg roll last time, and this time it was greasier. You can see a photo of this appetizer in my 2015 Grayling post. Initially, we had planned to just split a pint at Dead Bear with their $2 off coupon, and then dine at Paddle Hard Brewing; however, the morning of our departure, we learned Paddle Hard Brewing would be closed.

Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery

Petoskey, Michigan: Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery, Odawa Casino 

Mackinaw Trail is one of our favorite places to visit in Petoskey! We enjoy visiting their locations in Mackinaw City and Manistique, as well. We love their brews and wines, along with the service and atmosphere. We used their discounted tasting coupon from the Michigan Brewvine Passport, and could not leave without making at least one purchase. My husband and I both liked Hop-toskey IPA and the Imperial Stout best--both delicious! 

We stopped at Odawa Casino because we had each received $10 in free slot play when we attended the RV show in Grand Rapids. This casino was quite smoky when we visited last year, so we decided to visit the morning of our departure, rather than in the evening. The smoke smell was still rather strong, and it did not take us long to lose our $20! There is plenty of parking at this casino for RVs and vehicles.

Shorts Brewing Co.
½ of the small pizza

Bellaire: Shorts Brewing Co.

We had not planned to stop at Shorts, and they do not have a discount in the Michigan Brewvine Passport. We added it to our route after several people suggested we stop there. We arrived around 12:45 PM on a Friday afternoon. Although it was very busy, we did not have to wait for a table. We were seated at a table in the bar, which was our preference. The small pizza special that we shared was very good. The beers were a tad disappointing; however, I think this is because there are so many choices, and we felt rushed by staff. I did not take enough time to look over all the beverage choices, and decided to go with the server's recommendation, who was apparently more interested in selling me the most expensive beer, rather than listening to my likes and dislikes. This place probably warrants a second visit to provide a fair review. If we visit again, it will be when it is less busy, and we can get a seat at the bar.

Traverse City: Bonobo Winery, Chateau Grand Traverse, Bowers Harbor, Jolly Pumpkin, Blue Tractor BBQ

This was our first visit to Bonobo Winery. We used a Passport coupon, which gave us 6 tastes for .50 cents. The visit was pleasant, and the view is nice with outside seating during nice weather.

View at Bonobo Winery

We have previously visited Chateau Grand Traverse, Bowers Harbor and Jolly Pumpkin. We like the wine at Chateau Grand Traverse, and we had a nice visit with the owner while there. Bowers Harbor has outside seating, and this experience was better than our last visit. All of these locations have discount coupons in the Michigan Brewvine Passport. Jolly Pumpkin also has some great coupons in the passport, so we stopped in to get our growler filled.

Another favorite of ours is Blue Tractor Barbecue--fabulous food with daily specials. Their Happy Hour runs Monday - Friday from 3 to 6, and on Sundays they have Bloody Marys for $1.50. Click on the Traverse City label to find more details in previous posts. 

Leelanau Peninsula: Hop Lot Brewing, 45 N. Vineyard, Blustone Vineyards, Bel Lago

There was a discount coupon for Chateau de Leelanau in the Michigan Brewvine Passport; however, this location was not open on Saturday afternoon. We had great visits at 45 North Vineyard, Blustone, and Bel Lago, which also have discounts in the passport. The view is great at Blustone, and they had a fire going outside on the terrace. Many people were cross-country skiing or snowshoeing between this location and 45 North. We thought the wines at 45 North were excellent.

View from inside our igloo at HopLot

We were fortunate to get a seat in an outside igloo at Hop Lot Brewing, as this location was very busy. We have heard good things about their food, although we have only enjoyed their beers--which are very good! They have a couple of discounts in the Michigan Brewvine passport, as well.

I have included a few more photos from our trip below. Let me know if you have any questions!

Sunset on Old Mission Peninsula

Some of our goodies