West Michigan breweries have made a name for themselves with their creativity and ever-improving quality. It’s what’s helped put the region on the map as a beer destination, one that attracts people the world over. This selection is intended to nail down the 10 beers brewed in West Michigan that best exemplify the region’s craft beer. These are not necessarily the 10 best West Michigan-made beers, but rather the creative brews that have helped establish our beer culture, that have helped define the scene — or that helped move it forward. 

It would be impossible to list every brewpub, beer bar and taphouse in West Michigan in one article. In fact, it would likely take an entire issue just to cover this side of the Mitten state. But that’s kind of a fantastic problem to have, isn’t it? Us West Michigan folk are spoiled with beer-specific restaurants and bars popping up on almost every corner. Here’s just a sampling of some of the best spots for craft beer lovers around.

For decades, the Mackinac Bridge served as a cultural time machine, transporting visitors back to a bygone era. 

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was the place where lumberjacks roamed the forests, miners donned their hardhats to search for copper and pasties were part of the daily cuisine. Until recently, Yooper drinking habits also seemed stuck in a forgotten age when choices amounted to various iterations of macro lagers — especially Wisconsin-made staples such as Blatz, Schlitz and PBR — often consumed in mass quantities. 

Those crazy creative brewers are at it again, ready to put it all on the line to push boundaries and move the craft beer scene into a new direction — just not always in expected ways. Let’s take a look at some of the stranger brews that have crossed the bar over the last few months.