Hi. It’s me… Pleepleus. I went to Michigan over the MLK weekend and wanted to tell you about it. The featured photo and the slide show that comes later were photos taken by the amazing photographer Rob O’Connell.
Departing from Topeka around 9:30 am, I was able to make it to the SpringHill Suites in Munster, IN by 7:30 pm. After checking into the hotel, I walked over to 3 Floyds Brewing Company.
Pro Tip: SpringHill Suites is 0.6 miles from 3 Floyds Brewing Company and is the perfect place to stay while visiting overnight. The walk is short, and you don’t have to worry at all about drinking too much at 3 Floyds.
Warning: 3 Floyds is a very Gothic place and has the potential of making some individuals uncomfortable. It is quite the opposite of a Ma ‘n Pa kind of place.
While at 3 Floyds, I picked up a case of Zombie Dust to bring home and sat on the neck of an upside down bull while others knelt before me and humbly bowed to my superior awesomeness.
Saturday
Before taking off to Ann Arbor, I ate some hotel breakfast to save money and time. Ann Arbor was only 3.5 hours away.
Wolverine State Brewing Company was on the west side of Ann Arbor, so I stopped here first. When I arrived, I notice that they specialize in lagers. I tried a smokey dark lager, and a porter brewed with lager yeast, among a few others. I had a late lunch here that was quite tasty.
Pro Tip: The Residence Inn by Marriott in Ann Arbor is within walking distance of several amazing breweries, brewpubs, and restaurants and is in the heart of downtown Ann Arbor for a pleasant and safe stay.
After unloading my bags at the Residence Inn, I drove the 14-15 miles to South Lyon to experience both Witch’s Hat and Third Monk Brewery. Witch’s Hat was on the recommendation of a fellow Greater Topeka Hall of Foamer. I recommend Night Fury for the dark beer lover and This Guy for the hoppy beer lover.
Third Monk has some work to do, but it will find its place.
Once the car was parked for good back in Ann Arbor, I had some dinner and a few sour beers at Jolly Pumpkin Cafe & Brewery. I had a delicious South Pacific Pizza which had bacon, pineapple, jalapenos, and a chipotle sauce. Yummy.
The last beer stop was at Ashley’s, an Irish Pub with around 100 beers on draught. I only called it an early evening since there were several beers in my hotel that I could enjoy.
Sunday
On Sunday morning, I needed a Bloody Mary. I ate braised oxtail hash & eggs with my Bloody Mary and it was just delightful. The coffee was wonderful too.
The drive to Kalamazoo needed to be broken up, of course. It is natural to stop in Marshall, MI for some beers at Dark Horse Brewery.
I got the coolest table at Dark Horse, which doubled as an aquarium. I tasted just about everything they had, and brought some Bourbon Barrel Aged Plead the Fifth home with me to age and enjoy over the next few years.
In Kalamazoo, the first stop was Boatyard Brewing Company. This is a place I had never been. Boatyard had a line of Gose on tap, so I tried them all, and enjoyed playing cribbage with a few people who couldn’t count their hand very well.
Pro Tip: The Radisson Plaza Hotel is centrally located and a great place to stay within walking distance of places such as Bell’s Eccentric Cafe, Kalamazoo Beer Exchange, and Ole Peninsula Brewing Company.
Maru Sushi & Grill was next door to Bell’s where I had an amazing dinner of about 79 pieces of sushi (80 will make me throw up).
I didn’t have enough Bell’s, so I went back for some more after sushi. This is where I closed out the evening before heading back to the hotel.
Monday
Food Dance is a wonderful place for breakfast which is also close to Bell’s and the hotel.
Then there was a long drive back to Topeka. Many people would be in a hurry to get home by this point. But why?
I had lunch at Flossmore Station Restaurant & Brewery with a beer and a half in Flossmore, IL.
I had dinner at Mark Twain Brewery Company in Hannibal, MO.
Pro Tip: Don’t be in such a rush to get home. Enjoy the novelty that is available. It is worth a few hours less sleep that you can catch up on later.
The Shaw Show 
It looks like Pleepleus had a blast, as usual! Sorry to be stuck in Babytown lately, but soon we’ll be able to leave Babytown for short visits to the outside world!
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