Greenbush Brewery

Greenbush Taproom 5885 Sawyer Rd Sawyer, MI

The Location

Located in a quaint area along the lake in southwestern Michigan, Greenbush Taproom exemplifies what a small town brewery business is today in America.  The building they use has a historic quality about it and over the years has been a plumbing shop, a laundromat, an auto store and in 1951, had a derailed train smack into.  That charm and character lend itself to the good time atmosphere found inside.  With tons of space, seating and ample lighting, Greenbush has a bright and vibrant feel, really a place where if I were a local, I would want to hang out.  Actually, the day I was there, they were hosting a local farmers' association meeting, so they indeed are apart of their community.  Thankfully for me, I found a spot at the bar and checked out their menu.


The Beer

Copper Wheat, Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Cream Ale, Bock, Coffee Cream Stout, RIS and more...

Tons of great options, when I go to a new brewery, I typically start with their IPA having the highest ABV.  I love the taste of fresh hops and like to see where the brewmaster takes this ever expanding genre.  Will it be a citrus bomb filled with tons of west coast influence or a traditional, earthy hops and caramel malt blend?  But this time was different.  I hadn't heard much about Greenbush before I went except that they make good dark beers, stouts in particular.  So when I walked in and saw they had a Russian Imperial Stout on tap, I knew exactly what I was gonna order.

Russian Imperial Stout

This beer was really good.  Tons of roasted malts, highlighted with chocolate, coffee, dark fruit sweetness and a touch of brown sugar.  There's a smoky dry quality that is nice and rounds off the flavor well.  It's a bit thin for me, but the flavor does it's best to make up for that.  A pure sipper, I enjoyed this one beer for almost an hour while playing words-with-friends and taking in the atmosphere.  A total score, I would get this again in a heartbeat and wished they had it in a bottle for my pleasure at home. 

One great thing about Greenbush is that they sell singles and six packs to go, which i obliged, grabbing their Dunegras I.P.A., Distorter Porter and Brother Benjamin Imperial I.P.A.  I meant to go back before I left the area to pick up more, but failed to do so.  Sharing these brews with a friend the next day, I didn't have a chance to "review" these beers, but here's what I can remember about them.

Dunegras:  A very tropical and piney, this fresh I.P.A. is ultra hoppy and vibrant.  There's a tartness to it that makes this no ordinary brew.  Yum!

Distorter:  Definitely my favorite of the bunch, tons of chocolate, coffee and roasted malts.  The smell was amazing!  They say "A stout-ish porter with a touch of porter-ish stout" and that about sums it up.

Brother Benjamin:  Full of sweet, floral, fruity, pineapple flavors balanced by toffee/caramel malts.  It's light and fresh while also being malty and contained.


Overall

I had a great time at the taproom and thoroughly enjoyed the bottles I brought home.  One thing that I really liked about Greenbush is they sell "Lab Beers" for $3, as they say, "where we continue to screw up one thing or another in search of the next great beer".  It seems they may have screwed up a ton of beer in the past because what's being produced now are good, flavor brews worth searching for or driving to.  I highly recommend a trip out to Sawyer, MI for a visit to Greenbush.  Good beers, good atmosphere and in the end, supporting a small town brewery is definitely the tasty way to do it.