Best Winter Beers In Metro Detroit

Winter in Detroit is hard. It's tough, and notoriously not a very fun time, as the weather can be downright brutal and unforgiving. Some Michiganders like to drink a nice cup of hot tea on those especially brutal winter days. But for a growing number, there's something else they'd rather have: beer! Craft beers are more and more popular each year in Detroit and Southeast Michigan, with more popping up all the time and age old favorites unleashing new winter beers every season. Here are some of the best winter beers that local breweries have to offer for this winter season.

Jolly Pumpkin's Maracibo Especial
311 S. Main St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 913-2730
www.jollypumpkin.com

Everyone in Ann Arbor knows that if you want a good craft beer, especially one suited to winter flavors, you have to go to the Jolly Pumpkin on South Main Street to see what they have to offer this year. Earlier in the winter season, their Maracibo Especial, which is a brown ale brewed with cinnamon and orange flavors, is a big hit. If it's after the new year, give their Madrugada Obscura, or "Dark Dawn" Belgian Stout a try, as it is full of malty flavors and bitter hops to get you through the long run to spring.

Atwater Brewery's Winterbock 
237 Joseph Campau St.
Detroit, MI 48207
(313) 877-9205
www.atwaterbeer.com

For one of the king of Detroit winter beers, there's always the Winterbock, the booming brew from Atwater Brewery in Detroit, known for its odd, yet wonderful pairing of sweet, yet malty flavors. But if you don't want to settle with just one winter craft beer, Atwater offers customers a variety pack available to purchase and take home to sample all of their seasonal winter beers.

Liberty Street Brewing Company's Punkin' Pie Ale
149 W Liberty St.
Plymouth, MI 48170
(734) 207-9600
www.libertystreetbeer.com

If you happen to be just outside of Detroit in Plymouth this winter and find yourself with a hankering for a sweet, seasonal brew, then Liberty Street Brewing Company has the perfect craft beer for you. Available well into the new year, their famous Punkin' Pie Ale is the complete embodiment of this winter dessert in a fine craft beer, and you can get it all winter long. It is perfect for that after-dinner drink with friends and family.

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Dragonmead Brewery's Russian Style Imperial Stout
14600 E 11 Mile Road
Warren, MI 48089
(586) 776-9428
www.dragonmead.com

For those who are not afraid of a heavy beer and one with an especially high alcohol content, there's the Dragonmead Brewery in Warren waiting for them. This brewery's reputation is one of brewing strong, yet delicious beers all year long, and their winter beer is one of their thickest and most well-loved. The Russian-Style Imperial Stout is practically made for those long and cold winter nights, when all hope is gone and all you have left to hold onto is a beer as strong as your winter will. But don't say we didn't warn you, because this beer can pack a punch.

Royal Oak Brewery's Happy Holidays
215 E. 4th St.
Royal Oak, MI 48067
(248) 544-1141
www.royaloakbrewery.com

With all of their equipment right there in the bar in front of you so you can see all of the magic happening, plus dozens of beers to try, the Royal Oak Brewery is a favorite for craft beers here in the Detroit area. In the winter, the Royal Oak Brewery has a few different select craft beers to choose from, so you can bring along all your friends with different tastes. There is the Happy Holidays double IPA, a Solstice Star Winter Lager and a local favorite, the Holiday Chocolate Stout. All of these beers are fairly mild on kick, but all are delicious and big on flavor.

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Michael Ferro is freelance writer and a graduate of Michigan State University where he majored in Creative Writing and received the Jim Cash Creative Writing Award. Born and bred in Detroit, he currently resides in Ypsilanti Township. Additional writing can be found at Examiner.com.