Arbor Brewing Company, Pub and Eatery

October 31, 2008
Good Smoked Beer. Nice bar area. Beer engines are neat. Friendly bar staff.

September 2, 2008
The beers I had were okay and it was pretty quiet during the afternoon I was there, which is a major plus to me. Being able to have a lenghthy conversation with my brother was awesome, but you would probably have to pay him if you wanted that same ambience.

July 7, 2008
Cosy pub with a half-restaurant half-pub feel. Pub food is usual pub fare (burgers and such) along with Americanised basic Mexican dishes. 9 taps when I was there including 2 casks. 6 of the 9 taps were from their bottled lineup and 3 were pub-exclusive. I had a glass of each of tap-only beers and I was very pleased by each of them. Nothing really special overall but a must-stop if you are in the area.

June 14, 2008 [ Updated July 26, 2008 ]
Most recently went on a Friday night. Got a table fairly quickly. Unfortunately, the beer list was filled with black marks denoting unavailable beers. Out of the only eight beers that they had on tap at the time, three had run out. About half of the guest bottles looked like they were also out. Would have preferred to have one or two of their stronger beers on tap in addition to the selections they had (I know it’s summer, but hey). Didn’t order food this time, but the other couple times the food has been quite good. Service could have been improved. I ordered three beers total and ran out each time before I was able to place another order.

June 12, 2008
I went here for my birthday, and there were some areas that were fantastic, and some that needed tending to. First off, the beer was fantastic. I had the sacred cow IPA, mom had the porter, and dad had the tree fort. Also, mom and dad’s food was really good, but I got the alfredo pasta and chicken, which for 14 dollars, I thought was a little overpriced and overcooked. But the desert, and the cute waitress made for an overall great experience, and I would definitly recomend this place for familys or just anyone looking for good beer and good food.

June 10, 2008
This place was great - perfect laid back ambiance, with a large mix of people, from college students, to 50-somethings - impressive menu, with good vegetarian options - two casks and a decent amount of taps - they didn’t have anything special on when I was there, but lots of solid session ales (well, it was mid-June) - great location in the heart of downtown - the entire time we were there (over an hour), the two older gentlemen sitting next to us at the bar were discussing aspects of the JFK assassination that were apparently known olny to them - priceless - one of the best brewpubs I’ve been to, behind Alchemist and Cambridge.

May 10, 2008
On top of having quality brews the food is excellent as well. In addition to having their standard beers they have a wide array of others not available any were else. The cask beers are wonderful! And in addition a good selection of guest beers available in bottles! Yesterday was my first time there and I hope to have many more visits!

April 8, 2008
Arbor Brewing Company is a must-do brewpub in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I’ve been here quite a few times for regular pub-going, not to mention quite a few special events. The beer selection is always good mix of their own craft beer. All of their beers are bold and flavorful and all very, very different. My favorites are their Sacred Cow IPA, Espresso Love Breakfast Stout, Maibock, Oktoberfest, Phat Abbot Belgian Triple, and their Faircy Fest Irish Stout. Their newly-released Tree Fort Beer is pretty interesting as well. As far as the brewpub itself, it’s always a great atmosphere. All the workers are knowledgeable and friendly and will tell you anything you want to know. The pub has a large non-smoking section which is extremely pleasant. The food is good, but remember to save room for what you actually came forthe brew! It’s reasonably priced (Mondays = happy hour all day all larges at the small’s price!). They also throw one hell of a kegs ’n eggs shindig on St. Patrick’s Day morning. Also, once a month they have different themed beer sampling parties. The only one I’ve been to so far was December’s Holiday Ales party and it was a BLAST. I definitely plan to check out some of the others and would highly recommend others to check them out. Overall, ABC is a great place to go and everyone should take the time to pay them a visit.

January 17, 2008
(Visited 04/2007): Arbor Brewing is located on East Washington which is right in downtown. It is only a couple miles from US-23 off Rte 14. Parking should not be too much of an issue between meters and garages in walking distance. Speaking of walking distance, being only a block away from Grizzly Peak is a plus. The establishment has a well-worn look inside. The bar is at a funky angle in the center of the main room, and there is an adjacent dining area as well. One thing I noticed was the cool ceiling, some kind of Victorian look. The beer selection here is not too big, but it is easily one of the most unique arrays of beer I have come across. There are 7 beers available, and Instead of the usual Blonde to Dry Stout progression, they had 2 different Bitters and an ESB and other eclectic options. The sampler is $7.00. Service here was decent, especially considering how crowded the bar area was on a Friday afternoon as people were getting off work. We did not try any food on this visit. Overall this is a good stop in Ann Arbor, although I liked Grizzly Peak better. There are only 2 things on earth that could get me as an OSU graduate to visit this city: An away game at the Big House and a good brewpub. This is the latter.

January 2, 2008 [ Updated January 4, 2008 ]
Dark interior, classic bar in the middle of the building with scattered dining. Two hand pumps and around 7-8 taps, we were able to try six or so beers in our sessions. Talked up some locals, talked up the bartender, it was a good time and the place had a sizable crowd for being a Friday night in a college town on the last day of finals week. Beer quality wasn’t too great, honestly, and the Sacred Cow IPA cask that the locals raved about was questionable. I still had fun, though, and this is still the best of the three AA breweries, easily. Also, Ann Arbor has really fat squirrels: http://flickr.com/photos/michaeljames/2153202922/