Try great beer and have some fun in Macomb County on the Detroit Brew Trail

Breweries to visit

Copper Hop Brewing Co. – 23401 Greater Mack Ave. in St. Clair Shores

Copper Hop is known for “great people, great beer” and opened after years of planning at the end of 2019, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The brewery quickly became one of the best breweries in Macomb County and metro Detroit, offering something for everyone. On top of beer, they have hard cider and wine, with the menu changing weekly depending on what the brewers are working on.

“Gonna Need A Bigger Boat” is a great New England hazy IPA that is perfectly juicy and hoppy and the “Das Hefe” is a delicious what Hefeweizen that could take you straight to Germany.

Kuhnhenn Brewing Company – 36000 Groesbeck Hwy. in Clinton Township and 5919 Chicago Rd. in Warren

Kuhnhenn has two locations in Macomb County and has been brewing beer since 1998 – specifically 186 gallons of beer a day. They’ve won several awards, which makes it impossible to pick a beer you want to try because they’re all so good.

The DRIPA – a double rice IPA – and the TRIPA are great options for those who want to try something incredibly strong with a lot of hops.

You can also try their Raspberry Eisbock, or a bourbon barrel-aged barley wine.

Cap N Cork Brewing – 6776 21 Mile Rd. – Suite 2 in Macomb Township

Not only is Cap N Cork a brewery, but it’s also a spot where you can get supplies to try your own home brews.

On top of beer, they also feature a variety of red and white wines for those who may not like beer.

Their menu is also easy for any beer drinker, broken up by easy drinkers like their Cap N Kolsch, hoppy brews like the M-59, named after the famous highway in Macomb County, or dark brews like the Lithuanian Black Metal farmhouse ale.

Baffin Brewing Company – 25113 Jefferson Ave. in St. Clair Shores

Baffin Brewing Company might have one of the best logos of any brewery in the country – a smiling dog with sunglasses – and their beer is just as good.

St. Clair Shores is a hotspot for breweries between Baffin, Copper Hop and soon-to-be-mentioned Jamex.

On top of their beer, they’re constantly changing up their hard seltzers, offering a variety of fruity and refreshing seltzers as we get into the summer.

Their beers also come with great names like the Mango Unchained, an American Pale Ale, the Mickey Redmond, an Irish red ale named after the Red Wings legend, and the Macho Man Shandy Savage, just in time for the warm weather.

Dragonmead Brewing Company – 14600 E. Eleven Mile Rd. in Warren

Dragonmead is another iconic brewery in Macomb County, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022.

They have more than 40 different styles of beer, along with wine, seltzers and ciders. They also have a separate location from their brewery called Dragon’s Landing where you can try everything out.

One of their most famous beers is Final Absolution, a Belgian Trippel that comes in at 10% ABV, but you can find nearly any beer you want at Dragonmead.

Blake’s Hard Cider – 17985 Armada Center Rd. in Armada

Located in northern Macomb County, Blake’s Hard Cider has grown to be a nationally-known brand, and their taproom shows off all of the offerings.

There is the cider that’s available year-round, like the classic Flannel Mouth, or the mango-habanero cider El Chavo, but it also includes limited-edition ciders and kinder ciders.

If those aren’t your thing, they have also expanded to craft beer like lagers and IPAs, and been a seltzer.

Brown Iron Brewhouse – 57965 Van Dyke Ave. in Washington Township

Brown Iron has been named Michigan’s best craft beer bar for five years by CraftBeer.com, and the specialize in American craft beer of a variety of types.

On top of offering Michigan beer, they brew their own IPAs, stouts, porters, sours and much more.

Jamex Brewing Company – 21721 Harper Ave. in St. Clair Shores

There are also a variety of beers to try at Jamex Brewing Company with different ABVs. You can try their IPAs or lagers, or go darker with a Russian Imperial Stout or a dark German lager.

Things to do

Huron-Clinton Metroparks

Macomb County has three different Huron-Clinton Metroparks where people of all ages can explore the outdoors, see farm animals and much more.

At Stony Creek Metropark, which is not far from Brown Iron and Blake’s, there are more than 4,000 acres of outdoor recreation. You can kayak, hike, play golf, bike, skate and even go swimming if the water is warming enough.

Lake St. Clair Metropark has a great beach right on the beautiful Lake St. Clair, and it’s near the breweries in St. Clair Shores and Kuhnhenn.

It also has things like hiking, golf, boating and fishing, and there’s also a splash pad for children and a pool. If golf isn’t your thing, there is football, where you play with a soccer ball, and a waterslide.

Finally, Wolcott Mill Metropark – which is also near Brown Iron and Blake’s – has a great farm center where you can get a look at what working on a farm is like. They have. 250-acre working farm with cows, chickens, goats, pigs, sheep, ducks and more, and you can get up close and personal with all the animals.

Blake’s Orchard – 17985 Armada Center Rd, Armada, MI 48005

Located on the same area as Blake’s Hard Cider Taproom, the orchard and cider mill is a place where you can spend an entire day.

There’s an artisan market, Blake’s Big Apple, and at the cider mill, you can get cider and donuts. There are also things for kids to do and have fun, and you can sit around the bonfire with a hard cider.

Edsel and Eleanor Ford House – 1100 Lake Shore Rd. in Grosse Pointe Shores

Located in Grosse Pointe Shores, this historic home is close to Copper Hop, Baffin and Jamex breweries.

The home was designed by Albert Kahn for Edsel and Eleanor Ford in the early 1900s with grounds right along the beautiful Lake St. Clair.

You can explore the home on your own with a self-guided tour, or take a special tour. When you’re done, explore the 87 acres on the grounds with Flower Lane, a Rose Garden, Bird Island and more.

Most importantly, you’re just encouraged to wander, wonder and explore, as the website said.

Westview Orchards and Farm – 65075 Van Dyke, Washington, MI 48095

Located near Blake’s and Brown Iron, Westview Orchards has been operating for more than 200 years. They’re on 188 acres of land and have so much to do.

On top of a petting farm, they offer wagon rides, a massive straw mountain, u-pick orchard, a huge playground and a straw bale maze.

They also have a winery where you can try out some Michigan-made wines.

C.J. Barrymore’s – 21750 Hall Rd, Clinton Twp, MI 48038

Located near Cap N Cork, C.J. Barrymore’s is a place that continues to grow every year and offers a variety of thrilling things to do.

You can give racing a try on their go-kart tracks, try out bumper boats and squirt your friends with water, hit up the arcade and see how many tickets you can win, and much more.

There are also some great rides like the Ferris wheel, drop tower, roller coaster and the saddle swing, which launches you more than 100 feet in the air.

There is also bowling, mini bowling and batting cages if you want to see how your swing stands up against the pros.

Depending on how long you plan to stay, they have unlimited ride wristbands or an wristband and a fun card that you can use as part of the arcade.

Jimmy John’s Field – 7171 Auburn Rd, Utica, MI 48317

Located in Utica near many of the breweries on the list, Jimmy John’s Field is home to the United Shore Professional Baseball League. It’s a great place to catch a baseball game for a great price, with a total capacity of 4,500 fans per game.

Tickets to sit on the lawn are just $6 per person if you get them ahead of time and $7 on game-day with free parking, cheap drinks and food for the entire family.

Go Full Throttle Adrenaline Park – 42705 Van Dyke Ave, Sterling Heights, MI 48314

Located in Sterling Heights, Go Full Throttle Adrenaline Park is the perfect place for anyone wanting to go fast and get their adrenaline pumping.

They have karting, axe throwing, a rage room and virtual reality so people can spend hours having fun.

The go-karts are twice the speed of most other places with speeds up to 40 mph in some parts of the track. For kids, they have junior karts and even micro karts. You can get as many 6-minute sessions with a 2-hour adrenaline pass on their track that features a ton of curves.

Their axe-throwing features digitally projected targets where you can play a variety of games, not just aiming at one target or a bullseye.

The 2-hour adrenaline pass includes the karting, axe throwing and virtual reality where you can dance ,cook, shoot or throw for $55, and it’s central in Macomb County within many of the breweries on the Detroit Brew Trail.