Northern Michigan’s beer scene is continuing to expand this summer in Sutton’s Bay and Traverse City. Two Northern Michigan breweries—Rare Bird Brewery and Hop Lot Brewing Company—are planning to open before summer’s end, and will offer a selection of hand-crafted, Michigan-made beer. Perfect timing for a season that is just made for sipping a cold brew down on the beach or on your own back deck.
Owners Nate and Tina of Rare Bird Brewery
Rare Bird Brewpub isn’t like a typical Northern Michigan brewery. Co-owner and brewer Tina Schuett says this: “we aren’t like other breweries in that we’re the only place that serves our own beer plus 31 taps of beers from all over the world.” Rare Bird is expected to have a soft opening on Tuesday, June 24th with a grand opening happening sometime in the near future. “We also have a full liquor license so we’ll have wine, cider and cocktails.” The soft opening will feature four of their own beers like Large Marge, a Belgian special and Pants Party, an American pale ale.
We can’t forget to mention that Rare Bird’s menu is filled with eclectic pub grub like edamame guacamole and Mahi Mahi tacos. “We are trying to use Michigan made products when we can. Our chef lived in Hawaii and other places and I lived in New 
Zealand, so we have a lot of inspiration coming from there.”
← Hop Lot Brewing Co., the joint efforts of Steve Lutke, Drew Lutke and Luke Johnson, will open in Sutton’s Bay sometime in July. The brewery will feature a tap room, hop and beer garden, and over five acres of land for customers to roam while sipping on one of their house made brews. The mission here is to have freshly made beer, served in a fresh Michigan environment. Steve Lutke started his brewing in his own Chicago apartment, and is now ready to expand his skills to the Northern Michigan area by offering six beers on tap for their July opening.
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