Salt Springs Brewery, Saline MI
1 October 2024
On every trip, there has to be one truly outstanding brewery that stands out above all the rest. I believe I’ve found this trip’s winner.
Rather than go into a lot of history of this place, please watch this short video from their website for more info. It’s a good use of a few minutes! According to the cornerstone, the building was erected in 1899 as a Methodist Episcopal church.
Darn, that ceiling photo is cropped in the gallery view … the pointing finger is reaching towards a group of hops.
This reminds me a lot of Obed and Isaacs in Peoria IL although that one is in a much more elaborate and historic building. Still, Salt Springs Brewery has a pretty amazing space and I do hope you’ve watched (or will watch) the video to see what they went through getting this space ready.
Over the course of my very pleasant visit, I had two flights, a liqueur, and two appetizers (which turned out to be far too much food!). The short version of the rest of this entry is that I enjoyed all the beers and the food was great. Read on for more details starting with the first flight, described left to right:
Kick Axe Kolsch – Kölsch, 5.7% – A few summers ago on one of my cross-country trips, almost everywhere I stopped had a Kölsch on tap and I really enjoyed trying them all and identifying the ones that were truly interesting and tasty. This Kölsch would have been at or near the top of that list — it has a delightful flavor that won’t be overpowering in a pint or two.
Sister Ester’s Saison – Belgian ale/Saison, 6% – There’s a good play on words in the name of this one as “Ester” refers to certain types of flavors in beer — and a Saison typically has an abundance of flavors — but also sounds like the name “Esther.” At first, and immediately after the Kölsch, I wasn’t sure about this one, but the more I had of it, the more I liked it. Again, the flavors are at just the right level so that it stays away from being one of “those” Saisons that is unbearable in a pint.
Scenic Route – American Pale Ale, 5.6% – How could I not try this one being that I’m on a Scenic Drive? The description says this one is “sessionable” and so it is! It has just enough bitterness to be interesting but not so much that you wouldn’t be happy to order another pint … and another …
Oktoberfest – Märzen, 6.4% – Well, ’tis the season, isn’t it? And while this is a good beer, I found it the least interesting of the four simply because it didn’t have the character of the other three. That’s not to say I didn’t like it, just that I liked it a bit less than the others.
I was caught a little off-guard by the menu as it was rather different than what I’d seen on the website — there were no burgers or sandwiches, just entrees, large salads, and appetizers. No problem, I thought — I’ll just order two apps that look tasty. Needless to say, I didn’t finish these …
The first was a small order of chicken wings with their house Stout BBQ sauce and Blue Cheese sauce for dipping, and they were phenomenal with a beautiful amount of charring. This turned out to be six large wings, and I learned very quickly why they came with a number of packets of wet wipes 😀
For the other app, I ordered a Cheese Bread — Gruyere and Parmesan with fresh herbs and both Ranch and marinara sauces for dipping — but I assumed it would be much smaller than it was (note the chicken wing bone for comparison!). I did really well to finish a bit more than half of it (but not much more!):
And that brings me to flight #2, left to right:
Juicy Brut – Hazy IPA, 7.3% – They double-dry-hop this with Citra, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops. I expected to like this one the best of the two IPAs in this flight, but while it was good, the next one blew me away with its awesomeness.
Cashmere Zeppelin – IPA, 7.7% – This is double-dry-hopped with Cashmere hops from a local supplier and it is over-the-top good! I don’t think I’ve ever used Cashmere hops myself, but I’m definitely going to look into incorporating them into a future recipe. Caramel, melon, tangerine … mmm.
Little Red Hen – English Pale Ale, 5.5% – I had a different English Pale Ale a few days ago and wasn’t too fond of it. This one, however, was a totally different story — it was very, very difficult to decide whether I preferred this or the Scenic Route APA.
Big Brown Bunny – English Porter, 6.5% – Well, the name! But beyond that, it’s an excellent Porter.
So hats off to the brewer (who also has an award-winning mustache, which you will already know if you’ve watched the video … hint, hint …) and the kitchen is also top-notch. I finished off this very enjoyable visit with one of their Craft Cocktails, a Cafe Martini – “house-made coffee liquor using RoosRoast, chocolate, and orange bitters. Tasty!!
There’s no doubt that Salt Springs Brewery is going on my list for places to visit again in the future, and probably more than once.