Ghost Isle Brewing, New Buffalo MI
20 September 2025
I’ll be honest — I wasn’t going to visit Ghost Isle today. My planned destination was Beer Church Brewing, also in New Buffalo, but they were overflowing with people and I assume that’s because the on-again/off-again rains were keeping people from sitting in the large outdoor area. So after driving by Beer Church, I headed for my backup just a couple of miles away.
Ghost Isle’s inside space is quite large and was about 1/2 full today (there’s also an outdoor area, but it was empty due to the rains).
They have only eight of their own brews on tap (with a handful of guest beers that I didn’t consider) so I started with a flight of the four that interested me the most today. Honestly, they hit every single one of these out of the park!! Here they are, left-to-right:
New Buffalo – Pilsner, 4.7% – This was a solid German Pilsner, crisp and refreshing. It would be great either by itself or with food, and it’s one that I’d be happy to drink again and again.
Stoner’s Paradise – Hazy Pale Ale, 5.2% – There’s a hint of pineapple in this along with other citrus flavors, but they’re almost “under the covers” and are so well blended that the ultimate experience is of a perfect pale ale. There’s just the right amount of bitterness on the back end to remind you of the style. This may be my favorite pale ale of all time..
Marzen Vaders – Märzen, 5.1% – If the name doesn’t make sense to you reading it, try saying it aloud a few times … it will come to you. I loved it – it’s a nicely balanced, refreshing Oktoberfest-style beer. You can’t go wrong with this one.
Black Isle – Stout, 6% – I surprised myself when I picked this one because it’s not the time of year that I like to drink stouts, but something told me this stout would be worth it. It was! It brings chocolate and coffee to the party along with a full-bodied mouthfeel, and it’s just outstanding.
This is the Sloppy Joe, a massive pile of ground beef and onions/peppers/Gouda with a bit of spicy heat to it (encouraging you to keep drinking beer!). It comes with house chips or fries and the waitress recommended the house chips and I agree with her — the chips by themselves are really good, but with that dip? Superb!
I really wanted a pint of the Stoner’s Paradise but decided to try their Hummingbird Hefeweizen (5.6%) and it was good. It was so normal for this style that it almost didn’t stand up to the others, but after finishing the pint, I really did like it. The dessert is their seasonal special, Apfel Strüdel (although they Americanized the name for some reason). The strudel could have used a few more minutes in the oven, but otherwise, it was just the right size and tasty.
Would Beer Church have been as good? I’ll have to visit again sometime and find out! And if they’re still busy, a return visit to Ghost Isle would certainly be a welcome thing.