Road Trip - Grand Rapids

Back in 2012 we visited Grand Rapids, Michigan for the first time and we loved it!  At the time it was the #1 beer city in the USA.  Since it is less than 4 hours from home, we had to check it out.

This summer, circumstances conspired to get us back there again.  We wanted to see Dolly Parton on tour but the dates close to home were on weeknights meaning booking a day off work so we could stay overnight rather than drive 2 hours home after a concert.  But she was playing Grand Rapids on a Saturday night, so we could make a mini-vacation out of it! 

Some things have changed a lot since we were last in Grand Rapids.  It's still a beautiful, clean, vibrant city, but there are so many new breweries, bars and restaurants.  The hotel we stayed in had only been open for two weeks!  We visited lots of new places and some old favourites from our last trip.  Here are the highlights:

We stayed at the brand-new Homewood Suites downtown.  The hotel is nice and the location is fabulous.  All the rooms have a full kitchen.  The building is a converted furniture warehouse and has some odd features, like interior windows that face into empty hallways, and a second-floor lobby that can be hard to find from the street.  But we really enjoyed the room and location.  We could walk anywhere downtown easily. 

But the first thing we did after checking in was hop in the car and head to Siciliano's Market for local craft beer and cider for our hotel room fridge.  Then it was off to Greyline Brewing Co. for our first drinks of the day.  

The Beer Baron - Bonne Bière et Cidre en Montreal!

This post comes from Matt, the Beer Baron. Find him on Twitter & Instagram @geekcanuck

Amazingly, the Clockwatching Tart and I had never been to Montreal together and I hadn’t been to the city myself since the Unity Rally on October 27, 1995. My absence came down to matters of the heart, as I was heartbroken over the departure of the Montreal Expos while also becoming smitten with Chicago and Lexington, both of which are more or less equidistant to Montreal. So, with an open mind, an empty stomach and a deep thirst, it was time to revisit Montreal.

Since it was easily accessible right off the highway, our very first stop was the Terrasse St-Ambroise, a brand new and absolutely beautiful patio bar. Although many St. Ambroise beers are ubiquitous in Ontario (including their wonderful Oatmeal Stout), I was able to try a lovely Double IPA that was a perfect start to our trip.

The Beer Baron - Craft Cider Cruise

This post comes from Matt, the Beer Baron. Find him on Twitter @geekcanuck

Despite not having too much of a taste for craft beer, the Clockwatching Tart has visited more breweries and craft beer shows across the continent than most beer geeks, all in the name of adventure (and being  good spot about one of my many obsessions). So, when I saw the chance to repay the favour by trying to win her tickets to the Toronto Craft Cider Cruise, I couldn’t resist. With a little luck and our thanks to Thornbury Village Cidery – who produce the lovely Thornbury Cider – we were off to Toronto to indulge our love for Ontario craft cider!

The Craft Cider Cruise took place aboard The River Gambler and before we delved into the wonderful array of Ontario craft ciders, we needed a bit of food and much to our surprise and delight, it was fresh, well made and delicious.