Pure Michigan Pints

Waypost Brewing Co.

Fennville, Michigan

This is my own subjective review. I’m highly opinionated. It’s out of 20 total (based on Beer Selection, Vibe, Service, and Beer Quality; I grade harshly and my 4 is probably most people’s 5. Also, I don’t count food against breweries in the total because not all breweries need food to be good and some are in a partnership with nearby restaurants.

I didn’t know what to expect when arriving here. It’s not far from Saugatuck Brewing Company—only a ten-minute drive south. Upon entering, you’re on a dirt road. You see the building and still don’t know what to expect.

I arrived at 1:50 on a rainy Friday. Ten minutes before opening. Two cars were already in the lot, waiting—like me—for the brewery to open. Soon three more cars pulled in. By the time I took a picture from the outside and entered the brewery there were people lined up waiting to enter the brewery. Within the first ten minutes, they served over 20 people.

The brewery itself and their beers are not what I expected …

Beer Selection—4/5

They boast 12 beers on draft. For a place that is—or at least I felt like—trying to keep it relatively small, this felt like more than enough. Or maybe the exact right number of beers to have on draft. Enough to explore but not enough to go astray.

Their offerings included a simple lager, a sour, an IPA, and a stout. All of the categories were touched on.

Vibe—4/5

This place is interesting where it went from such a rustic, farm-feel on the outside juxtaposed with a modern feel on the inside. Modern-looking chairs and seating and even a few bar seats. Modern art on the walls. A simplistic board—this isn’t a place trying to boast or pretend to be anything it’s not.

It’s straight forward but welcoming. There’s not a ton of room on the inside, and the seating quickly filled up. They offer outside seating as well, but it drizzled the day I went; so nobody thought it was a good option. (I wonder why.)

If the place had a bigger bar area, I’d give it a solid 5.

Service—5/5

The server even matched the vibe and aesthetic of the place. The bartender was confident in himself but subtle—not over boisterous; he listened and wanted to find a good beer for you. If you ordered something he took it as is. While soft spoken, it was clear he knew about their beer and provided additional tastes and helped me discover my favorite beer there, while providing his own input (when asked) …

Beer Quality—4/5

This brewery might not be for everybody. If you like big bold flavors with experimentation (which I do), it might not be for you. But I’d encourage you to keep an open mind.

Wayposts’ beers are very clean, fresh, and subtle. They’re not over boisterous. They’re not loud. But they are quality beers. On a flight of four, three hit, making me linger, going back for second sips, wanting to understand each one more.

Like I said, the key to these beers is not prominent flavors, but flavors that blend and fuse into the beer. The Garden Sour works for me (I generally don’t like sours), because you don’t get the sharpness most sours have—instead, you get the subtle hints of blackberry and it tastes fresh.

The Farmhouse IPA won out as my favorite. It’s a light, fresh farmhouse beer with hops. It’s an IPA but not one that’s going to kick you in the teeth. Upon each sip, you want to go back for more.

Food—N/A

They had a few snacks, meats, crackers, and such. I did not try any of them, so I cannot comment.

Overall

This is a unique brewery in Michigan. It won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, and I can see why people would talk down about this place—the loud people who don’t listen before they speak or refuse to hear anybody talk. This place has character, and they are on their set path for beers they hope to share with the community.

I’d check this brewery out. But tread quietly …

Total—17/20