Pure Michigan Pints

Seedz Brewery

Union Pier, 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.

Foam is everything. It’s Seedz Brewery’s mantra. In the United States we tend to frown upon foam, especially those more familiar with the macro-brewed beers (a.k.a.—piss water), but even for other beers you don’t hear positive affirmations about foam. In Germany (and, well, all of Europe), a beer is supposed to have a good head of foam—approximately 1.5 inches is considered acceptable.

“Having a nice foam sit on the top of your beer glass shows that you have a well-rounded, perfectly executed beer,” is what Seedz’ website says.

I wasn’t exactly sure how much I bought into this notion. But I decided to give it a try …

Selection—1/5

There’s not much here when it comes to selection, but I was told what it was upon entry. The downside to the whole lets-focus-on-the-pour was no flights. The bartender did provide a couple complimentary tastes but explained the slow pour prevented them from doing full flights.

If you’re looking for experimental, you will not find it here. Even if you’re looking for beers such as IPAs, hazies, stouts; you will not find them here. Instead, the focus will be simpler beer. If your taste buds are looking for more of a kick, I recommend hitting up other breweries in the area first.

Vibe—3/5

The place wasn’t a complicated place, but their bar was kind of neat. It was oddly shaped, and I felt right at home—which I do many times at the bar. It appears they have some kind of outside seating as well. The place felt a little classy, but not in an intimidating way.

Not to mention they have a brewery dog!! I believe it belonged to the owners, and it liked to circle the bar. You can never go wrong with dogs!

Service—5/5

I’ll admit there were not many people in the brewery when I visited, and I was the lone person at the bar (if memory serves me correctly), but the bartender was great. She answered questions about the beer and explained the importance of the slow pour. And she gave me a few samples to try.

Beer Quality—4/5

The beer surprised me. So just because you pour it slow it’s a big deal? It felt like they were making a show out of nothing—or at least that was my first thought—but I did notice the smoothness. It’s richness and creaminess. Perhaps I’m losing it?

What’s the most interesting about this to me—someone who looks for excitement and experimentation in beer styles—is the simplicity here. Creating traditional lagers but simply making them better. If all breweries were like this it’d simply have no appeal, but in a sea of textbook craft breweries this adds something I didn’t know was missing from the craft beer scene.

Food—N/A

Overall

It’s a new concept to me that the pour matters or that maybe my bartender or I have been pouring my beer wrong. It’s not something I gave much thought to. Seedz offers a unique take on beers. Once you get tired of the normal craft breweries in the area, or if you need a pallet cleanser, I recommend checking out Seedz. While their beer may appear simple—and in a way that’s maybe both correct and incorrect—I’d consider opening up your mind and giving it a go.

Total—13/20

I’d honestly just ignore this rating; sometimes ratings don’t mean much. Here, based on my criteria, I’ve given one as accurately as I can, but really there’s something slightly more nuanced going on here, something worth checking out—don’t shy away from this brewery.