Pure Michigan Pints

Austin Brothers

Alpena, 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’ll be upfront: the only reason I’ve been to this brewery is because my family owns property in Alpena County—so I happen to be in the area a few times a year. If I didn’t happen to be in the area, I highly doubt I would have made it to this part of Michigan. (No hate, Alpena.)

Beer Selection—4/5

Austin Brothers tends to have a wide variety of beers. They’ll have a few light ones, a fruity one or two, a few IPAs and sometimes darker beers as well. Overall, one flight won’t even cover the range this brewery has. Chances are you’re better off doing two.

While I admit the selection is good, some of it does appear a tad redundant: Do we really need to have three light beers on? (I get there’s apple in one, but my point still stands.) Same for the IPA variety. Some of this could be more focused.

Vibe—4/5

This is a tricky section to review to be honest. You have to keep in mind I literally came from a cabin in the woods—sometimes I spent the last 2-3 days in this cabin in the woods—so going in town to Austin Brothers is a complete change of scenery for me when I’m in Alpena. I went from woods, smelling manure, seeing cows in the field, to this.

But I like to think, this brewery projects a nice vibe. A little bit better than others even. While they have a full restaurant (which I’ll discuss in more detail later), it doesn’t feel like only a restaurant. Their inside bar area is cozy enough with a bar, some high tops (my personal preference), and then there’s the surrounding part of the building, and they even ventured into outside seating with taps outside—this I have not got a chance to try (I generally go in colder months).

This place is comfy, but they could do more with it.

Service—4/5

I’ve never had bad service here. Considering I’ve gone here between 5-10 times, this is a good record. The servers are friendly and willing to answer questions. They could show a bit more warmth and personality, but they are generally on it when you need another beverage, and they won’t make you wait to take your food order.

Beer Quality—4/5

This is a bit trickier of an area to grade. Their Woody Wheat put them on the map for me. It’s a wheat ale that does that very Michigan thing (or maybe American thing) where it favors those stronger orange or citrus flavors. In this one, they add some vanilla to give it a slightly different—although not completely unique—vibe. Essentially: it’s their Oberon. (And it’s damn good.)

Their double IPA, The Paralyzer, comes in at a crushing 9.7% and earns an even higher rating of 91 on Beer Advocate than Woody Wheat.

If you’re searching for fruity, they have Cherry Bomb which is good in its own right. One of my favorite creations from this brewery is the Cherralyzer—an ingenious combination of The Paralyzer and Cherry Bomb; I prefer this beer over the two by themselves.

Some of their beers do miss the mark. For example, their raspberry stout I liked at first. But after a few more tastes I started to realize it tasted a bit artificial.

Food—5/5

Sometimes I’ll try to eat very little or skip breakfast and hold off until lunch if I know I’m going to eat here. The food is good. This place knows how to make a good burger. (Not a given these days.) Like many places, they took a minute to find their groove. (They had duck before and experimented with pizzas, but those days have come and gone.)

They FULLY HAVE IT NOW. The menu is incredible. They downsized the menu the last time I went—but it’s still a good menu with so many options, and as a former cook, I completely get refining it—and I can’t recommend eating here enough. I’ve had a burger with jalapenos and avocados on it. I’ve had one with pulled pork and BBQ. I don’t know what genius they have coming up with these perfect burger combinations; I can only assume cooking deities assisted them.

The burgers are fantastic, but so is their brisket poutine. It doesn’t look pretty, but the meat is perfectly smoked, the gravy hits right, the cheese curds become melty, and the fries are crispy perfection.

I’m thankful I don’t live closer because this is the ultimate fat boy’s dream.

Overall

I strongly recommend checking out Austin Brothers. They’ve built up a good brewery over the last few years. Watching this progression is amazing; they’re only improving.

Total—16/20