Pure Michigan Pints

Rolling Oak Brewing Company

Grayling, Michigan

On my quest to explore new breweries (new to me that is), I stopped in Grayling at Rolling Oak Brewing Company. The parking lot was desolate. Nobody greeted me when I talked in the door, but the bathroom was right there and since I had to go this worked. It’s one of those places that has a weird layout. You have to almost walk through the entire restaurant to get to the bar in the back. But once there I plopped a seat to see what would come next.

Beer Selection—5/5

There were more beers on draft than I expected: over 20. I did a flight of four. And got an additional taste. They do cover a variety—a few fruit beers, IPAs, darker beers, and some creative ones (if you know me, you know I love the creative beers). They stretch across the board so there’s definitely a good amount to choose from.

Vibe—3/5

It’s restaurant-like but when you enter—especially on a non-busy time—expect to make your way in yourself. The bar is in the back. It’s a little bit nicer than the seats when you enter. They have a wide arrange of Crowlers they collect from different breweries on the ceiling which is a nice nod towards the origins of craft beer. Anybody who’s been around long enough has or had a wide collection of these babies.

Some of the tables looked cool as well.

But it still makes me ask, WHY? Why put the bar in the very back of the establishment when for more brewery-goers this is the most attractive part of a place. Here, it’s almost hidden.

Service—2/5

The service here was direct, which I appreciate. Apparently, they’re avid followers of “Michigan State Laws” and can only provide three tastes per person. While I get we have to abide by rules, when a place feels more like a prison, it does lose its customer service satisfaction.

Don’t expect to be helped here in your selection of beer. It’s cold here. Expect the same with the service you get.

Beer Quality—3/5

Some of these beers were really good. Nutty Professor, a 5.8% abv ale made with nutter butters stood out to me. The blueberry cream ale was solid as well. The stout was run-of-the-mill; I wouldn’t order a full pour.

Food—N/A

Some days of the week they have food trucks.

Overall—Recommend, Kinda

If you choose not to stop here, you won’t really be missing much. This is the type of brewery that will never rank on the top of anybody’s list in almost any department. Are there beers worth checking out here? Absolutely. I just wouldn’t go out of my way to make it here.

Rating—13/20