Pure Michigan Pints

Lost Art Brewhouse

Walker, Michigan

This brewery wasn’t on my radar. The one thing I did hear—what everybody was talking about—was they made ice cream beer. I must admit: I was not familiar with this style. It sounded a bit gimmicky to me, but I mean c’mon, I liked Cotton Candy Haze (a hazy IPA from Big Lake that one could argue is gimmicky as hell).

They rotate styles of ice cream beer to create an “ice cream series” of beers. Their website states they created this series to “push the boundaries of what beer can taste like,” and they use “a rotating variety of ice creams and sorbets to create interesting flavors.”

Does the ice cream beer live up to its hype?

This is one of the questions I set out to answer while here.

As is sometimes the case, I arrived right before the doors opened. The bartender told me she would be right with us. My first impression of the place was that it was cute. Of course, next I had to look at the draft list and I picked out a couple flights with my friends.

Beer Selection

Lost Art Brewhouse had a fairly interesting tap list—about five different IPAs, an Irish Stout, a lager, a funky weird sour, an ice cream beer, and a couple specialty beers—and enough to fill two flights with interesting choices.

They also had seltzer (both alcoholic and non).

Overall, it was a decent selection for a smaller place. Did it completely fill all the gaps? Not exactly. I think they could have balanced the menu out with a few more weird ones and another stout/porter. But as far as a small brewery (a nanobrewery) it was far from disappointing.

Vibe

The place, while small, had nice little chairs; it’s smartly decorated (even the outside had a bunch of lights). The fancy wine glasses they served full pours in added to this vibe and made me feel a bit classy. (Not always a feel at a brewery.)

Service

Even though the bartender wasn’t ready to go right away, she greeted us upon entry. They’re trusting here and you don’t have to pay until you cash out, which I like (although I get it’s the people that ruin this by their actions and not the establishment’s fault). By the third time I went up, she remembered my name even—at this point there were well over twenty people in the place; I struggle keeping names straight, so I was impressed.

She handled 30 plus people bartending with no help, which alone is a great feat in itself. All while being upbeat, having a great attitude, and remaining chatty.

Beer Quality

There’s a lot for this brewery to be proud of. Many of these beers were great efforts. Dune Climber was a great IPA not too hop heavy and a bit fruity. The Irish Stout was phenomenol. It kicked and had a rich taste. (Dare I say it tasted better than Michigan Irish Stout by Pigeon Hill?)

I didn’t think all of their IPAs were on point that I tried (no, I didn’t try them all; I’m not a first-year newb who only drinks IPAs). The lager tasted underwhelming to say the least, but overall, most of these beers were tasty.

Onto the important stuff:

The Ice Cream Beer

This brings us back to the original question. Did the ice cream beer live up to its hype?

The Snickerdoodle was the ice cream beer they had on draft when I went. It tasted like a milkshake with cinnamon. I’ll admit I liked it more than I wanted to.

Yes, it is worth the hype.

I could see having more than two becoming too sweet, but I look forward to trying another kind when I return to visit. This beer was a solid yes for me.

A Surprising Favorite

The Christmas Pie beer (the funky kettle sour) turned out to be my favorite. It surpassed my expectations as this super crazy beer with everything in it. Looking at the label, you’d have to wonder what drugs these elfs were on that made it, and think there’s no possible way this could be balanced.

But I’ve been wrong before, and I’ll be wrong again: it was excellent and truly memorable.

Kaleidoscope—a Christmas Pie kettle sour—showcased this brewery’s creativity by adding cherries, pomegranate, passionfruit, tangerines, raspberries, apple cider, graham crackers, vanilla beans, and marshmallow. I assumed there’d be too much going on here; it not only worked, but tasted like the best parts of Christmas in a glass.

Food

I think right after Christmas, I may have caught the food truck, Lost Art Burger, at the wrong time—they were out of many of their specials and some items; what remained was mostly a menu consisting of a few varieties or burgers and fries. They followed the ever-so-popular smash burger trend.

Don’t get me wrong; I like smash burgers. I like the texture, how it’s cheesier, and how it lets some of the toppings shine through a bit more than a traditional burger would. However, sometimes when these burgers are extra smashed it feels like it’s an excuse to put too skimpy of an amount of meat on a bun. For me, the burger fell a bit flat, but maybe I ordered wrong?

Similarly, one of my friends felt the meat was a bit skimpy as well. The other friend’s burger proved to be more of a unique blend of kielbasa that smelled delicious. I would give this food truck another chance, but my hopes won’t be crazy high.

Overall—Recommend

If you’re looking for a little quaint brewery to go to, this is it. It seems like the perfect place to go for a first date or if you’re seeking something a little less ordinary than an American style restaurant/brewery. Or if you want to appear a bit classier.

Or if you just want to experience the combination of beer and ice cream.

Rating: 17/20