Pure Michigan Pints

Archival Brewing

Belmont, Michigan

Lately, my To-Visit list has stalled; I’m no longer confident that I can find good breweries by only using the Force. (Not the best feeling—I used to rock at finding hidden gems.) However, asking around and utilizing a bit of word-of-mouth (and the fine people of Reddit) have helped me discover various beers and breweries.

Archival Brewing was on my list, and this outing proved to be one of my best brewery outings that I’ve participated in a long time.

Beer Selection—5/5

With 17 beers on draft, it was hard to decide what to order. Two flights of five were in order, and I tried an additional taste of another. (Not bad, trying 11 out of 17, but I’d love to try the entire menu.)

They specialize in older styles of ales. They had a pilsner, a Czech, some ancient styles such as Peruvian Chicha-Style Sacred Maize (3.8% abv), a few darker beers like a foreign extra stout, a lighter porter, a Schwarz beer, and a mix of some of the weird—a dark Mexican lager and a barrel aged version of it (something I’ve never seen before), and a Beechwood Smoke (a Rauchbier, or “smoked” beer coming in at 5.9%).

It’s exciting to come across new styles and appreciate the creativity they offer. Not to mention the homage paid to beers that have been around.

Vibe—5/5

Picturesque is the first word that comes to mind when looking out the back of Archival Brewing. I went in the winter, so snow blanketed the ground. The beer garden looked fire; there’s tons of room. The place balanced the line perfectly between fancy and too show-offy.

I can see this being a great place in all of the Michigan seasons—with the fall leaves, when it’s nice and sunny, and even in the rain. The snow made outside seating not possible on my visit, but it still looked pretty.

It felt spacious and cozy at the same time. Not an easy feat.

Service—5/5

The waitress possessed much patience as my table far outstayed their welcome (about five tables arrived after us and left before us), but we hadn’t been here before and wanted to make it a day. We ordered flights, apps, entrees, and, of course, beers.

Beer Quality—4/5

I think it’d be a challenge to not find a beer you like here. My issue was deciding which one I wanted a full pour of first; there were several I really dug on different levels. The Kolsch is one of the cleanest I’ve tasted and was pure refreshing. The dark Mexican lager paid homage to the style; the barrel-aged version added a unique spin on it. The Spruce beer really shone through and proved to be the perfect seasonal beer for me (I got this one first). Beers such as the Foreign Extra were good offerings as well, sticking true to the classic style while offering a full-bodied beer.

Food—3.5/5

I started off with an app that provided a trio of dips: chorizo queso, Mexican street corn, and spinach artichoke. All three rocked. My personal favorite: the Mexican street corn. The chunkier texture really made this stand out instead of being too runny (many restaurants are guilty of this). The chorizo queso dip hit right as well. The spin dip was good too, but was third place among them (on my list).

I ordered the Bahn mi sandwich. It came together perfectly with crunchy carrots, pickled veg, cilantro, creamy sauce, and tasty Korean-style braised beef. The Philly cheesesteak also tasted exactly how it was suppose to.

Overall— Highly Recommend 19/20

Even though I don’t live in Beer City USA and it’s a bit of a drive for me, I’ll definitely be back. This place impressed me on every level, from the cool vibes, picturesque view to the tasty and well-thought-out beers and delicious food. While nothing is perfect, this brewery is about as close as you’re going to get.