Its become a yearly tradition for me to head up to Frankenmuth and shop small for Black Friday in the quaint shops around the town. This year, I decided to also try a new location (for me) for lunch, Frankenmuth Brewery! Boy was this place hopping!

Somehow it worked out that I arrived at the doors less than 10 minutes before they opened. No problem, I figure I would just wait in the car as it was a chilly day here in the mitten. It’s a good thing I had a good view of the door, because what happened in those 10 minutes was absolutely hilarious… People started coming out of nowhere and everywhere to lineup! It was almost like a frenzy! I sat there in my car thinking, “Wow, this is crazy!” I was sipping my coffee in my warm car watching the line of people head out the small parking lot for the brewery that hadn’t even opened its doors yet. Needless to say, expect a wait y’all! It’s a popular joint!

Little fun fact about me, when I visit a brewery for the first time I like to try a flight of their own beers! Especially since I can never choose which one to order. Here’s what I ordered for my flight:

Frankenmuth Christmas Town Ale // 6% ABV / 27 IBU / 180 Cal / This mildly spiced ale starts with a nice fruity aroma while the moderately carbonated body exudes notes of ginger, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Toasted sweet dark malts and American hops.

Frankenmuth Batch 69 American IPA //  IPA-American / 6.9% ABV / 69 IBU / This beer will wake up your senses to fine American hops! Batch 69 exhibits a nice bite and finishes off with pleasant notes of citrus and pine. Michigan’s 2015 World Expo of Beer Competition Gold Medal winner, for Best IPA!

Frankenmuth Old Detroit Muscle // Extra Special / 7.5% ABV / 30 IBU / A full-bodied ale with a toasty character and dry finish. Brewed for those who know what it means to wrench on a motor or tune up your big block. Quality comes Standard with Old Detroit Muscle.

My waitresses’ recommendation for #4:

Frankenmuth Mug Shot Stout // Stout-American / 6.5% ABV / 30 IBU / Mug Shot Oatmeal Coffee Stout is a pleasantly intense, full-bodied beer. Made with fresh roasted Bali Blue coffee beans from Water Street Coffee joint in Kalamazoo, Michigan! Velvety smooth with a rich, roasted malt character and big coffee aroma.

My favorite? The Old Detroit Muscle for sure!! I was even looking at the boxes on the way out tempted to buy some for home…

For starters I ordered the Christmas Town Pretzel. Y’all. This pretzel is SO GOOD! It’s a different kind of fried, not your normal ball game kind a pretzel… and that cheese sauce totally got licked clean out of the container! I’ve actually been given bites of their pretzel before, so I kinda knew it was amazing. But I also made sure to give the recommendation to tables as they were having trouble deciding on my way out the door! 😉 (You’re welcome!) Keep in mind, this pretzel is really big too, definitely one to share!

Beer, pretzel, pizza… Yup, I was definitely enjoying my favorite foods and living my best life in Frankenmuth!! Haha! I ordered the pizza with my favorite go-to toppings, mushrooms and sausage. The pizza isn’t too greasy and comes in one size with 8 slices. Easy to share with someone else or bring home leftovers! It also comes on an adorable wood appearing platter to keep with the theme of the place.

Frankenmuth Brewery is America’s oldest microbrewery and is situated right on the river! It’s almost like they knew me and gave me plenty of water views despite all the busyness. There are several sections, a cute little shop in the front, all decked out for Christmas right now and that day sold quite a few pretzels on my way out…

Happy Friday & have a blessed weekend everyone!!