With our camping buddies still recovering from a recent trip to Tennessee (not camping), @mrsbozz and I were left to our own devices this past weekend. We actually had a really great time just the two of us (we usually always do), and after a morning round of disc golf, we headed back to the trailer to shower before hitting the town in Grayling, MI.
@mrsbozz has a work friend who has a piece of property up near Grayling, so we reached out to her for an idea of places to check out while we were there. One of the ones she happened to mention was Paddle Hard Brewing, so we figured why not check it out.
Grayling isn't that big of a town sporting a population of only about 2000 people, but it is sort of a gateway to the northern part of Michigan's lower peninsula. Just North of the intersection where expressways 127 and I-75 merge into each other, it's a short hop up to Gaylord and it is also where a lot of people get on highway 72 that leads into Traverse City, MI.
Despite the small size of the town, the tourist traffic means there are some pretty cool places to eat in the town. More than that, Grayling is also the starting point of the AuSable Canoe Marathon, which had just taken place the weekend before we visited.
The AuSable River Canoe Marathon is a two day long race that takes canoers down the Au Sable River starting in Grayling and ending in Oscoda, MI on the shores of Lake Huron. It's a non stop 120 mile two man dash down the river to see who can be the winner. Teams come from all over the world to participate in the race.
In the photo above you can see their countdown timer until the next running of the canoe race. As I said, we just missed the last running by about a week.
As you might expect, Paddle Hard Brewing leans heavy into that theme for their atmosphere. We visited the main location for Paddle Hard, but just down the street in another area of downtown they also have an outdoor beer garden called "The Yard" where they hold outdoor concerts in the summer.
As I said, the motif of the place leans heavy into the canoeing lifestyle as you would expect from the name of the place. Either that or they are really into spanking in Grayling, MI...
We showed up around 12:30 on a Friday afternoon (even though I am including this as a #beersaturday post, sorry @detlev), and the place was pretty packed. The hostess was able to find a table for us tucked in the back corner so we sat down and got ready to order. Besides their own beers that they have on tap, they also have a hand picked selection of beers from other breweries. We decided to stick with their home brewed stuff.
@mrsbozz asked me to pick for her, so I selected the "Post Marathon Recovery" which was a Blood Orange American Pale Wheat Ale. The waitress mentioned that beer was very popular lately. Myself, I selected the Canoe Camp that you see in the photos above which is a Session Cream Ale. It was a bit hoppier than I expected even though it had a IBU measurement of 10.
The beer that my wife got didn't really has as much orange flavor as I thought it would, but she seemed to enjoy it.
For a starter we got the chips and dip which basically consisted of tortilla chips covered in oil, lime, and some spices along with a fire roasted salsa, guacamole, and hatch chili queso. They were pretty amazing though we felt the chips were a little greasy in spots. The flavors were pretty great and I don't think we left a single drop of any of the dips by the time we were finished with our meal.
Along with the chips and dips, we decided to share a pizza. All of the entrees on their menu can be enjoyed as either a pizza or a panini, but after noticing how messy the panini was at the table next to us, we decided to go with a pizza.
It didn't take us long to both agree on the Thai'd Up Paddler pizza that you can see the description of in the photo above. We weren't really sure what to expect, but I have to say we were pleasantly surprised. It was fantastic. The flavors worked so well together and we both agreed we were happy we got it in pizza form versus panini form.
One of the things I liked the most about it was how thin the crust was. We both had two slices of the pizza and then took the other half home to have as a snack later.
As we were finishing up, I decided I wanted to try another beer, so I went with the AuSable River Red. It only took one sip and I was wishing I had gotten this beer for my first round. If I could have I would have taken a deep dive into the delicious amber froth that was filling my glass. It was pretty amazing and at 30 IBU should have been hoppier than the first beer I had, but it didn't taste that way at all.
This was probably one of the best beers I have had in a while and it made me remember just how much I love amber ales. If you are ever passing through Grayling, MI, do yourself a favor and stop to get yourself a pint of this stuff. In fact, if they do growlers, get one filled and take it home.
Be sure to grab yourself a pie too, if the other pizzas are half as good as the Thai one we got, you won't want to miss out!
It's safe to say this won't be the last time we visit Paddle Hard Brewing.
Sounds like a pretty good place. That amber ale looks really good, if they are done right they can be really good. Interesting pizza, but I can see how the flavors would mesh well together. I love trying out places like that, they put a new spin on pizza.
Glad it was a nice trip, and you found a great restaurant for the next time you decided to stay there!
Yeah, the amber was just divine. It was refreshing and so amazing. The Thai pizza reminded me of a dish I used to get back in the day with carrots and chicken and spicy peanut sauce. My wife said it was one of the best travel meals she can remember.
The pizza and beer look and sound incredible. What a time to be a beer drinker! We're lucky around there to have quite a few microbreweries. Some really good ones have closed since the pandemic but we still have a good variety. One of them, Inver Grove Brewing, is just a few blocks away from the new house.
I don't drink as much beer as I used to, but I still enjoy going to a craft brewery like this from time to time. They seem to put a lot of attention and care into both the brews and the food.
That pizza looks really good! And the prices are amazing, in Seattle area you would have to x2 or even x3 the price for the pizza... and I am not talking higher end pizza places...
I was pretty impressed how low our bill was as well. Something like $50 for the two of us. It helped that we shared an appetizer and an entree, but we three beers on that bill too.
This post is really so mouth watering! I just loved all the captures along with the food, looks delicious man, hope you enjoyed it with great pleasure!!
Have a good day ahead!
Trust me, it was even better in person!
It seems you had a wonderful time surrounded by nature and local flavors... a simple experience but full of warmth and taste!
Yes, it was a really nice day all around!
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A canoe marathon. I never realized there was such a thing. I like blood oranges, so I'd enjoy trying the beer your wife got. I'd also enjoy trying that amber ale. But it's evening here, so all beers sound good to me at the moment!
Yeah, it's a pretty big deal up in those parts. They have a festival and everything I think. 120 miles is no joke, so these guys aren't out for a leisurely paddle! The fact they do it in like two days is crazy. I've had another blood orange beer that was much better than this one was.
Am glad you took the home brewed beers. In the olds beers didn't travel well, so often took the most localbeer going.
That sounded like such a great weekend! The Thaiβd Up Paddler pizza and the AuSable River Red both got me curious. π Itβs always cool discovering gems in small towns.
Yeah, and this was only about a third of our weekend. We a lot more fun the rest of the time too. Paddle Hard was definitely a hidden gem!
Pizza is just a lovely meal to share with friends.
It's pretty expensive in my side of the world so it's an occasional treat but when it does come aboard, the party is set!!
I haven't had it with beer before though...
It goes really well with beer! It's quite cheap here depending on where you get it. I think we take it for granted many times.
Hmmm
Must be niceππ
Me and my friends literally had to pool money together to get one.
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The first one with a more bitter taste than expected is something that often happens with craft beers and the amber one which seems so smooth makes me want to try it, there is just something about drinking beer and eating pizza or roasted beef π
Yeah, I think that happens a lot more lately with the bitterness now that IPA's are such a big deal. It seems they tend to make most beers a bit more hoppy than they used to.
Sounds like a good beer. I generally like amber beers, except when they are too sweet.
The food looks great. There are some interesting looking pizza flavors in the menu I'd like to try π
Yeah, it was hard for us to settle on just one pizza, but given the fact that we got the chips and dips as well, we didn't want to be too greedy. I think in the future we would try one of the other ones. I am sure they are all pretty good! I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so I probably don't mind sweet beers as much as you would. It's been so long since I have had a Killians that I can't really even compare this accurately.
The pictures, the food and the drinks looks so good sir. I am from Nigeria and is only once I have eaten pizza. But I know when my financial level increases I will buy it and eat more often as I want.
There are food and drinks and places one wishes to visit but because of inability to afford such things the person will have no choice than to refrained or restrict himself from it.
I definitely know that feeling. I have a lot of places I will probably never make it to in my lifetime. Pizza is pretty great when it is done well. It can be dangerous though and I actually try to limit myself these days.
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