Best Breweries in New Buffalo & Southwest Michigan

Beer Church Brewing Company offers small-batch, artisan beers crafted by award-winning head brewer Nate Peck. Though the taps rotate regularly, you can always expect lots of different options at Beer Church, including IPAs, ales, sours, and stouts. The brews are only poured on-site, but visitors can take home a 32-ounce "Crowler" filled with their favorite beer to enjoy at home.

Beer Church`s giant beer garden in New Buffalo attracts guests from around Southwest Michigan, though the brewery also has a full-service indoor space. Beer Church also offers a full food menu. While wood-fired pizza is the highlight, other menu items, like wings, sandwiches, and salads, are also available to order.

River Saint Joe is a farmstead brewery destination in Southwest Michigan that serves organic craft beer and farm-to-table food. It offers a wide range of traditional and contemporary beers, from ales and ciders to stouts and porters, to satisfy every palate. Brandon, the brewer, and Marc, the farmer, work together to create fresh, local brews from the 15+ organic hop varieties growing on the farm.

In addition to farmstead beer, River St. Joe also serves other handcrafted beverages, like housemade sodas. Their food menu features delicious shareables, handhelds, flatbreads, and salads you can enjoy while sipping on a brew or tasting a beer flight.

Lehman`s Farmhouse, located in Buchanan, Michigan, is a brewery, distillery, winery, and farmhouse store well-known for its barrel-aging program. Many of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks at Lehman`s Farmhouse are crafted with fresh ingredients from Lehman`s Orchard in Niles, Michigan.

Visitors can sample flights of beers, ciders, wines, and artisan spirits at this local, family-friendly establishment. Its barrel-aged beers, like the Bourbon Barrel Coffee Stout and Aged Russian Imperial Stout, are the star of the menu. Lehman`s Farmhouse also offers classic beers, like kolschs, hefeweizens, pilsners, and IPAs, as well as delicious food, including sandwiches, flatbreads, and desserts.

Seedz Brewery is an agricultural-driven brewery in Union Pier, Michigan. It uses locally sourced ingredients from the Midwest to create its delicate Belgian- and German-style lagers and ales.

Seedz specializes in the slow-pour style to maximize the frothy foam topping on each glass. On average, each beer takes 5�7 minutes to pour. Seedz also pairs each brew with the proper glassware to enhance the flavor. Seedz welcomes kids of all ages and is also a dog-friendly establishment. You can even meet the local brewery dog, Hopper. He has his own beer, "Hopper`s Hell," named after him!

Silver Harbor Brewing Company, located in Downtown St. Joseph, MI, lives by the motto, "Eat. Drink. Beer Happy." This local brewery offers an extensive list of craft beers, appetizers, salads, handhelds, wine, cocktails, and a kid`s menu. Some of Silver Harbor Brewing Company`s most popular beers are "Kumbaya," a brown ale with vanilla beans, and "So Heffen Good," a German hefeweizen.

Silver Harbor Brewing Company`s beers can be served in a flight of five or as a draft pour. If you want to try something unique, any of Silver Harbor`s beers can be "smoked" and served in a smoke-filled dome. If you`re looking for somewhere to start, Silver Harbor recommends smoking "Kumbaya."

Ghost Isle Brewery in New Buffalo, Michigan, is a family-friendly restaurant, bar, and brewery with plenty of indoor seating and a fully covered patio. This brewery was opened by the Sima Family in 2019, but the property has been owned by the family since the 1950s. It overlooks 156 acres of beautiful wetlands donated by Chikaming Open Lands, a nonprofit that maintains critical wetlands in Michigan.

Ghost Isle Brewing is committed to continual experimentation, leading to the creation of unique beers in its 10-barrel steam-powered brewhouse. Some popular beers include the "Cruizin` Cantilever," a Midwest IPA with an herbal and floral hops profile, and "Livin` on a Pear," a prickly pear sour. The taproom provides exceptional ambiance with old-cellar lighting and a 30-seat handcrafted walnut bar and serves a full menu with salads, appetizers, entrees, and sandwiches.

Watermark Brewing Company is a beautiful brewery and beer garden with a welcoming atmosphere in Stevensville, MI. The brewery opened its doors in 2016 and has since become a local hub for live music, food trucks, and craft beer in Southwest Michigan. The twinkly lights and crackling fire pits make it a wonderful spot to cozy up with a crisp glass of beer and great company.

Watermark serves many types of beers to quench your thirst, from lagers and stouts to sours and IPAs. This taproom also offers wine, ciders, and seltzers. Before heading to Watermark, check the calendar to see if there will be live music or another event happening during your visit!

Transient Artisan Ales in Bridgeman, MI, is a small, casual taproom known for its excellent selection of draft and canned beers produced from local ingredients. Though this brewery offers several unique beers, including variations of pilsners, ales, and lagers, visitors rave about the stouts, like the "2021 Neckbeard Nectar," and sours, like "Nuke the Whales."

On the weekends, Transient also serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic slushies. Speaking of those who don`t drink, Transient Artisan Ales also offers kombucha, soda, canned coffee, and seltzer water. You can order munchies like chips and pretzels to enjoy with your beer while hanging out at Transient.

Haymarket Brewery & Taproom in Bridgeman is focused on "making great beer for great beer drinkers." The tap menu offers a range of beers for every palate, including light, crisp brews like the "Blood Orange Blonde" and "Relief Peacher" and roasted, malty stouts like "Defender.�

Haymarket Brewery serves a menu of made-from-scratch food with fresh, natural ingredients. You can order wood-fired pizzas, salads, and sandwiches. For non-alcoholic drinkers, Haymarket also offers sodas, iced tea, sparkling water, and other beverages.

North Pier Brewing Company`s taproom and outdoor beer garden is less than two miles from the sandy shores of Lake Michigan in Benton Harbor, MI. Visitors can choose from a range of beverages, including handcrafted beers, draft cocktails, hand-mixed cocktails, wine, ciders, and spirits. Some unique beers at North Pier Taproom include "Oh My Guava," a classic German-style Kolsch with notes of guava, and "Old Shuck," a deep, dark brew with a roasty coffee aroma.

North Pier Brewing Company also owns two other dining locations � Hill District by North Pier, a full-service restaurant across the street from the North Pier Taproom, and Kingfisher, an innovative cocktail and taco restaurant in St. Joseph.

Zorn Brew Works Co. is a vibrant Midwest brewery with a rich history. It resides in the former P.H. Zorn Brewery Complex, a historic microbrewing establishment that brewed beers from 1871�1938 (even during Prohibition). In 2016, Zorn Brew Works was renovated into the popular, modern space it is today.

Zorn Brew Works offers 24 taps on draft, including brews like the "Red Devil" IPA, "Pilsenzorn" lager, and "Golden Grain" cream ale. In addition to beer, Zorn Brew Works Co. also offers delicious pub food, including pizza, wings, and award-winning mac `n` cheese. However, this brewery is best known for its massive 15,000-square-foot beer garden (that is dog-friendly) and music events. Zorn Brew Works hosts live music four nights a week year-round.

Shoreline Brewery has been serving beers "brewed on the edge of Lake Michigan" since its opening in 2005. This family-operated brewery, owned by head brewer Sam Strupeck, offers 18 beers on tap, including "Curse the Goat," a strong, hearty doppelbock, and "Beltaine," a Scottish amber ale with hints of caramel. Other notable brews include the "Discombobulation Barley Wine" with notes of dried fruit, molasses, caramel, and toast and the "Barrel-Aged Big Bella," a heavier beer aged in bourbon barrels.

In addition to craft beers, Shoreline Brewery serves specialty cocktails, spritzers, wines, and contemporary American cuisine with global flair. During the summer, this taproom and restaurant hosts the "Sunday Summer Music Series� and other fun events in Michigan City, IN.

Arclight Brewing Company is a craft brewery in Watervliet that serves unique house beers, including "Arclight," a cream ale, "Black Mere," an oatmeal stout, and "CitraSun," a summer wheat beer. Arclight also offers a list of fruited American sours, including cherry, mango, red raspberry, black raspberry, and specialty ales, like "Snickerdoodle� � a porter with vanilla and cinnamon.

In addition to beer, Arclight Brewing Company serves hard iced coffee, hard seltzers, and other alcoholic drinks, as well as handcrafted sodas for those seeking a non-alcoholic option. Arclight is a "BYOF" taproom (bring your own food), so bring something to munch on while hanging out at Arclight.