ByGeorge Brewing Co. in Munising, Michigan

As we are continuing our travels along Lake Superior heading West through the Upper Peninsula, we have now come to Munising, Michigan and the first brewery we are going to review in this city is going to be ByGeorge Brewing Company. They opened shortly before we visited there in 2020 and they have been brewing quality products ever since.

The brewery itself has a relatively small indoor seating area. They have just a couple of tables in the place for you and your friends to sit at. There is seating at the bar, but it is a smaller bar with only about 10 seats tops at it. A good majority of their seating is located outside in a decent sized beer garden area. The outside area is also pet friendly, so that means Crystal was allowed to take me in the brewery. I was so excited.

They do not offer a kitchen at ByGeorge Brewing Company but they do have the Driftwood Deli right next door that they allow you to order from and bring over to eat while you enjoy a few beers. Since it is a deli their menu consists of mostly deli sandwiches, soups and salads. I am not sure if they allow any other outside food at the brewery, so I would call ahead and ask before you bring in outside food from anywhere else.

In addition to beer they offer a full lineup of Seltzers, Wines, Ciders and occasionally Meads. For those that don’t drink, they do offer a non-alcoholic beer on most occasions. They also offer soda for the little ones that may be along for the ride.

Now when it comes to the star of the show, the beer. I have a slight disclaimer about the beers that I will review. I have only visited ByGeorge Brewing on one occasion, and it was during COVID, shortly after they opened. All the beers that I tried on this trip, they have not brewed in a few years, they have moved on to bigger and better things throughout the past few years. I have tried a few of their beers at beer festivals over the last few years, but taking notes at a beer festival is damn near impossible. I will talk about the beers that they offer on their list nowadays, and then talk about the beers that I tried on my visit to the taproom.

Some of the beers that ByGeorge Brewing Company produces these days sound absolutely stellar, and I can’t wait to visit their taproom again to try some of these out. Some of their options as I type this include U.P. Gold- American Lager, Elephant Disco- American IPA, Unicorn Piss- Hazy IPA, Nighthawk Onyx Ale- Dark Ale and Big Cups! Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Porter- Porter. Plus many others options on the menu, they have 14 options total as I type this.

Back to my visit, the beers I checked in on my trip were Raggedy Andy Candy Shandy- Shandy/Radler, Mitaugawauga Session Wheat- Wheat Beer, and my personal favorite of the batch Yoooperdorf Altbier. It was a malty, smooth, well balanced Altbier with hints of Bread and Caramel throughout, and it finished slightly bitter. This is a great example of everything that an Altbier is supposed to be. I wonder why they haven’t brewed it since 2020, it was outstanding.

As you are trekking across the Upper Peninsula, when you arrive in Munising with a Pictured Rocks sized thirst, make it a point to stop off at ByGeorge Brewing Company and indulge yourself in some of the finer beers that the Upper Peninsula has to offer. Slainte!