Alcona Brew Haus

Are you driving along Lake Huron up US-23 anytime soon? Looking for a place to grab a beer and some food along the way? Look no further than Alcona Brew Haus in Harrisville, Michigan. Alcona Brew Haus opened their doors in May of 2019 and has turned Harrisville into a destination spot for great beer.

When it comes to the brewery and seating, it is a full service restaurant in addition to being a brewery so there is plenty of room to sit throughout the place, with multiple different rooms to dine and drink at. The bar area is a little smaller than the rest of the place and might comfortably seat about 10 to 15 people.

Since they are a full service restaurant, they obviously have a kitchen. They specialize in homemade pizza, smoked meats, and various options of burgers where the meat is blended in house. Alcona Brew Haus is also owned and operated by a food allergy Mom by the name of Sandy (It is actually the first sentence on their website). So they are allergen friendly and none of their food contain tree nuts, peanuts, shellfish or sesame. Their menu has quite a few vegan friendly options on it, so they have food for everyone.

The brewery hosts quite a few events like wine and dinner pairings, charity events for the troops, and other various gatherings. Check their website when you are preparing to visit to see if there are any events coming up during your trip. They also offer spaces for private event room rentals, call the brewery to schedule your next event.

Alcona Brew Haus has a fully stocked bar in addition to serving their own beer. They offer all sorts of bourbon, spirits,and mixed drinks. Other offerings include mead, cider, and wine, and various non-alcoholic options. There is something to drink for everyone of all ages at Alcona Brew Haus.

The reason I came here was for the beer and I got my usual flight as I sat at the bar. The flight consisted of Rockport Pilsner- Czech Pilsner, German Altbier, and their Kolsch. My favorite of the flight was their Total Eclipse- American Stout. This stout was a very dark, jet black stout with rich notes of chocolate, coffee and a roasty finish with a slight hint of bitterness to go with a dry finish. This one clocks in at 6.2% abv, so maybe not an all day drinker for most, but you can definitely enjoy a few of them in a sitting. I could drink this all day, but I don’t fit into the category of most.

An interesting side story from this visit, I was walking around the brewery checking things out and I took a glance in the brewhouse and noticed that they were using old Liberty Street Brewing Company kegs to put their beer in. I couldn’t get a good picture from across the brewery and asked if the manager would come and let me into the brewhouse to take pictures of the kegs. The bartender went in the back, came out and said, the manager will be right with you.

So out comes Sandy the owner, I told her that I noticed her Liberty Street kegs and that I worked there for the last 3 and a half years of its operation and currently work at Bearded Lamb. All I wanted to do was take a picture to send to Joe, and she said “Joe Walters?”, and her face lit up the minute I mentioned his name. She was a student of Joe Walters at Schoolcraft College and she took me to the brewhouse immediately and we talked about beer and she gave me a tour of the brewhouse for a good 20 to 30 minutes. For having close to 400 breweries in our great state, it just goes to show how small the world of brewing actually is.

As you are driving up towards Alpena or if you happen to be going to Harrisville, swing by Alcona Brew Haus and pay Sandy and her crew a visit. There will always be a cold, delicious pint of beer waiting for you when you arrive. Salud!