On your next trip to the Westside of Michigan, one stop that you should be making is to Big Lake Brewing Company in Holland. Big Lake has been brewing extremely good beers right off of Lake Michigan since 2013.
Big Lake has expanded and moved various times throughout the years. Their original location was right off Butternut Drive in Holland. In 2016, Big Lake purchased a production facility to brew their beers right in Downtown Holland. So needless to say, they do distribute their beers all over the State of Michigan, and you can purchase their line of products at most bottle stores. 2017 led to them purchasing the facility that they currently serve their beer at on site at 13 W. 7th Street in Downtown Holland.
Big Lake Brewing Company offers a very spacious taproom with multiple seating options for your drinking and dining experience. There are a slew of tables dotted all over the taproom for you and your gang of hooligans to enjoy your beers. If you want to hang out with and get to know the locals, they offer a very long bar that seats approximately 20 or so people, so grab a chair and chat it up with the unique personalities that you only meet at a brewery (Who knows, I might be sitting right next to you). There is also a very nice outdoor area with plenty of tables and fire pits for you to enjoy a couple of beverages next to.
The brewery does offer a kitchen with a full menu. Some of the things that you will find on the menu include various appetizers, sandwiches, salads, burgers, pizza, entrees and a few deserts. They even have a kids menu, just in case you bring the little ones with you. The food smelled awesome on our visit, but the kitchen had closed for the evening, so we ended up not partaking in any dinner.
For your viewing and entertainment pleasure, Big Lake does offer live music on occasion, and they host various beer related events throughout the year such as their yearly Oktoberfest celebration. Check their socials or their website to see if they are hosting any events during your visit. The brewery does offer their space for smaller private events, max of 25 people. There is no charge for hosting an event of less than 3 hours, but if less than three hours is not enough for your event, there will be a $250 charge for hosting your event. Various dates and times are unavailable for events, check with the brewery to host your future events in the taproom.
If you are with someone that doesn’t like the taste of beer, good news, Big Lake does offer cocktails, spirits, wine, and cider, they have a little something for everyone. For non-alcoholic options, they do offer various sodas and other beverages.
Some of the beers that I have enjoyed throughout the years from Big Lake Brewing Company include a few of the Hazy IPAs- Blood Orange Haze, Zs Pet Dinosaur, Mango Haze, Cotton Candy Haze, Healthcare Heroes, Downhill Delight, Teachers Pet Dino, and Hydra Haze. Other beers that I have enjoyed over the years from them include Red Velvet- Imperial Red Ale, Belgian Wit, Imperial Chocolate PB Stout, Lake King- IPA, Pilsner, Pre Prohibition Porter, North Star Stout, Cerveza Del Lago, Fudgie- Oatmeal Stout, and Captain’s Porter.
The best beer that I have had over the years from Big Lake has to go to Lake Hazed and Confused. This is a Hazy IPA with orange and blackberry flavors included in it. This beer is juicy, sweet and with just the right amount of bitterness from the hop profile to make this a very crushable iteration of a Hazy IPA. Checking in a little lower on the ABV scale for a Hazy at 5.5%, does not hurt the crushability of this fantastic beer.
During your next vacation to beautiful Holland, Michigan, make it a point to stop at Big Lake Brewing Company and check out the delicious offerings that they have been brewing here for over a decade now. A ta Sante!
#drinklocal #craftbeer #hollandmichigan #beer #beerlovers #michiganbeer #brewery
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