One of the more recognizable names in the craft beer world in the Upper Peninsula, and the entire State of Michigan is Ore Dock Brewing Company located in Marquette, Michigan. Ore Dock opened their doors to the public in May of 2012, and have spent the last dozen years carving out an impeccable name for themselves in the craft brewing world.
Ore Dock is a very big brewery, with multiple seating options available throughout. I have a disclaimer for this part, on our visit it was the day before the Fall Beer Festival in Marquette, so they were very busy. It was a little hard to get around and check out the brewery itself like I normally do. But there were multiple rooms with various seating options. Another thing that they had was multiple bars operating for the festival crowd and they weren’t letting people sit at the bars. I assume when there is not a beer festival in town that they offer seating at the bar, but I can’t say for sure, this was my first and only visit to Ore Dock so far. But they do have outdoor seating and the outside area is dog friendly.
As far as events that the brewery hosts, they have quite a few live musical acts that come through. Another thing that I noticed was that they host pub crawls that go through all of Marquette, and Ore Dock has weekly Euchre tournaments that involve cash prizes. If you are looking for a brewery to host a private event at, that option is available here. Contact the brewery to set up your next private affair.
Surprisingly for the size of Ore Dock, they do like to keep things simple and do not offer a kitchen on site. Ore Dock encourages you to bring in your own outside food and from time to time will have various food truck options parked outside of the brewery. Check social media and their website for food truck availability on your visit.
The star of the show has arrived, now we get to talk about the beer that is served at Ore Dock. From their year-round releases Reclamation- IPA, Berserker- Hazy IPA, Porter, and Queen City- Kolsch, to seasonal releases such as Bum’s Beach- American Wheat, Six Pointer- Munich Dunkel and Bower- Oatmeal Stout, there is a little something for everyone. They also release a sour series, a limited IPA series, and a line of seltzers, for those that aren’t fans of beer.
Now that we have gone through their core catalog, let’s review the beer that I tried on my trip that you won’t be able to find in stores near you. Their Phillip J. Rye is a Rye American Style Pale Ale that is brewed with centennial and cascade hops. It was a hoppy, slightly bitter Pale Ale with some caramel sweetness from the rye addition. It had a few earthy undertones on the back of your palate, but finished extremely smooth and well-balanced. I love a good Rye Beer and this is one of the better ones you will come across on your beer travels.
I highly recommend a visit to Ore Dock Brewing Company in your near future. If you can’t quite make it there though, you are in luck, their products are distributed statewide, so stop by your local beer spot and ask if they carry Ore Dock products. You will most likely be able to get your hands on their outstanding beverages at most places. Cheers!
#brewery #upperpeninsula #yooperlife #craftbeer #drinklocal #michiganbeer #beerlovers
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