Last week, my family met at my sister Jean’s lake house in Watervliet, Michigan. One of the days we did beer and wine tasting in the area.
The Round Barn Filling Station in Coloma bills itself as “a pit stop for all winos and wanderers,” but it is much more than that. It’s the perfect place for relaxation, libations and food. There’s a cool beer garden, and it is also kid- and dog-friendly. We enjoyed tasty mini Italiano and Cubano sandwiches along with apple cider and a Frosé Slushi (frozen Rosé). The newest location in the Round Barn family, it is located right off the interstate in a vintage service station.
Rich in history, Lemon Creek Winery‘s roots date back to 1855, when the Lemon family established their first farm in Grand Haven. The wines are 100 percent estate grown. Lemon Creek Winery had the first commercial planting of Cabernet Sauvignon in Michigan, and the most recent offering is a Cabernet Sauvignon Ice Wine. We tasted flights of Cabernet Merlot and a sweeter white wine. There is also a farm market, although it is closed right now. Lemon Creek sits on 150 acres of vineyards and produces 21 different wine grape varietals.
The highlight at Arclight Brewing in Watervliett are sours under the SourSmith series. We loved the beer Shandy, cream ale mixed with the brewery’s own craft grapefruit, lemon-lime and orange sodas. I love the balance and layers of flavors in these. They also offer cherry cream and root beer sodas, all made on premises. I only wish they made a plain cola, too. The specialty brews include SourSmith apple, grapefruit, lemon-blueberry and more. We took a few bottles home for consumption later.
Back at the house, we compared notes over dinner. We also started planning our next beverage tour.
— John Wroblewski, online writer
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