Ann Arbor is not a town I ever imagined I would fall in love with--born and raised in northeast Ohio, I'm obligated to say I'm from Buckeye territory, and proud of it. Honestly, it does soothe the pain of being a Cleveland sports fan ever so slightly.
It was bad enough when I had to tell people about my plans to start grad school at Michigan State this fall--"Well, I guess as long as it's not the OTHER one..." has been a common response from family and friends who bleed scarlet and grey. Honestly, though, it only took me one trip to get hooked on this forbidden city.
It was bad enough when I had to tell people about my plans to start grad school at Michigan State this fall--"Well, I guess as long as it's not the OTHER one..." has been a common response from family and friends who bleed scarlet and grey. Honestly, though, it only took me one trip to get hooked on this forbidden city.
The Big House--U of M's massive football stadium--was cool to see, but was by no means the main event. Aside from the authentic used book stores and the glamorous Michigan Theatre, I was sold on the town after walking less than three blocks and passing not one, not two, but three craft brewpubs: Arbor Brewing Company (corresponding brewery located down the road in Ypsilanti), Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales (they do some really killer sour ales...more on this in a later post), and Blue Tractor BBQ and Brewery (housemade BBQ sauces make that a worthwhile trip). I've since been to all three, and plan to tackle each one in later posts because each was fantastic and deserves full word counts of their own.
But today it's all about HopCat.
My guy and I had planned to walk around the city for a while before making any hasty decisions, but as soon as we walked out of the parking garage, I saw the glow of a neon sign screaming at me from across the street: 100 TAPS. There was no way for us to pass it up--if nothing else we wanted to check out the selection and grab a quick beer. Nestled between the high-rise parking garage (which was surprisingly empty for a holiday weekend) and hectic intersection of Maynard and East Liberty, it would have been easy to bypass the humble brick facade in search of swankier destinations.
With the intention of just grabbing a beer (or two) and moving on to one of said swankier destinations for dinner, we grabbed a high-top near the bar. The ambience was great--the tables are Mod Podge-collaged with old covers of Rolling Stone, and the bar stools aren't actually stools but instead high-backed retro chairs that could've been taken from any 70s movie set. The vintage vibes were comfortable and easy to settle into, and combined with the numerous eclectic murals splashed across the walls, I felt like I had walked into a modern day speakeasy.
100 taps looks like 100 taps, at least at HopCat, and that's a beautiful sight: four sections of 25 taps shoots down the center of the sizable bar two by two, and I can't help but wonder how long it takes the bartenders to get their bearings before the seasonals are switched out.
The beer list itself was overwhelming, at first, but when is that ever a bad thing? Not only do they have all 100 draft options laid out in variously helpful categories (including the one that caught my eye, "The Local 30"), they also have a pretty extensive bottle list. I simplified my search and went straight to the reasonably-priced local stuff in search of something light and hoppy. Beer number one for me was Ypsi Gypsi, an American Pale ale from Arbor Brewing Co. (ABC), aptly named for its cross-town origins.
It didn't disappoint--it's really more of a session IPA than a traditional APA, which was fine by me. Super crisp and super drinkable, with springy notes of citrus all the way through, I couldn't put it down. Even with the lower ABV at 5.5%, though, I realized I'd need some actual food if I wanted to sample any more of these local suds. My comrade got the first one on the list, a Traverse City pilsner called The Rambler, and thoroughly enjoyed that selection.
Debating the relative merits of Buffalo Rolls, Pretzel Nuggs, and Crack Fries, we flipped to the back side of the menu in frustration and were confronted with yet another option... The burgers. Oh, the burgers. The question was no longer, "Where are we going to go for dinner after we finish our beers?" but became instead, "Which burger you gonna get?"
The decision between something simple and classic and something that couldn't possibly fit into a normal person's mouth (without the tearing of any number of soft palate tissues) was a tough one. On the one hand, there was the Barnyard, with real Wisconsin cheese curds, egg salad, ham, and bacon (because meat), all piled on Texas toast. I mean, really. And on the other hand was HopCat's signature burger, the decidedly more understated BarZee. Bacon, jalapenos, and bar cheese topped with LTO. I thought of my arteries with a pang of guilt and went with the marginally less meaty BarZee.
The burger was tasty: a nicely cooked patty (that we both wished we'd been able to order medium rare instead of just medium--maybe we should've asked. Next time!) topped with two thick slabs of meaty bacon. It was, if kind of difficult to eat, a very good burger. But the side of their signature Crack Fries was the component that took the plate to the next level. This place serves up some serious house-made fries: beer battered to perfection and sprinkled with fresh cracked pepper that made for a perfectly rustic flavor profile. The beer batter was crispy, but not too thick--the ratio of golden batter on the outside to velvety, fleshy white potato on the inside was pretty spot-on.
Did I mention they do a poutine with these same glorious fries? And they named it "Vladimir Poutine"? This is political stuff. We didn't try it, but there will be a next time. THERE MUST BE.
Anyway. We thought about grabbing dessert elsewhere--maybe some fro-yo or a baked good from Sweetwater Cafe--but then figured a second beer at HopCat was the more prudent decision. We were already there, after all.
I was already feeling like I'd need to be rolled out of there, so I opted for something that would satisfy my sweet tooth without pushing me into a complete and total food/beverage coma. Enter The Bean Flicker, a coffee blonde from Odd Side Ales in Grand Haven, MI (the same brewery that does a barrel-aged pineapple IPA...need I say more?). At only 4.5% ABV, it was unassumingly decadent, with rich undertones of coffee that led to a smooth finish and light notes of vanilla opened up by the tulip glass. It was the perfect finale to our meal.
I should also mention that HopCat boasts an eco-friendly environment and promotes sustainability with their self-proclaimed "innovative waste reduction program" in their composting and recycling of nearly 90% of their food and paper waste. Three cheers for sustainability!
Last note before the final verdict... HopCat recently completed a deal of $25 million that will see 30 new locations opened up across the Midwest, in places like Lexington and Louisville. So, is this good news for foodies and beer connoisseurs in the region?
Yeah, HopCat is absolutely good to the last drop.
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