Arcadia Brewing Co.

Client Brewer in Elk Rapids, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Owned by Short's Brewing Company
Associated with 2 Venues

Established in 1996

Closed in 2024

Contact
211 Industrial Park Dr, Elk Rapids, MI, 49629, United States
Description
For over 20 years, Arcadia Ales has been committed to a British Inspired – American Brewed stable of beers. We aspire to brew beers that achieve brilliance through balance – ales that satisfy the senses with complex flavor while providing pure refreshment that leaves you wanting more.

In 1996, our first 25 barrel batch was brewed on a Brick Kettle Brewing System from England at our Battle Creek, MI location. Fast-forward – today every batch is produced in our 50 barrel American-made brewhouse at our Kalamazoo Riverfront Brewery, Pub and Garden. Our 20th Anniversary in 2016 ushered in a new era of brewing possibilities with the installation of two new 100bbl closed fermentation tanks giving us the ability to use new yeast strains while we continue to brew classic Arcadia Ales using our distinctive, proprietary yeast strain in our traditional, open fermenters. The ability to brew with new yeast strains opens up the Arcadia Brewing Company portfolio of offerings, allowing our brewers to be creative in ways that were not previously accessible and broadening the scope of beers produced. With these changes, we still keep our promise to use only the finest domestic and English malted barley, along with the highest quality hops available from the Pacific Northwest and Michigan.

Admin Note: Formerly named Arcadia Brewing Co. In the spring of 2014, Arcadia completed a new production facility in Kalamazoo, MI. The Battle Creek facility closed in 2016. The company ceased all operations in September 2019.

In June 2020, the Superfluid Supply Co. division of Short's Brewing announced its purchase of Arcadia's beer brands and intellectual property. Whitsun Ale was the first release with plans to resurrect other recipes in the future as well.

Admin Note: Short's confirmed in 2024 that they have fully retained the Arcadia brand. They still hold the rights, but there is no plan to continue brewing Arcadia beers.

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5/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 4 Overall 5
Tap @ brewpub. Golden colour, tiny head. Aroma is slighty malty. Flavour has some floral hops. Bitter and sweet finish.
Tried from Draft on 04 May 2009 at 17:34

6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
Tap @ brewpub. Amber colour, short white head. Aroma of caramel malts. Flavour is sweet, with caramel and some pilsener malts. Sligthly dry finish.
Tried from Draft on 04 May 2009 at 17:32

6.8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Tap @ brewpub. Dark copper colour, small white head. Aroma of pine hops and caramel malts. Flavour of flowery hops. Bitter finish.
Tried from Draft on 04 May 2009 at 17:30

6.1/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 4 Overall 6.5
Deep murky hazy brownish coloured body with a light tan head that fades very fast. Aroma of potent sugars, malt, yeast and alcohol of course - nice and bright. Full-bodied; Strong assertive sugar and malt flavours up front with a very potent alcohol and peat flavour tucked in with some sugars. Aftertaste potent from the hops, and very bittered from the alcohol - you can’t get away from it. Overall, a strong and not so mild alcohol flavour that lasts indefinitely. Probably worth trying if you like high ABV beers, but the size of the bottle and the alcohol percentage aren’t great. I sampled this 65 cL (why do they still make them this large?) bottle purchased from Kybecca on 31-May-2008, sampled on 02-May-2009 on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Tried from Can on 02 May 2009 at 22:57

7/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle, The Den, Kalamazoo. Orange - amber colour, small off-white head. Aroma has pine hops. Flavour of pine hops, fruits. Slightly dry finish. Decent IPA.
Tried from Bottle on 26 Apr 2009 at 18:04

4.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 4 Texture 4 Overall 3.5
On tap at the Bocktown, nice place. Dark brown with virtually no head. Clean and nice aroma. At first, taste is leathery and then the alky morphs to the forefront. As session continues, lots of alky flavors get in yer face. Becomes difficult at times. Strong stuff and the 7.5% is readily apparent. Too much for this lager lover. Surprizingly, the finish is acceptable when comparing it to the alky impact of the taste.
Tried from Draft on 25 Apr 2009 at 07:13

7.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7
12 ounce bottle from Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA. Pours a very dark reddish brown color with a medium head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma of roasted malts, caramel, tobacco and slight fruity notes including cherry. Taste is chocolate, roasted malts, cherries, tobacco. Full bodied.
Tried from Bottle on 24 Mar 2009 at 21:37

7.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
12oz bottle. Thick black with a tan head that quickly fades out, leaving behind some soapy patches. Sweet, sharp chocolate aroma lets you know there is some strength. The taste is dry and roasty, with some interesting bitter cocoa nuances. Oily mouthfeel with some pleasant warming, really comes off a little stronger than it is. Warm bitter aftertaste. Fairly unique, but a little too hot and syrupy to really rival the World Class stuff.
Tried from Bottle on 24 Mar 2009 at 00:07

6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 5 Texture 6 Overall 6
Bottle. Pour is an almost brownish amber with little head. Aromas are a bit of citrus and floral hops and caramel malty tones. Flavor is a little off... it’s like the hops aren’t fully developed and the malt doesn’t help level things out. There is quite a bit of a bitter edge here, but it isn’t a very pleasant hops bitter... more of a medicinal or astringent unpleasantness.
Tried from Bottle on 23 Mar 2009 at 22:47

7.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8
Bottle 12fl.oz.Clear medium orange color with a average to large, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, moderate to heavy hoppy, grass, orange, mandarin. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [280908]
Tried from Bottle on 15 Mar 2009 at 08:18