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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6.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Bottle on DLD at Hampton Inn tasting courtesy of patrick767. This makes a thin tan head over a clear, medium dark amber body. Candy malt aroma. It hints at several things, but never fully explores them. The flavor is mostly sweet, again lacking real depth, and is delivered on a slightly thin plaate.
Tried from Bottle on 02 Aug 2007 at 20:42

7.2/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
22 oz. Bomber at Waldo Pizza in KCMO. Pour is a orange copper with a pretty solid medium head off-white head. Aroma was pine hops and quite a bit of malt as well. Taste is a nice blend of the hops and malt, with really nothing special standing out. A very solidly made DIPA, though not a hop bomb by any stretch of the imagination.
Tried on 19 Jul 2007 at 08:05

7.2/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 8
Pour is a murky brown with a small tan head. Aroma is nice. Lots of caramel and toffee with some dark fruit with an even so present touch of alcohol. Flavor is equally as good. Creamy and sweet with notes of dark chocolate and caramel. Fruit then make an appearance, I want to say maybe plum. Finish is again sweet with some alcohol as it goes down. A very nice example of the style.
Tried on 13 Jul 2007 at 18:46

7/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle: Dark brown pour with a medium tan head. Nose is full of coffee, mocha, and roast tones. Flavor is bittersweet chocolate with coffee, definitely a mocha element. Roasted tones blend well with the cocoa. Thanks to whomever cracked this open for poker night.
Tried from Bottle on 11 Jul 2007 at 20:24

6.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
22 oz. bottle, 2006 batch. I’ve had this in a hot car for a week, so I’m being a tad kinder. Pours nice and black. My shaker glass seems to kick up big heads of foam, this one settled to a thin creamy brown head. Smell of chocolate milk. Taste starts lactic and sweet. Cocoa notes are subdued; there’s a slight tinge of cigar tobacco and sour cherry (that may be from the hot car trip) and even a little vanilla. Alcohol in the background, but goes down pretty well. Leaves stickiness on the lips.
Tried from Bottle on 11 Jul 2007 at 09:19

7.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Bottle pours a fairly thin black with a thin light tan head. thin spotty lacing. Aroma of chocolate and brown sugar. Flavor is slightly sweet light roasted and lots of tootsie roll chocolate. Some of that slightly sour porter noye. Smooth and softly carbonated.
Tried from Bottle on 10 Jul 2007 at 20:59

7.6/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
22oz bomber poured out a brilliant clear copper with one inch frothy off white had. Decent lacing was left behind clinging to the glass. The aroma is tangy citrus hops with a pine hop sense just behind. There’s also a sweet malt aroma trying to break through the hoppy veil. The taste is big pine and grapefruit hop bitterness. A malty sweetness seems to be running mildly amuck beneath the bed of hop flavors. As the finish draws closer the pine and grapefruit hop bitterness grows. This is a tasty big hop brew that shows no sign of its ABV. It seems a tad thin for the style. Very tasty though.
Tried on 06 Jul 2007 at 22:02

7.8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
2009-11-12, bottle at Monk’s Café, Stockholm, 7-4-8-4-15=37
Hazy brown color. Caramel aroma and flavor, quite sweet, medium bitterness, but also light aroma of over-ripe apples.

2007-07-03, 7-4-8-4-16=39
Beautiful ruby-amber color, hazy; big head. The aroma is malty and hoppy, medium. The malty flavor is very strong, sweet as well, with a lot of sweet caramel, warming alcohol, correct bitterness for this brew; the hop qualities are there but hidden. Balanced Strong Ale, good.
Tried from Bottle on 05 Jul 2007 at 05:54

7.1/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 6.5
Bottled. A hazy deep red beer with a thin orange head. The aroma is sweet with very powerful notes of over ripe fruit, alcohol, berries, malt, and caramel. The flavor is very sweet with a good deal of alcohol, but also with notes of over ripe fruits and caramel, as well as a light alchol burn on the palate. The massive sweetness makes it a bit cloying. Thanks Alex (fiulijn).
Tried from Bottle on 04 Jul 2007 at 17:06

7/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7
(Bottle 65 cl) Courtesy of fiulijn. Vintage 2006. Pours a clear, orangey brown with a yellowish brown head. Sweetish caramel nose. Quite full-bodied with sweet and lightly burned caramel and a wee edge of aroma hops. Sweetish finish with also some nutty accents appearing. The finish is very subdued. Nothing flashy here but quite pleasant really. 030707
Tried from Bottle on 04 Jul 2007 at 16:25