Wolverine State Brewing Co.

Microbrewery in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: Wolverine State Brewing Co. - Out of business

Established in 2006

Contact
2019 W Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103, United States
Description
In Michigan, we have a knack for being creative in less-than-ideal situations. Take Wolverine State Brewing Co., for example. Matt Roy and Trevor Thrall, WSBC’s founders, took a bad snowstorm, a Jeep, and a northbound route on I-75 and turned it into Michigan’s only lager-focused microbrewery.
The snowstorm delayed their trip for several hours, and, to kill the time, they started talking about the huge amount of beer they had stuffed in their cooler for their guys’ weekend. They had microbrews from all over Michigan, imports from Europe, St. Louis, and Milwaukee…
But, as they talked, they realized something was missing: a regular Michigan beer — a kickass, easily-approachable beer that all Michiganders could rejoice over. They spent the remaining hours wishing for such a thing to exist before realizing that they could either keep complaining, or they could do it themselves. And that’s how the idea for Wolverine Premium Lager, our flagship brew, was born.
A few years and a few additions later, we’re operating as the first and only all-lager microbrewery in the state of Michigan. We’re constantly pushing the envelope with what a lager can do -- we experiment with combined cultures, high-gravity lagers, and best-quality ingredients for the most balanced, unique, and innovative beers possible. Our Brewmaster, Oliver, along with brewer Karl and cellarmen Rick and Brandon, spend every day fanatically creating, caring for, and bottling each and every lager. We hope you love drinking it as much as we love making it!

Sold to new ownership in 2025, with the taproom closed, but plans to continue production and distribution of the brand.

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7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Sampled from the tap at the brewery. Pours a clear gold with an amber hue and a white head that dissipates to the edges and laces. Aroma has lots of grassy hops with a bit of light pine and a straw backbone. Flavor has earthy pine and grass with a bit of straw and bread underlying.

Tried from Draft on 24 Nov 2015 at 15:33


7.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5

extra in a trade. pours a dark reddish brown, almost no head. I think this is a fresh batch from last October.aroma of ginger, caramel, baked apples, some whiskey and cinnamon.well, lots of thickness on the mouthfeel. Not a lot of carbonation left. slick and oily and leaves a lasting hop bitterness with spicy malt. Smokey up front but that fades quickly. a lot going on here and certainly a beer to let warm up and open up over a few minutes.

Tried on 01 Jul 2015 at 16:22


7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Draught @ Restaurant, Weber’s Inn, Ann Arbor, MI
Pours clear amber with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, citrus, grape and hint of caramel, Taste is light to medium sweet and medium bitter with a long malty, citrus and grape finish. Body is medium, texture is thin to oily, carbonation is soft.

Tried on 17 Jun 2015 at 13:36


7
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

On tap. It’s a lightly hazy dark golden beer topped by a small off-white head. The aroma is peachy and tropical fruity, with hints of pale malts in the back. It has a soft bitterness on the palate, it’s full bodied and softly carbonated, with a light malty touch as a backdrop for the fruity hops. Lasting fruity and light bitter finish. Quite nice this one. Easy drinkable and tasteful. 150615

Tried from Draft on 16 Jun 2015 at 14:17


7.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

On tap. Pours deep brown with an off-white head. Bourbon and brown sugar aroma. Flavor is roasty, bourbon, and brown sugar. Medium palate, a bit watery, but pretty good.

Tried from Draft on 15 Apr 2015 at 20:16


8.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 10/2014. Pours nearly opaque very dark brown color with a 2 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of big chocolate, caramel, toffee, toast, raisin, brown bread, vanilla, coconut, oak, bourbon, and oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt and bourbon barrel notes; with good strength. Taste of big chocolate, caramel, toffee, toast, raisin, brown bread, vanilla, coconut, oak, bourbon, and oak/toasted earthiness. Light tannic oaky bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, toffee, toast, raisin, brown bread, vanilla, coconut, oak, bourbon, and oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity and robustness of dark/bready malt and bourbon barrel flavors; with an awesome malt/barrel balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy, and lightly slick/bready mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warming present after the finish. Overall this is an awesome barrel aged doppelbock style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt and bourbon barrel flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.

Tried from Bottle on 04 Jan 2015 at 20:36


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

On tap at the brewery. Pours a clear gold with a white head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has lots of sweet grains and biscuit with an underlying bourbon note. Flavor is similar but has more bourbon joining the sweet grains and biscuit.

Tried from Draft on 23 Dec 2014 at 18:34


7.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

On tap at the brewery. Pours a hazy gold with a white head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has a decent amount of peaches supported by citrus and ginger. Flavor has more ginger upfront with a growing peach note and a hint of sweetness underlying.

Tried from Draft on 23 Dec 2014 at 18:27


6.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

On tap at the brewery. Pours a clear golden amber with a white head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has notes of bread and grain with a backing grassy hop note. Flavor is similar but has a hint of caramel in addition to the bread and grain notes.

Tried from Draft on 23 Dec 2014 at 15:46


6.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 7.5

On tap at the brewery. Pours a hazy amber with a tan head that dissipates to the edges and laces slightly. Aroma has a good amount of grass with a touch of pine and a light crisp grain backing. Flavor has resin and sweet grains throughout with underlying caramel and pine.

Tried from Draft on 23 Dec 2014 at 15:31