HighGrain Brewing is a welcome addition to our cities vast brewery options. My family and I arrived early on a Saturday. The inside space was rather spacious. We decided to sit at a high-top table near the bar.

Inside

A brunch menu was available, but my family was ready for lunch (also available). I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with chipotle honey marinated grilled chicken, apple onion jam, herb goat cheese, bacon pickled red onion, and 80 Acres greens ($14 with fries). This was a very good sandwich and I especially loved the combination of the apple onion jam and herb goat cheese. It had a great and unique combination of flavors.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

My wife had the veggie burger made with smoked cauliflower, carrots, onions, celery & shiitakes bonded with black beans & northern white beans on a brioche bun with herb aioli, romaine & pickled red onions ($11 with fries). She really enjoyed this house-made patty that was full of veggies rather than simply black beans.

Veggie Burger

Our kids enjoyed the cheeseburger ($6 with fries), as well as the beer cheese pretzels ($10), served with house-made Saison honey mustard and white American beer cheese. A wide variety of beer is available. I enjoyed the Titan, West Coast IPA, while my wife liked the Monarch, Juicy IPA. We look forward to a return visit soon.

My family and I recently visited our friends and old neighbors at their new home in Saline, Michigan. For lunch, we stopped in at the Salt Spring Brewery in downtown Saline, housed in a former historic church building.

Outside

To start our experience, I had a glass of their Cashmere Zeppelin IPA, brewed with 100% Michigan cashmere hops, giving a citrus fruit flavor, and overall a solid brew. The Ryepalicous IPA was also tasty.

Southern Style Pork Sandwich

For lunch, I ordered the southern-style pork sandwich with house-smoked pork shoulder, sharp cheddar, bread & butter pickles, stout BBQ sauce, and coleslaw on a challah bun ($13.50 with fries on the side). Overall this was pretty good, though I wish that the pork had more smoke flavor. The pickles were fantastic and their BBQ sauce was solid.

Michigan Chicken Sandwich

My wife had the Michigan chicken sandwich with a smoked chicken breast, crispy bacon, sweet pepper chutney, arugula, and chevre on a potato bun ($13.59 with fries). Overall I liked this sandwich better than the pork sandwich. The chicken was well seasoned and the chutney and creamy chevre complimented it well.

Salt Springs Brewery is well worth a visit with the entire family. Our kids enjoyed large servings from the kids’ menu included mac-n-cheese, cheese pizza, and cheeseburger ($7 each).

Happy New Year! Below is the list of cities that I visited in 2021 with at least one night spent in each place. We were able to travel more this year, mostly all through road trips. Michigan has quickly become one of our favorite destinations.

• LaFollette, Tennessee *
• Cincinnati, Ohio *
• Holmes Beach, Florida
• Williamstown, Kentucky *
• Boyne Falls, Michigan *
• Asheville, North Carolina
• Penrose, North Carolina
• Broad Ripple, Indiana
• Frankenmuth, Michigan
• Mackinaw City, Michigan
• Munising, Michigan
• Chicago, Illinois
• Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
• Saline, Michigan
• Oregon, Ohio
• Portage, Michigan

* Those cities marked with an asterisk were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.

See also: 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006