Farm Club's Czech Dark Lager

Bottoms Up

By Craig Manning | Nov. 26, 2022

While we love our chocolate imperial stouts and milkshake IPAs, we’ll acknowledge that, sometimes, we just want a simple, classic-style beer. Fortunately, northern Michigan has several brewers that specialize in making precisely that type of beer, one of which is Farm Club. Though it’s known as a restaurant first and foremost, this Leelanau County gem also houses its own brewery that prides itself on making “simple, nuanced, drinkable beers,” all of which use the same wild yeast strain grown and harvested on the Farm Club property. You can’t go wrong with any of Farm Club’s lagers, pilsners, or farmhouse IPAs, but we’re partial to the Czech Dark Lager, especially at this time of year. If you like the roasty flavors and malt depth of dark beers but struggle with their high ABV and heavy character, you’ll adore this beer, which delivers the dark hue and winter-warming charm of a stout with the sessionable 4.5 percent ABV of a much lighter beer. Find it at 10051 Lake Leelanau Dr. in Traverse City. (231) 252-3079, farmclubtc.com