Sitting in my hotel looking for some local refreshments I came across another sad story in Detroit's anthology of misery. King Brewing just went under a couple of months ago. Oh King Brewing, we hardly knew ye... Okay I didn't know ye at all, but the sentiment is the same.
Though we raise a glass to a fallen soldier in the Craft Beer Revolution, the glass we raise is filled by another still fighting the good fight. I had to dive a few miles from where I was staying, but I found myself in Royal Oaks. On a Friday night the streets of this downtown area were packed, a far cry from the urban decay that surrounds it. It was the birthplace of everyone's favorite B-movie actor, Bruce Cambell and Tim Allen kicked off his career within the town's clubs and bars. It's also home to Royal Oaks Brewing Company.
Overall nothing especially noteworthy about this place; pretty much your typical local brewpub. I will say this, the food here was very good especially considering the price. There us a general mix if Asian, Italian and Cajun cuisine all for in and around $15.Pretty standard beer selection. The one wild card was a cask aged version of their ESB. Their everyday version if this beer ended up as my favorite of their selection. It has a nice roasted malt flavor with just the right amount of pine and floral hop bitterness to make a wonderfully drinkable beer. Their cask version, however, is something else entirely. It has an aroma that smells just like peach yogurt. The flavor was similar and followed fast by bitter English hops that stick to the back if the throat. It was defiantly interesting, but I don't think I would order a full pint of it.
Their Red Ale was another stand-out. It was surprisingly full and malty with a touch of sharp roasted flavors and ends dry with bitter pine hops. Another very good, drinkable beer.
Cheers, see you on the road.
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