Transient Artisan Ales

Transient Artisan Ales in Michigan was founded by brewmaster Chris Betts and is quite unlike other breweries. The other brew pubs in the locality may have been formed due to a lack of good beer in the area, or for the purpose of creating a craft beer brand, but Transient Artisan Ales aims to acknowledge the bounty of the local environment with ingredients being sourced locally. 

The Name

Transient Artisan Ales, as the name implies, offers a selection of beers that change with age as well as from one batch to another. Even beers that have the same name are tweaked to make them a little different, especially because Transient Artisan Ales founder, Chris Betts, does not want to be making the same beer again. 

A combination of expressive yeasts, along with the natural environment’s influence, are used to get the local Midwest microflora through open fermentation in their small-batch offerings. Their main focus is on fruity hoppy beers and farmhouse ales, which is what brought Chris Betts to Bridgman, Michigan after having brewed beer in Chicago for 2 years. 

The Location and Service 

Transient Artisan Ales’ beers heavily depend on wild yeast for fermentation, particularly Brettanomyces, which resides on fruit skins. The location, surrounded by orchards and farms, is perfect for this. It is an elaborate space with sufficient room to store barrels for fermentation and fruits growing all over – just what they need to brew their beer. You get to benefit from all the greenery around by sitting back and enjoying your beer. 

There are family style tables and smaller barrel tables for visitors, as well as a patio with benches and an open garage door. You can walk in with your children and your dog into their tasting room. They operate on a first-come first-served basis since they’ve only got a small seating capacity of 49 people, so you can’t make a reservation beforehand.

While they don’t serve food, you can take in your own food while you taste their beer or even choose to order from the several places around Transient Artisan Ales that do serve food. They’re courteous, warm, and well-informed about their beers, so the fact that there’s no food on the menu won’t affect your experience. 

They’ve hosted several events, from bottle releases and lager fests to benefits and anniversary parties that can really draw in the crowd. Their events are something you wouldn’t want to miss. They also have a ton of merchandise at their store that will surely catch your fancy.

Beers

Beers at Transient Artisan Ales are available in cans, to-go, and on tap. The beers they offer on tap change on a weekly basis, so you may end up tasting something different at each visit. Their beers are also available at different locations in Chicago and Grand Rapids. 

Chicago:

• Barrel Society
• The Beer Temple
• The Green Lady (draft only)
• Bottles and Cans Chicago
• Crafted 1979
• Bitter Pops
• Beer Bazaar
• Beer on the Wall 
• The Beer Cellar
• Open Bottle 
• Capone’s Liquor
• Duke’s Alehouse
• Iron and Glass
• Liquor Park

Grand Rapids:

• D. Schuler’s
• Martha’s Vineyard
• Seven Monks (draft only)
• Horrocks
• Rishi’s 
• Sovengard (draft only)

Some of their most popular beers include:

• The Juice Is Loose: New England IPA – Imperial/Double 8.1% ABV – Passion fruit and citrus flavor
• Mind to Devour: IPA – Imperial/Double 8.35% ABV – Hopped using Citra and Mosaic with rye and wheat
• Buckley: American Stout – Imperial/Double 14% ABV- Made with coffee, maple syrup, and vanilla
• Cromulent: American Pale Ale 6% ABV- Brewed using Mosaic and Simcoe hops
• Obligatory: American IPA 6.5% ABV
• Neckbeard Nectar: American Stout – Imperial/Double 13% ABV- Brewed using cinnamon and coconut 
• Flightless: American Pale Ale 5.5% ABV – Double dry-hopped using Nelson Sauvin and Amarillo hops
• Honeystone: IPA – Imperial/Double 8% ABV- Brewed using local honey from Panos Farms and stuffed with Mosaic and El Dorado hops
• Kentuckley: Stout – Imperial/Double 14% ABV- Aged in Buffalo Trace and Four Roses Bourbon Barrels
• Rainbows & Waterfalls: New England IPA – Imperial/Double 8% ABV- Brewed using Galaxy, Belma, and Mosaic hops
• “Rum Jumbie” Buckley: Stout – Imperial/Double 13.5% ABV- Brewed using orange peel, rum, cinnamon, and lactose 
• Foeder #2: Electric Boogaloo: American Wild Ale – American wild ale that is oak-aged and matured on raspberries, blueberries, grapes, and cherries
• Henry: American Porter 7.5% ABV
• Extrication: IPA – Imperial/Double 8% ABV- Grungeist and Galaxy hopped 
• Only I Didn’t Say Fudge: Stout – Imperial/Double Milk 10% ABV
• Hazy Like A Fox: New England IPA 6.5% ABV
• Salarium Sour: Gose 4% ABV
• Wayward:American Pale Ale 6% ABV
• Happy Little Trees: IPA – Imperial/Double 8% ABV – Double Dry-Hopped using Simcoe and the grapefruit, resin, sap aroma from Centennial and Chinook 
• A La Carte Reality: New England IPA 8% ABV – Hopped using Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic
• Barrel Aged Neckbeard Nectar: American Stout – Imperial/Double 12.5% ABV – Brewed using Tahitian vanilla beans and Tugboat coffee while aged in Koval barrels
• Buckley Light: Stout – Imperial/Double 10% ABV – Brewed using vanilla, Tugboat coffee, and maple syrup
• Bark Lord: Stout – Imperial/Double 14.3% ABV – Brewed using vanilla, coffee, cinnamon, and maple syrup
• Bad Hombre: Stout – Imperial/Double Milk 11% ABV
• Cake & Bake: Stout – Imperial/Double 11% ABV
• Junie Goes Coconuts: Stout – Imperial/Double 11.5% ABV
• Buckley Reserve: #2 Stout – American Imperial/Double 15% ABV – Aged in Foeder Crafters’ 1^st whiskey Foeder for six months before aging in maple syrup bourbon barrels 
• Barrel Aged No Cake: Stout – Imperial/Double Oatmeal 12% ABV – Brewed using Saint Errant Brewing and aged in Bourbon and BLIS Maple Syrup Bourbon Barrels with the use of vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, and graham cracker
• Pineapple Salarium: Sour – Gose – Fruited 4% ABV
• Crunchable: IPA – Session/India Session Ale 4.2% ABV
• Permastank: New England IPA – Imperial/Double 8% ABV
• Citra One More Wave: New England IPA – Imperial/Double 7.5% ABV
• Anachronism (Cherry): American Wild Ale 6% ABV
• Wake N Cake: Stout – Imperial/Double 13.5% ABV – Aged for 16 months using BLIS maple syrup bourbon barrels 

Transient Artisan Ales is located at 4229 Lake St Bridgman, Michigan. For more queries regarding their beers or events, you can check out their website or write to them at  [email protected]. You can also find them via their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.