Bear's Den Brewpub serves up more than a traditional bar menu

A plate of Broaster chicken wings sat on the bar with a frosted mug of ale next to it. 

 

For anyone who has saddled up to a bar, the food wasn't exactly out of the ordinary--but the Spam and eggs platter, the Chicago-style hot dog and the homemade potato chips and accompanying homemade dips that were on the bar with them? Well, it's definitely not your standard pub fare. 

 

That's because the Bear's Den Brewpub is not your ordinary bar. Its location, inside the Country Grill restaurant in the Country Village on U.S. 41 in Ishpeming, helps make it stand out when compared to the other local offerings. For example, the full Country Grill menu is available to patrons inside the bar, which allows for such eats as hearty meatloaf dinners, full breakfasts, sweet potato fries, Alaskan salmon and even wet burritos to be served right inside the brewpub. 

 

But what you can't get at the Country Grill are the brewpub's specials--like the homemade chips with French onion and sour-cream-and-chive dips made right in house, or the all-you-can-eat Broaster chicken wings every Tuesday from 5-9 p.m. that come plain, with barbecue sauce, hot sauce or with an in-house garlic Parmesan sauce. 

 

"I'd put our Parmesan sauce up against anyone's," says general manager Pat Beyer--and he's not even close to kidding. 

 

The Bear's Den Brewpub is kind of Beyer's baby. When the opportunity presented itself, he didn't hesitate to take the reins and make sure the project went smoothly from start to finish. 

 

Heck, he even did the interior painting himself on one of his few days "off" from work. You see, Beyer is a busy guy--he's the general manager of Jasper Ridge Brewery and Restaurant as well as the Country Grill. If you frequent either location, it's easy to see his influences--and that's because Beyer is a true foodie. 

 

"I don't go to restaurant conventions for anything other than to try different foods," Beyer says, smiling. "I watch all those food shows, too, like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Restaurant: Impossible, and if I see something I think is a great idea I usually try it out." 

 

That's why the menus at both locations change throughout the year, getting tweaks to best fit what customers are looking for. Point-of-sale systems help keep track of everything ordered, and Beyer scrutinizes them as he's making his menu decisions. 

 

Being the general manager of the other two locations has helped him with his decisions at the brewpub, too. Take, for example, that the Bear's Den has a brew exclusive to its customers--the Horny Bear Ale. 

 

The beer, which has a slight sweetness to it thanks to the honey it's brewed with, is represented by a black bear sporting a set of antlers. And everyone knows, of course, that a cross between a bear and a deer is nothing short of a beer, right? 

 

"That's the idea," Beyer says.

 

The brew is light, but flavorful. It's not too sweet, and matches well with nearly everything on the menu. 

 

Of course, if beer isn't your thing, then Beyer has some other ideas for you, too. How about some Skittles-infused vodka-based drinks? 

 

"We have one drink called a strawberry cola," Beyer says. "You take the strawberry Skittles vodka that we make and you mix it with Coke. It's really tasty, but it doesn't taste like you're drinking alcohol at all so you have to be careful." 

 

The brewpub also features a camouflage night where patrons who wear camo get a $1 discount on beer on Wednesdays. That night also features bean bag tossing. The beer-and-deer theme is carried out in several other fun aspects of the pub, like its wall of prize trail-camera photos.

 

For more information about the Bear's Den Brewpub, visit their Facebook page.