If you follow my cobbled together guide of drinking your way through Houghton, MI, you have had a half-dozen beers or so (for very little money) over at Keweenaw Brewing Company. But now you’re hungry, still thirsty and in need of a change of scenery. That is when you walk out the door of Keweenaw, turn left walk about a quarter of a block, turn left again and walk halfway down a kind of steep hill and find…The Library.
As soon as you walk in the door you see a bar in front of you with the restaurant portion off to the right. The Library boasts seven of their own beers on tap and a few guest taps; one of which was an offering from the nearby Keweenaw Brewing Company. Now you may, or may not, be wondering why this brewpub is called The Library. Well, buckle up kids, it’s called The Library because there are books and bookcases all over the place.
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I bellied up to the bar, thirsty from my block-long journey to get here and quickly ordered the Miners IPA. Citrus hops were the bread and butter of this beer. There was a bit of a grapefruit-like acidic bite to it at the end — which lingered for a little longer than I would have liked.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this offering. It was good enough to convince me to stay for a few more rounds and dinner. Speaking of, the food there was fantastic. I had a steak sandwich that was just killer. And paired really well with the next beer.
in your FACE maibock
The name of the beer is not “in your FACE,” but my picture taking skills were obviously a little lacking with this one. Don’t let the blurry, extreme closeup deter you. This turned out to be my favorite beer in all of Houghton. There was a very pleasant blend of malt and hops to this beer. In fact, I scribbled in my notes, “One of the best Maibocks I’ve ever had.” A spot-on version of the style.
After doing a number on both the Maibock and the steak sandwich, it was time for dessert.
Ah, the Pickaxe Porter. A perfect end to a perfect night of drinking. This happened to be my second favorite beer in all of Houghton. Pickaxe was a very robust porter and very dark — as you can see from the picture above. It starts out a bit dry before hints of coffee and chocolate glide across the palate. Pickaxe finished a bit on the hoppy side. Very similar to Sierra Nevada’s Porter.
The Library was a great end to a great night of drinking. Good food, good beer and cool bartenders. The service was a little on the slow side, but as long as I had a beer in front of me I wasn’t complaining too much. Make this your first or last stop of the evening. Either way you can’t go wrong.