Nestled at the Grosse Pointe Park-Detroit border, the Ye Olde Tap Room has been serving up one of the largest collections of beer from around the world since Prohibition. The bar was built in 1915, right before Prohibition hit Michigan in 1916. After surviving the ban on alcohol and some additions and renovations, the Ye Olde Tap Room remains at the corner of Charlevoix and Alter with up to 250 beers from around the world and some of the best single malt Scotch that Detroit has to offer.
Ye Olde Tap Room's beer list can be a little overwhelming, especially to someone used to drinking Bud Light at a favorite hole-in-the-wall bar. Don't be afraid, tepid beer connoisseur. Ye Olde Tap Room makes it easy to try and find the right beer for you, and their bartenders are helpful when you're trying to make a selection.
The bar drips with ambiance too: There are complimentary peanuts on the tables, and the shells can be dropped on the floor. There's also a small patio out back where you can enjoy beers in the sun.
The bar has all of the regular selections that most people who favor beer will recognize, from lots of famous Michigan breweries like Bell's, Shorts, Founders, and Dark Horse. All pretty familiar, and all great, fantastic breweries. But what sets this bar apart is their selection of beer from around the globe.
You can try beers from 23 countries from around the world, from Red Stripe in Jamaica, to Harp Lager from Ireland, and good 'ole Molson from Canada — but what about trying a beer from Japan? Or Turkey? Maybe even a lager from Brazil called Palma Louca? Some seem very exotic, and some are just another country's version of a classic Pilsner, but nonetheless, one could spend a long afternoon here sampling all of the beer.
With its fascinating and turbulent history, one of the largest selection of beers around, and the look and feel of a classy dive bar, Ye Olde Tap Room is one of the coolest, most historic venues in Detroit to meet friends for a beer or cocktail, in a neighborhood you might not have otherwise explored.
