We stopped here on a Tuesday night on our way up North for a ski vacation. Wonderful place. Easy to get to from the highway. Beers - sour mash stout and a wheat ale with cucumber and lime excellent! Service excellent. Homemade salad dressings a plus. Rueben sandwich outstanding. Nice decor and woodwork. Stop in, you won't be disappointed read more

Kitchen closed at 9 in a bar on Saturday. Last call is 10:15 on a Saturday. Brewery that apparently doesn't actually brew beer. Hint: if you are a brewery try brewing some beer. They spent a fortune on dandy wooden furniture. Unfortunately, the interior design is so horrendous it feels like a damn nice cafeteria or perhaps a furniture store. About as intimate as a public restroom at a Lions' game. What a waste of vision -- what little they had. Going to Taco Bell. Their kitchen is open. The management emphasis at Dead Bear Brewing is clearly on "Dead" and at that -- they have succeeded marvelously. (Gotta love it. A regular brought in a styrofoam container of food and Is eating at the bar. Hilarious. Open the kitchens morons and he would have spent the money in your establishment.) Don't waste your time or money. read more

We are some of the least picky people around. I love our mouse turd grill at deer camp for Pete's sake! This experience was not good. First, almost 10 minutes to be seated... no one else ahead. Okay , got seated. Brewery, ready to try their beers. 20 minutes in since we walked in door, still don't have anyone asking if I'm thirsty. Food was not good. Lettuce in house salad brown on edges. It's harvest season in Michigan, get a fresh tomato! Beers were forgettable. Lacked carbonation and presentation. Best beer I had was Austin Brothers from Alpena. $98 for the 4 of us, worth about $30. Maybe they had a bad night, but there has to be better in northern Michigan. Left a note on the bill to eradicate the fruit flies. They were landing on the table. Not good. Darn it. read more

Dead Bear Brewing - Bag salad that at least 4 days old - Breweries Near Me - Grayling, Michigan

See all

Stopped in for a beer and a snack on a Saturday. The waiter came quickly and was very nice. Took a while to get our first beer but we were attended to nicely after that. I tried one of their own brews, an IPA, seemed flat with little flavor. Fortunately they have many other craft beer from around the state on tap. We had the house battered onion rings and they were great! Overall experience was good but for the beer I'd go to "Paddle Hard" brewery down the road. read more

Beer was great! Foods good! Service SUCKS!! I've been here an HOUR! The waitress is Trying, but the kitchen is soooooo SLOOOOOW!! OMG hire some kitchen staff!! Geeesshhh read more

Great place to grab a beer, but don't stop for food. I had the bison burger. Right from the freezer... You would think for $12 it would be fresh and made correctly (not overcooked and hard). The second one was better, but nothing worth coming back for. Especially when I didn't et it until hubby was done eating. If you're looking for a good buffalo burger head to Traverse City to Sleders $9.95 and you get fresh cut fries there too. The fries here came from the freezer. Hubby had the perch. It was ok, but $18 for five small pieces. Not impressed. The drink selection was really good. If this place wants to make it they are going to have to catch up with the times . Fresh, maybe even local, food is the way to go. Sad dinner. Next time we'll drive the extra 30 minutes to Big Buck Brewery. read more

See all

Good beer selection, reasonable service, awful food. Had the perch dinner, featuring four or five wafer thin slices of perch with excessively thick breaking. "Fresh" green beans appeared to have been boiled for hours. Best part of the meal was a simple house salad with modestly wilted lettuce. Fortunately can good beer on tap, and bartenders helpful in serving samples. Unlikely to return, though. Will try downtown spots next. read more

Dead Bear was disappointing. While the beer selection was reasonably interesting the food was not. Wait Staff person was attentive and pleasant. The kitchen was sloooooow. The menu had a great description of a 21 day aged 8 oz angus beef burger. I ordered it medium. Took 27 minutes for it to show up (granted it was a Friday night). It was cooked to a solid hockey puck consistency. The roasted red potatoes were cold and gummy. Not going back here. read more

Was not sure they were open. No cars out front. Entrance on the side. Had dinner in the bar area. Nice rustic high tops. I tried the house IPA. Was pretty good, nothing special though. The food we had was good and so was the service. My only complaint would be good fries need good ketchup. Heinz! Planning on returning to try other house brews. read more

I first want to say that I have ate here many times and has always been pretty good. Went last night, after being seated we waited 15 minutes before being even acknowledged, the waitress took our drink order and screwed that up. They were out of some of the items we wanted, when we finally decided what we wanted, it took 20 minutes to get fried mushrooms, then another 25 minutes to get our meals. They were cold and had obviously Ben sitting for awhile. I would have sent it back, but I was starving and it took about 15 minutes for the waitress to come back and check on us. Also, the music was way too loud, it was hurting our ears. Very disappointing, I may or may not go back... Update. For some reason I actually ended up coming back the following Saturday, it was night and day from the week before. The service was pretty good, The food was hot and delicious, the band was playing at an acceptable volume and overall it was the kind of experience I'm used too at this restaurant. read more

If you are not very hungry and have lots and lots of time to sit and wait for your (just ok) food then this place is for you! My daughter really liked the Ruben egg roll appetizer, which came about 20 minutes after we ordered it. Don't even ask how long it took us to get our entrees, but let's just say our server wasn't too concerned about our experience there. Also, it wasn't very busy, otherwise I would be more forgiving in my review. read more

Absolutely love this restaurant, always stop when passing they. The food has been excellent, staff great, and the beer selection very good. A must try, read more

The waitress gave us a terrible service. She was extremely rude, didn't really care about taking our order. The food was great thought.

Great afternoon lunch on New Year's Eve. Great service for a party of twelve with 6 kids. Good service and excellent food. I had a flight of five different Dead Bear beers. All very good. One of the nicer flights I have tried. Building was nice, plenty of seating and a very nice atmosphere. Restrooms were clean. They have a nice waiting area with games for waiting or sitting and sipping. Nice patio area for warmer weather. Overall great experience. If you like beer I would add this to the list of places to hit in the area. read more

The perfect place to stop if you want to check out Michigan craft beer. The Dead Bear is pouring a mix of their own brews and those from breweries around the state. Flights come in a wooden paw, which matches the rustic lodge vibe. We just missed Founder's KBS on tap, but they let us try the Art Fair Brew that they'd just tapped. They have a eclectic food menu of tasty comfort food (the mac and cheese could feed 3 people) and trendy twists (there were shrimp or Rueben egg rolls on the menu the night we were there). read more

Dead Bear Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Grayling, Michigan

The atmosphere is woodsy and upbeat, despite the dreadful name. (The bartender told us it was named after the old teddy bear the owner kept above his bed in college that was fondly referred to as "Dead Bear" by the owner and his friends.) My husband and I split a full rack of BBQ ribs, and they were tender and delicious, though buried in a BBQ sauce the waitress could not describe. We were a little frustrated by how little our very friendly and prompt waitress knew about the menu. The place seems pretty new and there are some kinks to be smoothed out, but we turned out to be glad we got past the name and ventured in. The menu states that the BBQ sauce is made in house and fortunately it was gooey-licious! However, would have been nice to have been able to add the sauce ourselves and have a variety of sauces to taste on the ribs. Sides were limited, and we were surprised that collard greens, baked beans, and corn bread were none of the options. There was only a choice of potato, steamed veggies (carrots that night), or cole slaw. One person in our group was disappointed in the fish and chips dinner, saying the cod was "meh," while another diner was delighted with his substantial and perfectly prepared deluxe burger. Everyone agreed that all four of the Dead Bear beers offered that evening were well crafted and really tasty! We will be back and are looking forward to hearing live music on that stage in the atrium or in front of the fireplace out back. read more

Dead Bear Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Grayling, Michigan

Food is decent, but some portions are very large. Beer is good. Table was broken and sticky. Service was very good for our party of six. read more

The food was pretty great, I really loved the Ruben egg rolls. The beer flights and the atmosphere were beautiful! But the service was a joke. I'm in the service industry- so I get it. But when ALL the staff from the hostess to the couple of different servers (for our two tables) are complaining and flat out unorganized, confused and frazzled... nah. First, they made a weird stink about our party. We're super low-maintenance, and sweet/happy people. So obviously I'm the only one sitting back absorbing all this awkwardness around us because I do this for a living lol. But we sat at two separate tables and had to have two separate servers. Who were both confused/aggravated? and could literally only take one order at a time before walking away. So half of us had only drinks while others had food going- even though they told us we all had to wait and order at the same time. The place was dead. Do you want money and good reviews or not? Sorry but as a server myself, your management was a little off tonight. What's really getting me was I had my little boy holding my hand while he was on the little ledge, and she walked up and told me "you better be careful with him, I wouldn't want him to fall". They REALLY just wanted us out so they could get their reservation in. Just awkward for how easy going we are. Should have just shut your entire establishment down if you couldn't handle 8 people on your restaurant at a time. read more

A wonderful small town experience. Dead Bear brews their own, but offers a ton of other choices. Prices are reasonable and food is good. There's also enough of it. The dining room features a local artist's work. There's a locally built canoe, and the log interior reminds you of Grayling's heritage. Service: A Food: A- Atmosphere: A read more

Dead Bear Brewing recently added a 3% surcharge to all credit card payments. They describe it as a convenience fee on the bill, but they are not displaying a notice of the surcharge anywhere else. It's too bad. They have good food and their beers are pretty good, but I tend to avoid places that add surcharges for paying with a credit card. read more

This place is awesome... Service: the waitress went out of her way to make us comfortable, brought us our food quickly and accurate to what we ordered (and then some... I asked for some green olives and she brought me a whole bowl full). Food: Very satisfied. My buffalo burger was tasty and was prepared just how I wanted it. My buddies also liked their food. The Beer: oh the beer... This place will send you right to Betty Ford! Their beers are so good, and they have a HUGE variety of other brews on draft and in bottle. Cleanliness: this place gets top marks here; cups and dishes, silverware, bathrooms... EVERYTHING was super clean. read more

Really good food and really good beer especially the maple bacon Dark beer Probably one of the best places around there good service and good food read more

There is a reason that this is where people come when all the good places are busy/full. It's a last resort type of place. The food was a disappointment . Not even fast food quality. Worse than banquet food. Ordered a salad, it was warm. Service was pokey. Servers were kind. Beer was average. Their own brews were disappointing. Sandwich was bland, servings small (6 onion rings for $2 extra bucks) and prices high....you can tell they are barely in business. Should have judged by the empty parking lot. Bummer....one and done. Save your money, keep driving. read more

We did not eat here, but the beer was pretty good. Gotta love a new brewery trying to do their thing! If you don't like Dead Bear beer, they have lots of Michigan craft beers on tap, Yum! In fact, they only tap Michigan craft beers. They just opened in October 2014. We just happened upon this place driving through Grayling. It is winter now, but it will be a cool place to hang out in the summer. They have a stage for live music and a patio for outdoor imbibing. read more

Dead Bear Brewing - Flight! - Breweries Near Me - Grayling, Michigan

So the niece and I are on a "quick" brewree tour in Grayling. We started out at the 5-star Paddle Hard Brewery, and are here on our second stop. The wife and step-daughter went to a pottery-wheel place in West Branch and the niece and I weren't feeling it. She (niece) drove her sweet new car since the wife took our only car from the cottage in Houghton Lake. There is some kind of marathon canoe race today in Grayling so there's a bunch of people everywhere plugging up restaurants. But not here--sweet! We walked in and sat right down at the bar. Locals checking out Fox News on the phone, talking Victory motorbikes, and a modest amount of merriment for 1:30 in the afternoon. Checked out some kind of track and field event on the telly (though The Open was on at Paddle Hard when the satellite wasn't blocked by rain). Our goal was to make this a quick stop so we could check out the Rolling Oak brewree too. Hopes -- dashed. Here's a quick chronological breakdown of our very long visit: 1:30-Sat down at bar 1:45-Received drink menu 2:00-Niece hits restroom 2:01-I ordered a beer for each of us 2:01:05-Barkeep wants to see niece's ID, since she looks young (she does, so no stars docked for this) 2:02-I receive my beer (the Dead Bear's NE Style IPA) 2:04-Niece returns from restroom 2:15-Niece finally gets ID checked and orders her drink (Founders' Green Zebra) 2:20-Wife texts that she and step-daughter are on their way home from pottery place 2:21-I question whether or not it is a good idea to go to the Rolling Oak 2:25-Put out my credit card to pay ... ... This was kind of a blackout section of our visit characterized by not having a beer, not paying the bill. Had a purgatory-ish feel to it. No one behind the bar, and we couldn't see anyone working the floor, anywhere. ... 2:50-Begged barkeep to cash us out 2:51-Decided it prudent to go home instead of the Rolling Oak because it is going to be too busy because of the canoe thing Their NE Style IPA (long name with something about a "Moose" and "Juice" in it) was without enough body to balance the hops, and was bereft of any NE juice flavor profile that is so hip right now. Super disappointed. Wanted to try their hopped wheat, but didn't have a spare hour. Niece says that the Green Zebra didn't really taste like Green Zebra, which kind of pissed her off, but I think that it was more because the service was super crappy. She is usually more generous regarding service because it is a tough job, but she didn't think the staff even feigned caring about the poor service and my mediocre-and her possibly imposter-beer. Counted 15 people that left because they either didn't get served or couldn't get anyone to seat them at the dozen empty tables. read more

Dead Bear Brewing - Representative photo of behind-the-bar action. - Breweries Near Me - Grayling, Michigan

Highly recommend! Great atmosphere. Wonderful service. Try the reuben egg roll appetizer and the Cuban sandwich. Delicious! The pork and the homemade pickles are super tasty. Usually I opt for fries instead of homemade chips, so glad I got the chips! Yum! The Escanaba River Amber Ale is so good, we got cans of it to go. read more

Service was good. The food was average. Beer was acceptable. Decor was really nice.

thanks Paige for the awful service, never returning back to this location again. other waitresses were so sweet but we did not tip miss paige because of her terrible attitude to our table. read more

Dead Bear Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Grayling, Michigan

See all

My Sister and I love this place! Great food, beer and wine selection! Will be back for sure! read more

Dead Bear Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Grayling, Michigan

See all

Enjoyed the hazelnut coffee brown beer, bartender was friendly. Spinach dip and fried pickle appetizers were good. :) read more

See all

Started with a beer not bad the atmosphere is good love the Decore backwoodsand up north can't talk about food but 2 burgers and fries under 10.00. read more

Dead Bear Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Grayling, Michigan

I wanted so much to love this place from the moment I saw that it existed. I'm giving it 4 stars because they are trying- First the good- the sampler was tasty! The homemade ranch is on point! My tossed salad was typical, and I had the cod dinner. It was really good! I love the dilly tartar. The brown gravy left a LOT to be desired. Gravy should be simple and this was a salty clump of NOPE. It's a super easy fix though and something that's cheap enough to make that it can be made fresh daily without breaking the bank. The other thing is hunts ketchup is disgusting. Heinz or bust. That seems trivial and petty, but there's a huge difference in flavor and it's not pleasant. We got dessert to go and this sweet cake thing was off the charts delicious. The decor is cool, it's very "up north" and there's a lot of potential. read more

From out of town on Holiday. We are here twice. Lout first time here I ordered their "Hanger steak" which was "tender" as advertised, cut on the bias and extremely fatty. ( kicked myself for not ordering the Walleye. My wife ordered a pulled pork sandwich (piggy boone) and the slaw literally drenched the bottom bun. Had to eat it with a fork and knife. On a positive note, onion rings were top notch and the beer selection very good. Despite our experience we opted to come back. We blamed part of the experience to inexperience, so this time my wife ordered the piggy Boone again, this time minus the slaw, and barbecue sauce in the side. It came drenched in sauce with sauce on the side. Again, the little piggy was swimming on her plate. I played it safe with a burger and got just that. Run of the meal burger. Our service was good. We will not return, next time we're in town. read more

It was pretty quiet when we got here, service was great. Started with onion rings, yum! Duck tenders were pretty dry, but tasted good. The pork sandwich thing was really good, the reuben was tasty, I especially liked the seedless rye. My husband liked the beer selection, my kids liked the indoor patio seating. All in all good experience! read more

We were very pleased with our visit to Dead Bear Brewing! We were traveling through Grayling on our way north and found it on Yelp. The beer was very good--one of our guys got the flight and one went straight for the porter. The flight was reasonably priced and large pours. Their onion rings are fantastic--perfect level of crispiness and not too greasy. Two of us enjoyed the Friday fish special which was a large serving of nicely breaded, non-greasy fish. All in all a really surprising and enjoyable evening!! read more

I've read some mixed reviews of this place, but I had a 20% off the bill in my Brewvine pass. Let me say, they must be reading their reviews and reacting appropriately. We were seated very quickly. An awesome duo was playing. Our drink order was prompt. The fish and chips we split was perfect. This was a Friday evening when masses were heading up for the colors and they were managing the traffic well. We sat in an area that can be open air. They have other dining areas with more closed seating. We frequently pass through Grayling and will definitely return. read more

The food was great, and the staff were super friendly The day I went, there was live music on the patio seating, and the musicians were great. My waitress was very friendly. I actually left my credit card in the restaurant by accident. When I went back to retrieve it, my waitress actually saw me walking towards the restaurant, and immediately opened the door, and grabbed my credit card. I was very thankful for that, and did not expect it. Oh and the food. The food was great, they have awesome french fries. Also the rueben egg roll appetizer is pretty awesome, would recommend. read more

Great time. The food was excellent. They wait staff, on time. It was a good visit. Brews were exquisite! Price was affordable. Band was on fire. Enough said. read more

In a word...unimpressed. I ordered a side salad and it was some iceberg lettuce thrown on a plate with two cherry tomatoes, one cucumber slice, and 2 rings of onion. The lettuce was wilted and I pulled out three pieces that were brown. Blagh My husband ordered hot wings and we got like chicken tender things. Seeing how we were rushed and the waitress seems bothered to help us, he just ate the salty little nuggets. ‍ Finally I got the reuben egg rolls which I had high hopes for... If done with better ingredients I think they could be pretty tasty. But the corned beef was the only flavor that came through. Nothing about this place made us want to return...oh well. Now we know. read more

Had dinner last night . Miss the old menu for sure , but every time we dine there, there is a change. No more blue gills which was a favorite of both my husband and I. They removed the champagne vinaigrette. Asked for a vodka gimlet which was all lime juice the the cocktail itself was a " green " color. My husband ordered the fried shrimp 5 pieces for $ 18 was a bit ridiculous and I ordered the hanger steak which was the only thing I ordered that was flavorful and edible. Probably will not rush to eat there again which is a shame because at one point the food and service was so great we were telling everyone to dine there. read more