The weather was not cooperating with me during my trip back home but I was bound and determined to visit Upper Hand. Unfortunately, there was no inside seating due to covid and it was a bit drizzly so my mom and stepdad weren't interested in hanging out. They do not have beer flights, but you can try every one of their beers. Since I had the Flying Fish earlier in the week and I have had the IPA . IPAs are my thing as well as citrusy beers so I tried the Lemon Fish and the Next Up. Now, I love citrusy beer, but this was the most lemony beer I have ever had. Not bad, just powerful. The Next Up... wow! It is a hazy IPA and it is an awesome beer. I got a pint. They had just finished canning the Next Up and didn't have any available for purchase but I did get a six pack at Meijers to drink during the rest of my time in the yoop. I also got a t-shirt because one can never have too many t-shirts and I needed a souvenir to show my craft brew friends back at my current home. read more

See all

Fun afternoon stop to try a flight of UP brews. Both of the people working were friendly and informative in guiding me on my first visit. A flight is $12 for 4 - 5oz pours so not a bad deal. The Upper Hand lager and Yooper pale ale were both excellent and enjoyed the UPA pale ale also. The Upper Hand IPA was good - just a little too piney for my palate. Small indoor areas with northwoods decor and a nice outdoor patio area with tables and picnic tables. Good selection of brewery gear, t-shirts, hoodies and beer to go. read more

See all

Very very clean and friendly. Decent beer, great parking and a nice quick stop before heading further into the UP. As they were previously owned by Kirin, there was an overall corporate (think generic) flavor to the two beers tried, hope they will remedy (and improve on the recipes). read more

This brewery is hidden near an airport. The tap room itself was very small but had a good vibe. Almost like a lodge. There is a lot of outdoor seating, which can be great when the weather is nice but half the year is unusable. We got a flight of beer. Overall a nice place. read more

Upper Hand Brewery - a flight of beers on a wooden table - Breweries Near Me - Escanaba, Michigan

Excellent choices for every taste, always experimenting with surprising results. Plenty of parking, hrs are Th-Sat., tasting room small w/seating 12 plus small bar. Second visit and area is blest to have this quality of local brews available. These styles hold up well to any high-dollar or mass produced brewing. Ambience reinforces where you are. Server was super friendly, moderately knowledgeable. read more

I'd never been to Upper Hand Brewery so when were in the area last fall with friends we decided to check it out. As of September 2021 there was no indoor seating available at all, but a nice area outside with some live music going on. There's also a lot more seating available towards the back of the building if you want a quieter atmosphere. Unfortunately no indoor restrooms were available but the port a potties were clean. I tried the Red Buck IPA which was smooth and tasty - I actually had two pints of it while we were there. I had a couple of sips of other beers but the Red Buck was my favorite. They don't have a food menu, but they offer a lot of packaged snacks like jerky sticks, cheese curds, chips, pretzels, etc. We got some smoked string cheese and pretzels for snacking which was great! I wish they had a food truck. One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to breweries is when they don't offer flights. I like to be able to try several different options before choosing a pint to order, and I didn't want to hang around inside with lots of other people asking for tastes of each beer. I'm not sure if it was just a covid thing, but no flights were available when we were there. It's ok but something to note if you like getting flights too. read more

Upper Hand Brewery - Outdoor space with live music - Breweries Near Me - Escanaba, Michigan

See all

Great tasting IPA. True to profile. Strong work. Escanaba should be proud of the great beer that they are making. All the beers we sampled were enjoyed. Cheers.... read more

CJ was very hospitable and warm and friendly. His cleanliness was superb. The place was very clean. He was very knowledgeable of all of the products read more

Always a great time. Good brews, friendly staff and patrons. Fun things to buy in the shop. Local vendors. We especially like the live music events. read more

This place is actually a factor in my decision to drive from Chicago to Traverse City by heading north vs south. The north route does dictate an overnight in Escanaba, but the town and especially this brewery is such an awesome vibe! I usually see bartender Gary on my visits so say hello - he has great recommendations of their excellent beers, all of which are top notch- so it really depends on your tastes. One of my favorite breweries anywhere, and it's a place where I always meet the friendliest folks. read more

Upper Hand Brewery - Behind the bar. Note that the selections shown here are valid as of 6/28/2023 and do change regularly! - Breweries Near Me - Escanaba, Michigan

Good brewery with a nice outdoor seating area. They had a local band playing when we arrived. Bring your own food. read more

Upper Hand Brewery - a moose head mounted on the wall - Breweries Near Me - Escanaba, Michigan

Great service, atmosphere and beer! Many different types of beer on tap from sours to IPAs. Would definitely return!

Stopped in for a flight. Cant say that I really cared for any of it but thats just a personal thing. Everything we sampled was in the lower IBU range but somehow they were still hoppy. read more

Great to see something new come to Escanaba. We discovered it by accident and stopped to see what it was all about. It can be a little difficult to find - look for the signage - it's by the airport in a green metal building. Friendly staff, with a pleasant, but small outside patio. We sat outside and enjoyed a Yooper Ale. Patio seems to be pet friendly. Bring your own snacks - they only sell pretzels. We enjoyed ourselves so much we stopped before going out of town to buy two 6 packs to take home. Be sure to check their open hours before you go - we came back through the following week on a Tuesday and they were closed at 4:30. read more

Upper Hand Brewery - The poop fairy doesn't live here… scoop your poop! - Breweries Near Me - Escanaba, Michigan

See all

always enjoy my visits to the Upper Hand Tap Room. great selection of beers and always great service from the food here.

No seating, no beer flights and very small indoor sitting area that fills up quick. Four standing tables.

When we were here during Covid (2020) only the outside was open, which was understandable. Beer was good and service was great. Just tried to go so we could see the inside. Google said they were open 2-9 on Tuesdays, but no, they are only open on Fridays and Saturdays. The Upper Hand website is up to date but the woman that was working outside said it takes up to 4 weeks for Google to update. Really? Not my experience with other websites. Made us question why Bells even selected Escanaba as their U.P. Brewing location. There is really nothing else to do in Escanaba. Too bad they didn't select another location - maybe in one of the college towns, or something closer to the bridge? Huge Bells fans here but not likely to ever try to get to Upper Hand again. read more

Great location but could be so much better. Now that COVID restrictions have been lifted, I hope they change things up a bit. You used to be able to sit at the bar or an inside table and use a flush toilet, not anymore. The new expanded outdoor seating area doesn't match the nice paver patio and iron fence; instead chicken wire and uneven ground make for uncomfortable seating. Instead of gazing out into the beautiful woods, one gets a perfect view of a massive porta potty. Except for the picnic table area in the adjacent field, there is mostly shade. Why not invest in some vertical propane heaters and/or some tables with built-in gas fireplaces? How about some cool string lights, some decorations? Like I said, so much potential. Oh, and staying open until at least 10 would be swell. read more

Good beer and good people. We had a good conversation with the bartender and he directed us to a great place to camp that evening. I wish there was a kitchen but they sell some preztels and chips which were locally made. read more

Upper Hand Brewery - Inside - Breweries Near Me - Escanaba, Michigan

See all

There isn't much happening on a Sunday afternoon so we were excited to discover Upper Hand, part of the Bell's Brewery family. The tap room is small, but cozy. There was another couple seated at the small bar when we walked in. We started with a sampler flight followed by a couple of pints. The bartender was chatty and friendly - she definitely has some great ideas for the future of the place! They don't serve food, but have some snacks available for purchase. She also let us know they occasionally partner with food trucks. There is a cute little patio out front with seating that she hopes to expand. It's off the beaten path out by the airport, but definitely worth seeking out! read more

Stopped by because I was in Escanaba. Great place with a small but nice tap room. Greeted as soon as we came in and offered samples. Decided to try the Double Ringer and loved it! Any double IPA should have great flavor but this one is outstanding! The pine and tropical fruit aromas, with a bit of malt backbone leaves a very balanced beer. 10.0ABV. Tried one of their Brewer Series, the Blackberry Wit Beer and bought a can to go. I found out that this is a Bell's Brewery partnership. Great concept and excellent execution. I highly recommend. Trust. read more

Their taproom just opened a few months ago even though they have been brewing since 2014. The taproom was a perfect mix between everything you imagine the UP to be but in a modern branded way. So much shiny polished wood it made my heart flutter. Absolutely in love with the decor. There is indoor seating and an outdoor seating area as well as some grass to play outdoor games in. The indoor seating probably only holds 20-30 people but to sit at the beautiful high top rustic wood tables is worth a sit at even if it is beautiful outside. I will definitely recommend everyone to check them out! They are doing great things. I am also a sucker for buffalo plaid so they had me at the yooper ale. Fun fact - they are an entity of Bell's Brewery. read more

See all

This brewery is amazing. This past summer I came here a few times after work for a cold one. I chatted with the bartenders the first time I came in and from then on... they remembered me! That is not a usual thing for people to remember you. Super nice guys! Great atmosphere and the decorations... especially the squirrels (my favorite) are great!! Next time I come to the upper peninsula I will definitely be making a stop. PS. When you are looking for this place, pass the airport and keep going. When I first tried to find it, I thought it was in the airport. read more

They've made some very questionable choices post-COVID. There is no longer access to indoor restrooms. Instead, they now have a port-a-potty right outside the patio area that faces the patio, so when you enter and exit the outhouse, everyone is staring at you. Also, new extended "patio" area is just grass, so the tables are uneven and wobbly. No more indoor seating, either. I hope all this is temporary. read more

This is a must do if you're in the Upper Peninsula. Great selection of beer and several that are not available at retailers north of the bridge. It can gat crowded, but the servers are pretty quick and the outside is available if you take a can or a plastic container. The UPA and Rescue Annie were standouts on our visit. read more

Great beer with friendly service! Great place to entertain our out of town guests! Dave at the bar is always very welcoming and friendly.

Great service, super nice guy working. No food and a really small space. Had good beer on tap. The State Bird was a tasty hoppy lager. Weird location. Wouldn't go out of my way to return, but would definitely stop by again if I was passing through Escanaba. read more

Upper Hand Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Escanaba, Michigan

Very cute little brewery. Beer on tap was delicious. Only 4 stars, because of location (not much to do in this town) and no food or snacks for sale. They do let you order pizza from outside. Not much seating, but it wasn't too crazy crowded. Only open a few hours so made it a little tricky to visit when staying an hour or so away. yooper beer and UPA was awesome. Definitely worth a trip! read more

See all

Thanks Joe! We had a awesome time! 906 ale! I'll be back in the fall, hope to still find 906 available. Maybe I'll pick up 2 cases this time. read more

A small, local brewery with a lot of charm. The bartender was very friendly and the log cabin style interior is cozy. I would recommend going here and trying some brews! read more

Nutshell review: financed by, but not run by Bell's of Kalamazoo. The place is hard to find and the beer is pretty good, but not as good as Bell's. (I know, I know, it's impossible to live in the shadow of your superstar big brother.) There's no food and the small bar (five tables) is woodsy and inviting. The five beers on tap seemed... tasty but somewhat average for a brewpub. read more

Friendly staff and super convenient when coming/going at ESC. Can easily walk there from the airport. Beer selection is good and taproom is a cool collection of historic MI beer paraphernalia. read more

Good location, good beer, good times! They'll should expand because the taproom is kinda small. Upper Hand has a good selection of beers on tap. Definitely worth your time if you're traveling through Esky or if you just like beer. I enjoyed their IPA the most. read more

Stopped in one evening while in the UP on a business trip and was glad I did. Small, laid back, relaxed atmosphere in the tap room. Bartenders were friendly, knowledgeable and eager to tell me about their beer. I enjoyed all of the wildlife and outdoors decor on the walls. I'm an IPA guy and theirs did not disappoint. Very drinkable, good aroma and fitting of the style. It was the first week of May on a Tuesday night and not very busy, I would like to come back in the summer time and see how the atmosphere is different. read more

Great beer, great people, great service! My husband and I were driving through the UP of MI on our way to WI and made a point to stop in on our way. Their beer is great and always a treat. Even though they were super busy getting ready for a party that afternoon, they took the time to make sure we had everything we wanted-- including filling a couple of growlers and explaining different beers etc. Can't say enough about our experience which was excellent. If you are in the UP-- the only place you can buy this beer--make a point to look for it where beer is sold and if you get to Escanaba be sure to look them up!! You won't be disappointed. read more

First, Thanks Kyle for your time guiding us through the brewery's wares. We had a great time trying some great beers. Then I want to thank the brewery for your great customer service. When leaving my cell phone fell unnoticed from my belt. We were traveling and hadn't noticed it missing. They called us to tell us they had it and then sent it to me. Love you guys. We will be back everytime we are near Escanba. read more