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Take a trip to the most remote brewery in Michigan - but only by plane or boat

If you want to visit this Michigan brewery, you’ll need to find a boat -- or a plane.

Located on Beaver Island, about 30 miles off the coast of Charlevoix, in Lake Michigan, Whiskey Point Brewing Co. may be one of the hardest breweries to reach in the entire country. But that’s what makes it so cool.

The brewery is named after the iconic lighthouse on the island.

Beaver Island has an interesting history, to say the least. It is the largest island found in Lake Michigan measuring 13 miles long and 6 miles wide. Here’s some background from the Beaver Island Boat Company:

There are vague historical references to Beaver Island in the early 1600’s but the first specific reference was made by Father Francis Xavier de Charlevoix who explored the Great Lakes in the 1720’s. In 1847 James Jesse Strang brought his small band of Mormons to Beaver Island, and in 1849 the town of St. James was established.

Strang had himself crowned King and was the only king ever crowned in the United States. He was an extremely intelligent man and was elected to Michigan State Legislature for two terms. Through taxation issues and demanding obedience’s to unjust laws, Strang was shot on June 16, 1856. He was removed from the Island and died in Wisconsin.

It’s one of the only places in the United States to ever have a king!

1856 daguerreotype of James Strang, taken on Beaver Island. (WDIV)

Anyway, the ferry trip to the island is two hours long. The brewery is not open everyday, so keep tabs on hours on their Facebook page.

Watch Alex Atwell’s Uniquely Detroit road trip feature story in the video player above.


About the Authors
Ken Haddad headshot

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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