Beer, Wine & Spirits in Ypsilanti

I Wish Lessons’ professionally guided classes convene in various venues throughout Chicago, Boston, DC, and Detroit, uniting and educating like-minded learners in vibrant social settings. The company’s hundreds of teachers have educated countless learners while introducing them to new friends and planning private events, including birthday parties and baby showers. Classes broach a multitude of engaging, lighthearted subjects, such as beer and bacon pairing, scotch tasting, cupcake decorating, and sushi rolling.

Staffers at Pura Vida Color Studio strive to live up to their name—which means "pure life"—by using sustainable, earth-friendly Davines products. The Davines concept salon also specializes in flamboyage highlights, a technique that uses adhesive strips, rather than foil or court orders, to separate small sections of hair. The careful process results in natural-looking wisps and currents of color.

The salon's subdued decor turns eyes' focus toward vibrant tresses. Stylists can judge and calibrate colors in the abundant natural light from wide windows, or glance in black-bordered mirrors as they style hair with Paul Mitchell products. The salon's neutral-colored walls echo the burble of the storefront fountain and the footfalls of the well-coiffed elves who live inside the potted plants.

Arbor Brewing Company serves organic pub fare that incorporates local farmers’ and growers’ fresh, seasonal meats and produce. The dinner menu showcases Lake Superior whitefish ($13) and the Ar-burger ($13), a 1/3 pound patty of beef from McLaughlin Farm, a local producer of grass-fed, hormone-free cattle. Vegetarians rejoice when served the beer-battered tempeh sandwich ($8) from the lunch menu. Night owls can nosh hearty bar fare from the late-night menu, such as pierogies ($8) or a half pound of chicken strips ($7).

Friends Matt Roy and Trevor Thrall were headed north on I-75 in their Jeep for a weekend of snowmobiling when the snow decided to stop them in their tracks. As they waited for the weather to clear, the pair discussed their stock of European and Midwest microbrews, and quickly realized their home state, Michigan, wasn't represented. They vowed to right that wrong, and the idea for Wolverine State Brewing Co. was born. The friends soon brewed their first beer, which they dubbed Wolverine Premium Lager, a brew to honor their state and the carnivorous mammals that secretly control its government. Within a few years, they had established their brick and mortar location—a dedicated brewery and taproom.

Today, local brewer Oliver Roberts helps to oversee the brewery, which only brews lagers—which range from ambers, IPLs, and imperial darks to pilsners and unique seasonals. Wolverine is also defined by its image, cultivated with the help of the Beer Wench—the traveling, blogging identity of friend E.T. Crowe—and the edgy label art of longtime partner Brian Walline. All these elements come together in the brewery's tasting room, where visitors can sample brews at a 40-foot L-shaped bar before playing darts and foosball.

Master distiller Jon Dyer leaves nothing to chance, tasting every batch of vodka before it goes into bottling. With Ugly Dog Distillery’s ever-expanding distribution market, he recognizes it’s a potentially daunting responsibility—but he wouldn’t want it any other way. Along with his partner Dewey Winkle, Jon follows in the tradition of early American moonshiners, distilling one potent, handcrafted batch at a time. Jon processes the Michigan winter wheat with his handmade grinder, transmuting the wheat into the slow, clear drops of the distillery’s near-final product through copper tubing into a large vat. Originally starting with vodka, Jon and the gang have expanded into rum and a unique brand of bacon-flavored vodka, with more flavors in the works. The small but thriving distillery sometimes works round the clock, with Jon juggling the duties of company accountant, salesman, marketer, dishwasher, and occasional graphic designer. Visitors can tour the bubbling copper workshop during the day, and share beauty tips with Ruger, the German wirehaired pointer who gave the company its name.