Atwater Block is located on the river in downtown Detroit only a few blocks from Joe Louis Arena. I have been there a number of times with the most recent trip being during last years Stanley Cup finals. The building itself is basically just another brick building. There isn't really much to distinguish it from the other warehouses in the area. Parking is rough, although I think that there is a public parking garage nearby if you dont mid paying. Inside the place is pretty typical upscale yuppie decor. There is a seating area with booths and tables and a long bar with glass windows showing off the brewing equipment in the back. I am not really a big fan of German style beers but I must say that these beers were very clean tasting and drinkable. The beers that I liked best were the Wheat and the Dunkel Weizen. The Wheat was almost as good as anything put out by Ayinger or Paulaner. The Dunkel was very clean with a nice grainy finish. They used to have a Roggen (Rye) beer on tap that was excellent but I haven't seen it in the past few visits. The Pilsner was true to style and very crisp but I'm not sure why this was the gold medal winner at the GABF. The Helles was sweet and cloudy with a nice mellow malty flavor and a nice European hop nose. Big League Brew which was a contract beer for Tiger Stadium was probably the biggest beer being a European style amber. Also on tap at various times are a Kolsh and various Bocks that I would like to try. Each beer comes in it's own special glassware fit for the style which is a great touch. (If I get another wheat beer in a pint glass I'm gonna....) Overall, very light beers but they have good flavor and are very true to style. Probably the best German styled beers in Michigan that i have tasted. The food menu was mainly German specialties such as sausages and chicken dishes. I tried a bowl of cheese soup and a tuna sandwich as well as a few of their salads and everything was decent. Good place to go before a Wings game if you can handle the crowds. They even have a free shuttle to JLA!
Joe's review coming soon.