First off let me just say that my initial visit to Dragonmead was almost a religious experience.   German and Belgian styles are among my favorites.   I definitely enjoy a hearty brew with lots of character and that is exactly what I found here.   From the outside, it didn't look like much.  It's nestled into a small strip-mall among the row of industrial buildings that line the service drive (11 Mile.)  Inside, it was similar to other small upstarts like Kings.   The bar was off to one side with stools and tables lined up along the narrow front of the taproom.   The room is adorned with medieval style wall hangings and suits of armor and the tap handles are dragons as well.   They have merchandise for sale such as glasses, growlers, hats, shirts, and handcrafted mugs.   Prices were decent, $3.50 for a pint and $2 half-pints.   Being my first visit, I wanted to sample as much as possible so Chuck and I each ordered different half-pint selections.   By the time we left we had sampled the Dubbel Dragon, Final Absolution, Bill's Witbier, Nagelweiss, Dead Monk Abbey Ale, Breath of the Dragon Bitter, 90 Shilling, Woody's Porter, Imperial Stout, Altbier, Sir William's ESB, and 60 Shilling.   My personal favorites were the 90 Shilling, Dead Monk, and Final Absolution respectively.   The 90 Shilling was absolutely amazing.   It should almost have been named butterscotch ale, as that is exactly what it tasted like.   It was very flavorful with a nice buttery nose.   I got myself a growler of it to go and am drinking from it as I type this.   The Dead Monk was a strong sweet Trappist style ale with a nice smooth finish.   The Final Absolution was a Belgian tripel and was very similar to a Piraat in both color and character.   Another thing that made our visit so enjoyable was that everyone who walked in the door knew good beer.   There were two couples at the bar when we walked in who were providing plenty of lively conversation about everything from their travels in Europe to homebrewing and soup recipes.   Larry, one of the brewers was out working the decent little crowd that had gathered and was enjoying drinking beer even after their official closing time.   Warren is a bit of a drive from my home in Waterford, but you better believe you'll be finding me down there as often as I can make it.  Although the taproom itself is relatively plain in appearance, there are plenty of good people to meet and drink excellent beer with.   This is one place everyone just MUST try!   I hope that when they finally start to gather a large customer base, they will extend their hours.   In the meantime be sure to set aside some free time to drive to Warren if you want to sample some truly well made beer.

Chuck and I made our second visit and this time met Earl.   He gave us a very impressive tour and showed us the innovative devices that they developed to make and deliver their incredible beer.   Having a party?   Rent one of their refrigerated tap systems with two or four taps, or buy one Earl's custom made Coleman cooler taps!   Also, look for the taproom to jump from 20 to 40 taps.   Everyone out there that loves IPA's don't fret, Earl informed us that they've had some problems lately with one thing or another going awry causing them to dump batches because their policy is if they can't palate the beer, they won't sell it!   Small batches, excellent variety, superb beer making skills, this place rates 10+ all across the board.
 

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Dragonmead was a great experience in pure beer drinking fun.  In my opinion, these guys do just about everything right.  To start off with, the place is just a small, homey tasting room that is the entrance to the brewery. Nothing fancy, but  just the type of place for people to sit down and talk with each other over pints.  The first thing that absolutely blew me away about Dragonmead was the VARIETY!  19 different beers on tap, all brewed at their facility.   After reading the beer menu I was even more impressed seeing the daring styles that ranged from Belgian triple and dubbel to English ESB, and not one but two pale ales.  I have been told that they often rotate beers on the menu and that they have had two IPA's on tap at once.   I'm loving this place, but now comes the true test...to drink the beer.   My first was the Final Absolution, which was a Belgian tripple.   It was fantastic.   Every bit as Belgian tasting as St. Pauls or Piraat.   Also sampled that night by me and my partner Joe were the Dubbel, Weiss, Abbey, Porter, Imperial Stout, 90 Schilling, 60 Schilling, witbier, alt, ESB, and Bitter.  These were definitely all very distinct, flavorful beers and very true to style.   It's obvious that these people spend a lot of time and put a lot of effort into making outstanding beers.   It's really nice to visit a place that makes beer because they love to make and drink beer and not because they just got their MBA's and heard that there was money in microbrewing.  I know where I will be on Saturday nights when I want good beer.
 

UPDATE: Been to Dragonmead a few more times now and i am even more impressed after meeting the brewers and touring the facility.  New beers tried include a Kolsch, IPA, Red Ale, German Tafflebier (amazing soft honey like flavor!), Brown, and Honey Brown.  We even tried the rootbeer and it was great!  Looks like this place is starting to catch on because the tap room seems to get busier every weekend.  Looking forward to trying more new beers!