Wiltse's wasn't much like I expected. The restaurant looked like a banquet hall with a small bar tacked on to one end. Actually, that is really what it was. There were signs advertising their banquet facilities. We stopped in during a rather busy Labor Day weekend. The wait wasn't too bad but we were unable to get any service at the small bar while we were waiting. Waitresses or bartenders went behind the bar, poured beer and quickly ran off. After being seated, we found that our waiter was new and didn't know the first thing about beer. We inquired about the "special" and after he went to ask someone, he claimed that all of their beers were special. Finally after pointing at the menu listing for the Oscoda Rare (the generic name for their specialty or seasonal brew) he exclaimed "Oh yeah, I think it's an oatmeal." We decided to pass since the letterboard outside mentioned a bock was available. We sat for probably 15 minutes after ordering before we got our beers--very annoying. I tried the Old Au Sable Weizenbier. It had a decent nose and good flavor with just a hint of banana, but a weak finish. The Old Au Sable was also excessively carbonated giving a little "bubble-bite." The menu was typical family fare rather than the more exotic food you tend to find at brewpubs, and didn't offer anything very appealing to us.
Wilste's didn't quite live up to the expectations that I had. I was hoping for a beautiful Northern Michigan theme with a menu that took advantage of the fresh fish harvested from Lake Huron. What I got was a decor similar to my grandmother's finished basement with wood grain paneling and the beer mirrors that you win at amusement parks. The menu was basically a Denny's/Big Boy clone with a few small surprises such as Lake Perch. The servers pretty much ignored us both at the bar and at our table. It was obvious that they were extremely understaffed for a holiday weekend. I drank the Paul Bunyan Ale, which was decent. As with Joe's beer, mine was over carbonated. The beer was hazy copper in color and had a very mild hop nose. The flavor was slightly malty with nice Cascade and Northern Brewer hop bitterness but there was really no finish at all. Overall, disappointing but I would give the beer a second chance on a less crowded day.