Elk Street Brewery

There’s a lot of great little towns in Michigan, and Sandusky is one of them.
Elk Street sits at the main intersection of Sandusky, and provides a great respite from a long drive or a hot day. We came in to sample some East Michigan beers and try some Elk burgers, and were not disappointed.
Me and the girlfriend shared a full flight of nine beers, 4 oz each, for 11.50. It’s a bit over two pints, so you can tackle it yourself or with help. One of the staff (owner? manager?) made sure to let us know that they use all Michigan grown hops (from the owners’ own farm!), and would answer any questions we had about the beer. She told us to drink our flight from lowest to highest IBU in a slightly condescending way, as if we hadn’t ever done beer tasting before. It would have been helpful information if I didn’t know that, so I don’t want to be harsh on her. Our regular waitress, a younger girl, was in training, and did an excellent job.
Our friend ordered some elk sliders to share, and everyone was very impressed. The lean elk meat was still juicy, very flavorful, and cooked perfectly for the sliders. I’d love to eat some of these alongside Telway burgers, just for comparison’s sake. Served with grilled onions and pickles, as a slider should be.
We were all too full from breakfast to try any of the full sized burgers, but I will if I come back.
The beers ranged from mediocre to great — the bounce bock was not good. Everything else had its merits! They tend toward the lower end of the ABV spectrum, which produces a lot of lighter beers. Some of my favorites were the Great Northern Pale (excellent hops, balanced body) the Elk St. Private Stock Porter (vanilla, chocolate, and malt flavors come together very well) and the Amber Waves Ale (low ABV, very crisp, just enough caramel! I’d drink a bunch of these). The Crimson IPA was also great.
Stop in if you’re heading up to the thumb, out at your cottage, or need a diversion from a trip over the Blue Water Bridge. Here are good people, serving good beers.

Good selection of craft beers at a reasonable price. Menu is limited but very tasty. If you have never tried an elk burger, don’t miss the opportunity. Service is great. The owners are friendly and ready to answer questions about their beers.

Solid distinctive beers. Good brewery in a small town. Well worth making a detour while traveling.
Reasonable price for a full-​flight.
The beer names are slightly generic, but the favor is not. My favorites beers included Horny Elk Porter and the Kölsch-​ish.
I ate my first Elk burger at Elk Street. Surprisingly, it did not have a game-​like taste. I would order another burger. However, I wish they also served french fries. They may not have a deep fryer.