Hey, guys and gals! While we’ve visited the beautiful lakeside town of St. Joseph, Michigan, before – read that post here – we returned this past summer to hang out for a couple of days.

We mostly visited breweries as part of our Hopsmash project, but also because we just love craft beer. :) We also ate delicious food and went to the beach. Hard knock summertime livin’ in Michigan!

Enjoy some photos from our short return to the St. Joseph area…

We got our groove on not once, but twice, at Watermark Brewing Co. in nearby Stevensville. Thanks to Chris, Justin, Dave, Joe, and the gang for showing us such a good time. These young guys have a serious appetite for good beer and creating a great brewery environment, and they’ve nailed it so far!

Watermark Brewing Co. in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Watermark Brewing Co. in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Watermark Brewing Co. in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Watermark Brewing Co. in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Watermark Brewing Co. in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Watermark Brewing Co. in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Watermark Brewing Co. in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Watermark Brewing Co. in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Watermark Brewing Co. in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

We also found a dog we wanted to steal. =P

Watermark Brewing Co. in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

And had some excellent arepas from the food truck outside.

Sammy Arepas Food Truck in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Sammy Arepas Food Truck in Stevensville, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Next up, Silver Harbor Brewing Co.! We enjoyed ourselves immensely on our previous visit to St. Joe, so we decided to go back for Round 2. Thanks here to Paula, Shawn, and Kristen!

Silver Harbor Brewing Co. in St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Silver Harbor Brewing Co. in St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Silver Harbor Brewing Co. in St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Silver Harbor Brewing Co. in St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Of course, we had to eat as well. Can’t always just be beer!

Silver Harbor Brewing Co. in St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Silver Harbor Brewing Co. in St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Having a walk around town after, we ran into this sweet, vintage Datsun 2000. So cool.

St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis

A little shot of the cute and fun downtown area.

St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis

Most of the town sits above the beach area, so you can get some nice views from the park and lookout points up top.

St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis

I love that Amtrak comes through here. I think it’d be great to take the train all around the Great Lakes area. (Is that even possible?)

St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis

St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis

Naturally, we had some beach walk and hangout time. It’s so pretty around these parts.

St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis

St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis

St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis

St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis

“I wish the world was as peaceful as this moment.” I can dig it.

St. Joseph, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis

Now, back to the work at hand! We headed over to North Pier Brewing Co. across the river in Benton Harbor. This brewery is right in the middle of a PGA championship course, making it the perfect stop-through watering hole for both golfers and fans alike. And, well, us!

Thanks to Joey and James for showing us such a good time. Great beer is made here, which seems to be a staple for not only the area, but all of Michigan these days.

North Pier Brewing Co. in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

North Pier Brewing Co. in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

North Pier Brewing Co. in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

North Pier Brewing Co. in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

It’s cut off in the above picture, but the back side of the coaster says, “To those who wander.” We can get with that!

North Pier Brewing Co. in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

While North Pier doesn’t serve food, they are also located across the street from the North Shore Inn. Not only can you have food delivered too the brewery, but they’ll even call in the order for you! Dope.

Even better, though, was that North Shore had a taco bar in the brewery on this particular day. So, we were able to just get our food on the spot. Delicious tacos, and super-nice folks. Thanks, Catalina!

North Pier Brewing Co. in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

North Pier Brewing Co. in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

North Pier Brewing Co. in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

And lastly – but not leastly! – we walked from North Pier over to The Livery. This brewery, restaurant, and live music venue was kickin’, and is helping to revitalize the formerly dilapidated downtown of Benton Harbor.

We shook our booties, drank some brewsies, met some locals, and had yet another great experience. Big shoutouts to Sage, Brandon, James, and Amy for their hospitality.

The Livery in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

The Livery in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

The Livery in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

The Livery in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

The Livery in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

A grainy but fun shot of me with Heather, a super nice lady we met at the bar.

The Livery in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Hey, Sage!

The Livery in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

And that’s a wrap. St. Joe is always a good time, and we recommend you get over there whenever you can. Cheers!

The Livery in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Jets Like Taxis / Hopsmash

Be sure to check out our other USA posts right here, and our Hopsmash project right here if you love delicious beer. You can also read more about St. Joseph in our previous post about the city, right here.

A very special and very big thanks to everyone in St. Joseph, Benton Harbor, and Stevensville. We always have a great time when we swing through!

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Have you ever been to St. Joseph? If so, what’d you think? If not, what say ye? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!