You can drink beer in an igloo at this Michigan brewery

Photo courtesy of Hop Lot Brewing Company.

What is literally cooler than drinking a Michigan beer? Drinking one in an igloo, of course.

That is exactly what you can do at Hop Lot Brewing this winter. They've erected 4 igloos outside the brewery that is located in Suttons Bay to help you embrace winter in Michigan.

Owners and brothers Drew and Steve Lutke cannot believe how quickly the igloos became the most popular place to hang out in at the brewery.

"People absolutely love the igloos," Steve told us. "Normally in the winter we are significantly slower, but not this year. The igloos are full every weekend."

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Photo courtesy of Hop Lot Brewing Company.

Hop Lot has an incredible outdoor space, with a large fire pit that people enjoy year round. What the owners noticed was that although people might hang outside for a beer, they wouldn't eat out in the cold. The brew pub itself is pretty small, and they had been brainstorming what options they had for expansion, both inside and out.

Steve said "We were doing research on how to make it more exciting in the winter, and stumbled on these. We saw them in Chicago and Detroit. They are Garden Igloos, a European product that has won a design award. Unlike some places, we have a lot of outdoor space we can use, and these turned out to be perfect."

Because if you are "up North" in Michigan in winter, of course you should be drinking beer in an igloo.

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Photo courtesy of Hop Lot Brewing Company.

Step inside one of these little domes and be greeted by twinkly lights, comfy seating for 8, or slightly tight seating for 10, a little heater that looks like a fireplace, and the coziest spot in Michigan to visit with friends.

Steve stressed that while the igloos provide some protection from the elements, they are not really warm. "They are warm enough. If it's zero out, you'll need your winter hat on. As long as you come dressed for outside you'll be fine."

"The fire pit is kind of like the pool here, while the igloos are our cabanas," Steve said. Order food inside and it will get delivered to you in the igloo to enjoy. As for beers, you'll have to make the trek inside for refills, Hop Lot just doesn't have enough employees in the winter for bottle service.

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Amy Sherman | asherma2@mlive.com

Brothers Steve and Drew Lutke took a home brew hobby that got out of control, and turned it into this gem of a place in Suttons Bay that we named one of Michigan's Best new breweries in 2016. We loved the laid back atmosphere, the totally cool outside area, and of course, the beers.

The brewery has expanded over the last couple of years to supply the summer crush of visitors they get. For a while, they just couldn't keep up. This year, with the addition of a new 20 barrel tank and additional cooler space, "we'll finally have the ability to have enough beer on hand," Steve said. They've also added more places to lounge outside during the warmer months.

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Amy Sherman | MLive.com

So what beer should you enjoy while you are in your igloo? Try the "Leelanau Stout" a big imperial stout that will warm you up from the inside out. The cool thing about this beer is that the boys are making small batches of it and adding different ingredients to it each and every week. They've tried things like cinnamon, cloves, and coffee.

"This beer is perfect for drinking outside in an igloo. It creates a little more depth to the beer," Steve said.

Other beers we love are the Norseman IPA, with great pine and lime flavors. Or their Trail Ryeder RyePA with tons of flavor from Empire Hops Farm hops.

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Photo courtesy of Hop Lot Brewing Company.

Food wise the number one choice in the igloos are the Hop Lot nachos. Steve wasn't exactly sure why they were so popular until he remembered that the Great Lakes tortilla chips they use get completely smothered with real, high quality cheddar cheese plus either chicken or Hop Lot's own smoked pork and baked in the oven until perfectly melty.

"Our smoker is legit. We make pulled pork every day, and beef brisket on the weekends," Steve explained.

Second choice in the igloos? Tacos.

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Photo courtesy of Hop Lot Brewing Company.

So you are ready to drink beer in an igloo at Hop Lot? Good.

If you go:

Hop Lot Brewing

658 S West Bay Shore Dr
Suttons Bay, Michigan 49682

(231) 866-4445

Head to the bar, and put in a request for the igloo. If they aren't busy, you'll head right out to one. Depending on how busy they get, you may end up sharing the igloo with others for even more fun. Although they don't really want to put time limits on them, on weekends they usually have a 45 minute limit to them. There is no additional charge for the igloos.

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Other places to enjoy the outdoors in an igloo.

We know of two other places in Michigan that have hopped on the igloo trend. Honcho, a Latin American inspired restaurant in Clarkston has a few, and their sister restaurant Fenton Fire Hall has two that you can enjoy.

If you go:

Fenton Fire Hall

201 S Leroy St
Fenton, Michigan 48430

Honcho

3 E. Church St
Clarkston, Michigan 48346

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