Shoreline Brewery and Restaurant

Shoreline Brewery and Restaurant
208 Wabash St. | Michigan City, IN

I have visited Shoreline Brewery and Restaurant in Michigan City, IN many times over the past two  years. It is near a main outlet shopping area and close enough to a beach of sorts.

Full listing of my posts on their beers.


This is actually one of the first brewpubs I wanted to write about, so that I don't echo the same comments in every post. I think the beer is generally served too cold, is generally pretty flat, and seems a bit hit-or-miss for complexity and balance of flavor. I will say though, that the carbonation has improved in recent visits.

That said, I'll talk about the whole spot. It definitely fills a need in the area.

ShoreLine is an old brick building covered in peeling pinkish paint. It almost has an endearing quality to it. When you walk in, you can see the whole beach theme (like the light-colored, wood-paneled walls). It is a big, wide-open space with seating at the bar, high tables supported by barrels, and standard low tables. It also has a room near the back surrounded by glass, I'm guessing it is for underage patrons or people who may want to avoid the cigarette and sometimes cigar smoke (it's Indiana). The main room has high ceilings and is very well lit. It is also very clean inside.

They have music playing most of the time (sometimes louder than others). A raised stage for bands is set up near the door. Sometimes they have a movie night and project a movie on the wall. They only have their own brews on tap. You can see a few of the tanks in a room behind the bar, but more than 1/2 of the building is brewing operations that you cannot see. A big chalkboard is hanging on the wall with a multi-colored listing of all of their beers on tap and in the ferementers. They have some standard brews, seasonal brews, and enhanced brews. They even have a small brew supply shop onsite.

The servers are nice and attentive enough. The food is decent, with a pretty consistent menu. The burgers are hearty, the scotch eggs are done right, and the wings are fried to crunchy perfection. I keep giving their french fries a chance, but they always taste overcooked and oily to me (this coming from someone who likes them crispy and burned). Other side options are veggie chips, pasta salad, and cottage cheese. The pasta salad is great! The veggie chips are very good too; a combo of beets, sweet potatoes, and white potatoes.

Aside from their beers generally being flat and overly cold, some of them are really tasty. It seems kind of hit-or-miss though. Some of them are very blah with no complexity, while some are grainy and rich. Everyone has their own tastes though, so I guess it works.

That they provide fun entertainment, have decent food, and are bringing craft brews to the area, ShoreLine is really doing great things for the community.

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