Copper Canyon Brewery

I thought people were over exaggerating when they said this place was a dump but this place really blows. I am in town with 3 coworkers and we were looking to try something beyond the normal chains we are used to. Unfortunately we didn’t check Unilocal until after we ordered appetizers.
When we saw the place from the interstate it looked awesome. Because it’s 7:30 on a Sunday night we weren’t surprised to only see 3 cars in the parking lot.
As soon as we pulled into the parking lot it was very apparent that this place sketchy. There’s potholes everywhere so be careful if you feel like coming here for some reason. When we were walking up to the entrance, we noticed that the place was not maintained even though it was obviously expensive to build. Inside you see the same thing. Sticky floors, worn out tables, unclean bathrooms, and an old beaten pool table is what we saw.
When we sat down, we were greeted by a slob of a waiter that felt like it was normal to toothpick in his mouth and a tobogin on his Justin Bieber like hair. He told us which beers he had on tap and when we picked the Christmas ale he told us that they were out, mind you after he had just offered it. I am not a genius but why would you offer something that you don’t have? Next we ordered appetizers. When we asked how big the portions were, he looked at us like we were stupid. After explaining to him what we meant, he shrugged and said yes. We looked past this and finished ordering.
By the time the appetizers came and we ate, I read the reviews on Unilocal and decided we had to get out as soon as possible. We got the check and one of my coworkers got the bill with his credit card. When the server came back we the card, he had 2 hand written receipts with the amount, a place for the tip, and the total. When we asked what was going on he informed us that he wrote the credit card number down and that the system was down. We told him that he should have told us this ahead of time and the server said he had a machine in the back that was slow. What kind of bs is that?
I sit here needing to pee while writing this review and finding another place to eat. Avoid this place! You will just be throwing your money away because you will most likely puke after eating in this disgusting place.
I am pretty sure there is a scam here. If the owner of this place cares he or she will go see just how bad it is and make it the brewery it should be. If not I’m sure Gordon Ramsey can straighten it out!

My preference is to rate it with negative stars, but that’s not an option. Someone should revoke their right to call this place a brewery. Warm, flat, alcoholic beverages are not beers.
And all that mention of the parking lot is no exaggeration. You might drive in, but you’ll likely need a tow truck when you drive into 2 ft deep craters.
I can’t comment on the food, as I only had drinks.

Beer is good, food is not. I had the fish and chips and only ate 1 piece of fish. The fries were dry and cold — won’t be going back.

The history of this place is classified into two eras: Pre Cigar Lounge and Cigar Lounge to the present day.
When it was conceived, the Cooper Canyon Brewery was all about the beer. It was actually one of the first brewpubs (that I can recall) in Michigan and a forerunner in the microbrew genre. Stroh’s was no longer produced here, Bell’s was in full production by then but mostly unknown in the Detroit market and Founder’s was still called the Canal Street Brewing Company. The beer was good. It was something different. Something you enjoyed and not just something you drank. Seasonal beers creative, fantastic and the brewers were allowed to get playful with ingredients. On top of it, they made kick ass root beer. With history on its side, the owners strayed from the original vision.
Copper Canyon was and is a strikingly nice place but alas it became less about the beer and more about securing a tobacco usage license to become a smoking haven in the wake of the Michigan Smoking Ban in 2010. They have an enclosed smoking lounge that requires a membership but it looks more like an anthropological study on poor choices of human behavior. I side with drinking above smoking. Now the whole place smells like a bowling alley sans foot smell.
The menu is just expensive. $ 7 for chips and salsa. Estoy loco? $ 11 for a Turkey Reuben. Oy vey! Only Zingerman’s is allowed to charge prices like that and get away with it. $ 15 for cod fish and chips. WTF – do I get to skipper the f’in boat for that price?
Much like CJ’s in Commerce Township, Copper Canyon has stood the test of time but failed to gain a foothold or even reasonable recognition in the Michigan beer scene. Beer is available but really it’s more of an after thought and dozens of other brewpubs have established themselves in the Metro area and offer a significantly better experience.

Dear Lord, DO NOT EAT HERE! This place needs to stop. Ted G.‘s post is all too true. It stunk in there, I’m sure it has to do with cigars. We sat at a sticky table that I wiped down with baby wipes, didn’t get any less sticky, but you should have seen how dark gray they turned. The food was unremarkable. I don’t even remember anything about it. My husband had been wanting to try this place only because it was a brewery, I was cool with it til I saw a fairly sparse parking lot on a Friday night… then I wondered if everyone else knew something I didn’t know. Oh, and the beer, nothing special. Seriously, just save your time, money & calories for something else– anything else!

The only reason that I gave this establishment 1 star is because I couldn’t give it negative stars. The dining room had a lot of people in and was incredibly understaffed. The table we sat at was sticky only to be made worse when the owner wiped it with a rag that I can only assume was used to wet the brows of feverish lepers. I had their IPA which was okay, better than I expected, but nothing really special. I ordered the Chicken Caesar Wrap which was literally a okay chicken Caesar salad wrapped in a slightly warm tortilla and served with half a handful of fries. Here ya go, 10 bucks! My colleague ordered a cheeseburger that had a moldy bun. I asked for a water that I never got, and it took forever just to get the check so we could flee the establishment. I went into the bathroom and was afraid to wash my hands because I didn’t want to contract the plague from the sinks. If you have a choice of eating here for free or eating a month long dead possum on the side of the freeway, I would go to the possum.
I am now editing this review because I feel that I might of been a little unclear.
I would literally eat the ass out of dead horse than have to eat another meal here.

Food was ok… Beer sucks and its a non smokers’ nightmare. Caugh caugh

First of all getting to this place is kind of annoying (since I am still finding my ways around Detroit and figuring out how to get on and off expressways here). Then, when you get here and it is located right next to a hotel. Even worse, when you walk in you realize that this place is also a cigar bar. The cigar smoke is not isolated very well from the dining area — it is like a collegiate celebration! (or something) No matter,
I was here for one reason, and for one reason only — the apple streudel Belgian trippel winter seasonal beer. Undeterred, I went straight for the bar. The beer was amazing, as I remembered it from Winter Beer Fest. If you cannot decide between desert and beer, this drink is the perfect compromise. It does pack a punch (10% ABV), so be warned. I wish they bottled this stuff and sold it in stores so I did not have to deal with coming to this place.
I also ordered some whisky marinated chicken. The side of rice that came with was no longer hot by the time it made it to me, but still pretty tasty. They did get the chicken right, but it was nothing to crow about. Remember, you are here for the Apple Streudel Trippel and nothing else. Do not get too adventurous with the menu, or you and your pocket book will be disappointed.

Wow! A lot of negative comments on this place.
I always enjoy this spot when I am in town. I only order the burger and beers though. My coworker once deviated from the burger and said it was a big mistake. I take his word for it, and I recommend you do the same.

RATS! I ate here yesterday and in the middle of my meal, I noticed a rat the size of a small rabbit with a glue trap stuck to it’s back legs pulling itself across the restaurant floor. Disgusting! This is above and beyond the restaurant frequently being out of food and wildly overpriced. I will never step foot in this place again.

Yuck, yuck and oh boy
Yuck — Food was not prepared well, I don’t think there was a single person in the large party I was with that liked their meal. I was the only one who sent back anything, my fried chicken sandwich was so dry it was inedible, but is was replaced by an equally flavorless grilled chicken offered to me. The prices were crazy too, almost $ 20 bucks for fish and chips.
Yuck — If you can wait to use the restrooms, wait! I have been in nicer truck stop restrooms. Run down, broken and DIRTY!!! They have over priced food and can’t even take care of the restrooms? Hate to see what the kitchen looks like.
Oh boy — The server was a bit bizarre and seemed to complain about having such a large group and having to bring out our food. Either there was no one to help him which caused the 4 trips back to the kitchen or he didn’t ask for help. We were all there for a business lunch and no one order an drink with alcohol, but at the end of our meal he walks over and shouts «who wants shots.» So weird, obviously could not read the group or just had a bad sense of humor.
There are so many better places to get a good beer and burger, skip this place.

Interesting and different beers on tap.
Seasonal offerings, of course
Bar keep was a very nice, helpful with the beer choices, and not pushy to make a choice or keep drinking!
Calamari was ok — looked like cheezy poofs! The dipping sauce was tasty
Chips and salsa had interesting salsa — more chunk than salsa.
Had a connected cigar bar, so good choice for those that enjoy a smoke with their beer — and for those that don’t, they seal up the other side well enough that you don’t notice any smokey residue.
Large dining are for hanging out, or enjoying a meal.

I couldn’t get past the fact that the furniture was so dirty that I was literally sticking to my table and chair to get an objective opinion on the food. The service was terrible, too. The server had no sense of urgency. I was embarrassed for him, actually. We were probably one of four groups in the entire place, yet it took twenty minutes to place our lunch order and then another hour after that before it came. And then, only part of it came. We were nearly finished before one of our group received his (cold) burger.
All in all, it was a terrible experience and I don’t plan on ever going back.

If you love Cigar Smoke while you eat dinner this is your place. There was so much smoke from the cigar lounge in the restaurant it just ruined the food. I smoke a cigar every now and then so I have no problems with cigar smoke… just not when I am eating.
The food was good, the wait staff was attentive and friendly. The cigar smoke ruined it. Perhaps they could put a better air handling system in the lounge to remove the air rather than letting it flow into the restaurant.
If the food hadn’t been good they would have received one star…

If you visit the great mixing bowl that is the intersection of I-​696/​Telegraph Road/​Lodge Freeway, and then travel Easbound onto Northwestern Highway, you will come across Copper Canyon along with a whole lot of delicious beers and appetizers.
The atmosphere is very chic and modern, and would be a fantastic place to host a business meeting. The entrees i’ve tried have all been good, however Copper Canyon excels at their soups and appetizers — my personal favorite being the fried pickles and the homemade chili. I recommend trying these alongside a pint of CC’s superb Buffalo Jump Stout.

I came here for happy hour yesterday. I visit Unilocal all the time for reviews but I had to create an account just to review this place.
First off service was decent so no complaints there. What I did’t like was the fact we paid 7 bucks for chips and salsa that was very watered down and bland. The chips tasted like they just opened a bag of Tostitos in the back.
The beers my friend and I had were no better. I had a summer shandy comparable to a Blue Moon. It tasted like Hi-​C orange with too much water. My buddy, well his was just «terrible»
We only finished it because we paid for it. Our next thought was can we get out of here fast enough and go to Royal Oak Brewery before happy hour is over instead.
Tighten up guys, I love the décor and the idea of the place. Fix a «few» things and I will come back.

I’ve passed this place for YEARS and never stopped in. First and foremost, I’m not a beer drinker. The outside setting of this place and the name as well as the fact that it was a «beer-​place» just led me to always assume it was a casual bar/​grill. I never thought it a place to try. But I found myself next door at the Hampton Inn, which has no room service, and decided to grab a meal and a drink before heading in. Quickly, I [pleasantly] learned my assumptions were way off.
I dined alone and was seated in the main dining area with the fireplace. Much more contemporary than I had expected… yet, cozy and comfortable. Still not confident enough to order a micro-​brew (which I hear I may actually like while I hate most beer), I opted for a martini from their list. I wasn’t impressed, but that could just be my taste preference. I’d pass over the list next time and stick with what I know. The next martini I chose was my standard favorite (dirty martini) and I was happy again.
For my food, I selected the apple jack chicken. I often overlook chicken on menus in lieu of other items like steak or seafood (BECAUSE I tend to dine and seafood and steak places) and decided I needed to get back to basics. Plus, I didn’t think it would be fair to compare this steak to steaks at a fine dining establishment (albeit more expensive) and I would be doing my tastebuds a disservice. I was very happy with my choice. My salad, which accompanies the meal was tasty. My chicken was juicy and full of flavor. It made me rethink my «rarely order chicken» attitude. Perhaps it’s because I do not order it often, but I hadn’t had a menu item that tasted like this before. I was pleased.
My server was attentive, making sure my drinks were brought out when desired and my food was served quickly.
I will be back and plan to bring friends to show my new «sleeper spot» that I’d overlooked for so long. However, next time I will be bringing someone who knows a little about beer to help me select something interesting to try or perhaps grow some balls of my own and ask a server. After all, this seems like the place to be adventurous in that area.

Copper Canyon is one of those places for an endangered species in Michigan: the upscale smoker. Curious onlookers can stare at the rare specimens in a glass-​enclosed smoke cave decorated to make the ornery, irritable creatures feel more comfortable in their native environment. Swanky chairs and a fireplace let the smoker waste his hours with a pint of dark ale in one hand and a stogie to chomp on in another.
But don’t EAT here. Why would you do that?
Aside from this backwards fascination, the restaurant provides regular fare and beers on tap for the average visitor as any good entertainment venue should. The larger tables and booths are more suitable for individuals and families trying to dine in comfort without too much external distraction or a view of the Smoke Cave’s grumbling inhabitants on temporary display.
Heave yourself up to the bar and a friendly server will ask what you’d like from among their import selections, flavoured waters (e.g., Budweiser, Coors), and specialty brews. At the administrative lunch close to Christmas, they were going all out for the holidays: a peppermint beer, «Fiddy Pudding» beer, and the draught they were trying to disguise as dessert in a bottle, Apple Streudel. None really met my beer-​loathing palate though, to be in the swing of things, I suffered a small taster of the apple streudel. It was passable as beers go, which is to say it vaguely tasted like stale urine strained through a moldy basket left outside on the Scottish moors for six winters. No disrespect to whisky (which I drink).
The varied menu serves up platters of barbeque-​sauce soaked ribs and steaks, the build-​a-​burger expected of these joints, and a selection of sandwiches and wraps. They’re not cheap, not by a long shot. $ 10 burgers, $ 17 pasta and fish deals, $ 9 appetizers! Some concessions to health are provided; turkey shows up, salad substitutions, and occasionally fruit. But waistlines aren’t much of a concern unless it involves avoiding splashing yourself with eau du reek-​beer. My server got my order wrong, bringing me a turkey reuben instead of a turkey burger. When I asked for a correction, he looked at the single bite in my sandwich with puzzlement, as though I wouldn’t *want* mayo-​slathered bacon and coleslaw stuffed between two toasted pieces of cardboard.
When my burger came out, it was fine, but ultimately like every other burger at every other two-​star restaurant chain (Ruby Tuesday, TGIF’s, etc.) from here to Tallahassee. Flavourless, dull, and pretty damned dreary. I realize now why I favour so many ethnic restaurants or just give up and turn to my own recipes.
Spices, people. Flavour.
It’s not a scary revelation, is it? I wouldn’t pay $ 5 for a burger this bland, let alone $ 12 or whatever they were working on. LAME. Unfortunately the hot-​sauce doused chicken wings didn’t make up for the real lack of enjoyment I derived from a patty and a bun, and the turkey burger wasn’t even juicy. For a quick stop with the office, sure, I’ll go (rather than trying to convince them to try somewhere else). On my lunch hours, though, I’ll drive the mile to Sushi-​Ko.

Good food. Good beer, especially the Alt. Good service.
So, why only the 2 stars, you ask? Cost. $ 77 (including tip) for an $ 8 beer sampler, one beer pint, an app sampler (5 meh wings, 4 hulking potato boats and 4 coconut shrimp), a burger, and fish and chips. $ 77!!! Thank GOD we had the $ 25 gift cert from
.
I’d say buy the gift cert before going… but even after the discount $ 52 was just way too much for OK food, so instead I say don’t go at all. $ 20 for a half rack of ribs? Complete craziness.

Initial thoughts — meh.
Let’s be clear — I didn’t have the brew. It was a lunch stop with the boss, and since it’s not 1950 anymore, we can’t [legally or ethically] pull off a three drink lunch. There was an apple seasonal that sounded delicious, and their happy hour prices looked tempting.
Décor was a lot nicer than anticipated. Menu was lacking creativity and was a buck or two higher than most brew food. Service was friendly and helpful. Just nothing to rave about.