Restaurant
Unclaimed profileThe Brakeman
Detroit, MI · $$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
The Brakeman is an American beer and rec hall by NoHo Hospitality Group, and the beer program is the main event: eleven rotating craft drafts across lager, wheat, sour, hazy IPA, IPA, fruit ale, blonde ale, red ale, and pilsner, all $8. Cocktails run from house drinks like Lav & Love and Spicy Señorita at $16 to frozen and Slammer options at $14. Wine is a rotating selection covering white, red, rosé, and sparkling. Tap Tables, foosball, shuffleboard, and beer pong round out the format.
- What should I order?
- Start with a draft from the rotating list: Saugatuck 'Lager' at 4.2% or Griffin Claw 'Norm's Raggedy Ass' IPA at 7.2%, both $8. For a cocktail, the Spicy Señorita with tequila, grapefruit, habanero, triple sec, and lime is $16. Colada Problems, the frozen rum-pineapple-lime-coconut drink, is $14.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- Groups booking a Tap Table for up to eight, beer drinkers who want to compare styles across a rotating draft list, and anyone pairing cocktails with foosball, shuffleboard, or beer pong.
- When should I go?
- Warmer months suit the garage doors opening onto Parker's Alley and Farmer Street. Braketoberfest runs September 14–October 4 with festive brews on tap, Bavarian bites from Penny Red's, and live DJs.
- What should I expect to spend?
- Draft beers, hard seltzer, and hard cider are $8 each. House cocktails are $16; frozen and Slammer cocktails are $14. Tap Tables run $199 for the first hour for up to eight guests, then $25 per person per additional hour.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- The combination of a rotating craft draft list, a cocktail bar with house, frozen, and Slammer formats, and a rec-hall setup with big screen TVs, foosball, table shuffleboard, and beer pong, plus garage doors opening into Parker's Alley and Farmer Street in warmer months.
Beverage categories
We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.
Cocktails
The cocktail bar offers classic craft spirits and seasonal frozen drinks. Five house cocktails are $16 each: Lav & Love, Dark & Stormy, Spicy Señorita, Pineapple Whiskey Smash, and Berry Me Alive. A frozen Colada Problems and three Slammer cocktails—Guava Mama, Kiwi Me Crazy, and Brakeman Lemonade—are $14. The list covers gin, rum, tequila, whiskey, and vodka bases across house, frozen, and Slammer formats.
Menu strengths
- — Eight named cocktails span house, frozen, and Slammer formats, with gin, rum, tequila, whiskey, and vodka bases represented.
- — Clear two-tier pricing: house cocktails at $16, frozen and Slammer cocktails at $14.
Standout selections
- — Spicy Señorita — $16 — house cocktail with tequila, grapefruit, habanero, triple sec, and lime.
- — Lav & Love — $16 — house cocktail with gin, lavender lemonade, and soda.
Pricing: $14–$16
Wine
The menu lists a rotating wine selection covering white, red, rosé, and sparkling. It is a compact, category-based offering rather than a named or vintage-specific list. The four core styles are represented, but there is no further detail on producers, regions, or by-the-glass versus bottle formats.
Menu strengths
- — Rotating selection covers all four core styles: white, red, rosé, and sparkling.
Standout selections
- — Rotating Selection — white, red, rosé, and sparkling available by rotating selection.
Beer
Tap Tables for up to eight guests at $199 for the first hour and $25 per person per additional hour support group visits.
Menu strengths
- — Eleven rotating craft drafts span nine distinct styles, all priced at a uniform $8.
- — Tap Tables for up to eight guests at $199 for the first hour and $25 per person per additional hour support group visits.
- — Braketoberfest, September 14–October 4, adds festive brews on tap alongside Bavarian bites from Penny Red's and live DJs.
Standout selections
- — Saugatuck 'Lager' — $8 — draft lager at 4.2% ABV.
- — 3 Floyds 'Warpigs Foggy Geezer' — $8 — draft hazy IPA at 7.3% ABV.
- — Griffin Claw 'Norm's Raggedy Ass' — $8 — draft IPA at 7.2% ABV.
Pricing: $8 drafts; $8 hard seltzer and cider
How it sits with the food
Bavarian bites from Penny Red's are available during Braketoberfest, September 14–October 4, alongside the festive brews on tap.
Inebrious does not score kitchens, food or the restaurant overall. We review the beverage program only.
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