Where are you located?

Upper Hand® Brewery is located in the Delta Landing/Delta County Airport business park, about two miles southwest of beautiful downtown Escanaba.  If you turn off of M-35 down Airport Road, we are on the south side of the road past the dog park, Delta County Airport, and Portage Creek.  Look for our sign—you can’t miss it.  Or, if you can find a cell signal, just pop our address in the ol’ Google: 3525 Airport Road, Escanaba, MI 49829.

Can I visit the brewery?

You betcha!

Indoor seating has recently expanded, with a new indoor lounge area with an indoor stage and seating for 30 people comfortably. Add that to our cozy taproom, and we have space for roughly 50 people inside altogether. Plus, when the weather is nice, we’ve got more outdoor seating than you can shake a stick at, loads of great merchandise, and of course: Iconic U.P. beer!  We may not have a full kitchen, but we do offer pizzas, soft pretzels, and a few other snacky pub fare items like chicken fingers, jalapeno poppers, mini corndogs, tater kegs, and mac & cheese wedges. Check out our food offerings HERE. Come on by and see our brewery, grab a pint and some grub, say hi to Walter (our moose), and take a load off.

We also offer private party rentals of our indoor and outdoor spaces. Interested in learning more about how you can book part, or all of our space for your next event? Send us a message.

Our most recent hours are always listed at the bottom of our webpage and on our Facebook page.

For questions or concerns, please contact us.

Do you offer tours?

Not typically, but it never hurts to ask. If you’d like to setup a group tour of our brewery for your next team or family outing, send us an email at uhb@upperhandbrewery.com or give the taproom a call at (906) 748-9466.

Do you sell beer to go?

Of course!  Our Taproom carries a variety of all your old and new favorites, available to go in cans.  We even have 19.2 oz Tall Boys and 64 oz Growlers that we can fill with any draft beer of your choosing. Be sure to pick up enough for your friends!

How can I find your beer? 

Apart from our taproom, you can find our beer at stores, bars, and restaurants across the State of Michigan.

If you'd like your local watering hole to carry Upper Hand® beer, let us know and we’ll stop in.

What’s the deal with Bell’s Brewery, anyway?

Our founder, Larry Bell, is the same guy who founded Bell’s® Brewery way back in 1985.  Larry always dreamed of opening a brewery in the Upper Peninsula—and little vestiges of those dreams can be found in many of the classic Bell’s® brands, which pay tribute to the U.P. in their names and label artwork.  His dream became a reality when we broke ground on our 20-barrel brewhouse in Escanaba in 2013. In 2022, Larry sold the place to New Belgium Brewing Co. And in 2025, we got new owners and are once again an independent brewery!

Are you hiring?

Maybe!  Check out our Careers page for the most up-to-date job postings at Upper Hand® Brewery.

What kind of ingredients do you use in your beers?  Is your beer vegetarian / vegan / gluten-free?

All of our beers are made with hops, barley, water, and yeast.  Some of our beers also include locally sourced wheat, oats, and rye.  We occasionally make beers with other interesting ingredients, including real fruit, maple syrup, or honey. If we do, those ingredients are always listed on the can.  All Upper Hand® beers are vegetarian and vegan.  Because they contain barley and occasionally wheat, all Upper Hand® beers contain some quantity of gluten. Our new line of hard seltzers, only available in the taproom, are gluten-friendly, and most gluten-free folks don’t have a problem with them. But hey, we’re not doctors here, so always consult with your physician or dietician before trying any new food or beverage product.

I saw somebody wearing a really cool Upper Hand sweatshirt / jacket / Stormy Kromer.  How do I get one for myself?

We sell tons of constantly rotating merchandise through our taproom.  Hook yourself U.P.!

Can you ship beer to me?

We’re working with DoorDash to be able to get packaged beer delivered right to your doorstep here in our local area. Besides that, Upper Hand® Brewery cannot ship beer directly to consumers.  It’s illegal here in Michigan.

Why did you switch from bottles to cans?

When Upper Hand® first opened, we packaged our beers in 12oz glass bottles.  Our little brewery quickly grew larger than our bottling line could accommodate.  Presented with the reality of needing to purchase a new filling machine, we decided to make the investment in a can filler versus a new bottle filler.  Cans are lighter in weight and less expensive to produce and ship, a savings we were able to pass on directly to our customers.  Cans are impermeable to ultraviolet light, which negatively affects beer and produces that familiar “skunky” character.  Cans are smaller and more portable, and they are allowed in more environments, while bottles present unique safety and quality concerns associated with broken glass.  Lastly, despite everything you’ve grown up learning, both bottles and cans are inert, so neither contributes flavors or aromas to beer.

Where’s your favorite fishing spot?

We’d tell you, but then we’d have to kill you.