Oakland Thrive Restaurant Quest: Brown Iron Brewhouse in Royal Oak
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Oct 17, 2025)
Royal Oak, MI – The quest to try every restaurant in Oakland County continues with a visit to Brown Iron Brewhouse in Royal Oak. There’s also a location in Washington Township.
Brown Iron has a focus on draft beer from American craft breweries, including many from Michigan. They’ve got stouts, IPAs, porters, sours, ciders, and mead, including some of their own making. The day I’m writing this there are 64 on tap, including Austin Brothers Orange Smoothie brewed in Alpena, Bell’s Two Hearted brewed in Kalamazoo, Jolly Pumpkin’s La Roja brewed in Dexter, and Big Lake’s Sparti Parti brewed in Holland.
Brown Iron varieties include Peach Pie, Collins’ Stout, Pumpkin Potion and more.
In order to get in a good sampling of items, I made two carryout orders. On a brisket-mood day I had the brisket egg rolls and the Texas Brisket dinner. The brisket egg rolls were delightfully cheesy with bits of meat, caramelized onion, and green sauteed bell pepper in a thick wrap that was soft in the middle and crispy on the outside. The brisket dinner came with garlic mashed redskin potatoes and pit smoked beans which had a deep smoky flavor.
For another visit I had the Cuban melt sandwich made with BBQ pulled pork, beer butter, provolone, garlic dill pickles, and honey gold mustard on a hoagie bun. I had mine with mac and cheese. I also enjoyed the Prime Rib Rangoons – crispy wontons with prime rib, and cream cheese served with smoked jalapeno ranch.
Other menu items include smoked BBQ burnt ends, beer hall nachos, smoked chicken wings, a variety of burgers, and handhelds like the fish tacos, hot honey chicken, turkey reuben, and spicy salmon sandwich. Main dishes also include beer can chicken, espresso burnt ends, crispy perch, slow smoked BBQ pork and more.
Brown Iron Brewhouse is located at 30955 Woodward in Royal Oak, as well as 57695 Van Dyke in Washington Twp. Learn more at www.browniron.com
With support from Oakland Thrive, Oakland County Times Editor and Publisher Crystal Proxmire is on a quest to try every restaurant in Oakland County. Oakland Thrive is a transformative force dedicated to nurturing local businesses. Since 2023, Oakland Thrive has helped foster success by connecting Oakland County businesses of all kinds with resources and expert advice, including specialized help for businesses in the hospitality and restaurant industry. Oakland Thrive is focused on bridging economic disparities, fostering inclusive growth, and ensuring equitable opportunities. Learn more about Oakland Thrive events, classes, and opportunities for small businesses at https://oaklandthrive.org/
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