Mini Michigan beer tour

I hit Michigan with a good friend recently. Michigan really has a flourishing and wonderful craft beer market that is impressive to immerse yourself in for a few days.

Most of these places have all been written about ad nauseum so I'm going to post many of the great pictures my friend Dan took on the trip.

Our first stop was about three minutes after The Livery opened up in Benton Harbor.  We walked in the door and we were beaten to the bar by locals on their lunch break.  If you go to The Livery I hope you have Mike as a bartender.  Truly one of the best people I've talked to in quite some time.  A great outlook on life, and a great story teller.  Good beer and conversation is hard to beat.

Wall outside of The Livery

Shingle

Another outdoor sign

Flight of beers at The Livery

Tap list.  The bottom beer named Bier Munro was named by the great Steve Martin. True story. 

Pint of ginger peach pale ale

Our next stop was at Bell's Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo.  It is a very easy drive from Benton Harbor.  It was only about 45 minutes from The Livery.  I really like going to Bell's Eccentric cafe.  I think they do a very good job of keeping classic favorites and a large number of brewpub-only beers. My highlight from this trip was the bourbon barrel Batch 9000.  It is a beast of a beer right now.  This One Goes To 11 was really good as were several of the saisons.

Bell's Chalkboard.  Everything with a yellow sticker is brewpub only. 

Stained Glass at Bells

Bell's beer flight

Bell's tap handles

Outdoor beer garden

Our next stop was at the brand new Perrin Brewing Company in Grand Rapids.  I had heard some good things about Perrin, but I wasn't expecting anything like it. This place just caught me by complete surprise. This place is massive, and I mean massive in size.   The brewery and brewhouse are located in a brand new 23,000 square foot facility with the ability to brew 20,000 barrels a year right out of the gate.  They will brew about 5,000 barrels this year and they have only been open since September.  The head brewer is a former brewer from Founders. You can tell they spared no expense for anything.  Brand new everything, complete attention to detail in the brew pub, and just a great atmosphere overall.  They will be canning their beers in the future in flat-top cans that will require a church key to open up.  This is the kind of place I would love to open for myself if I had access to the type of funds it would take to open up a place of this magnitude.  You can tell the owners are certainly going with the mantra go big or go broke.  I can't wait to go back to Perrin again, as this was one of my favorite stops on my trip.

Outside of Perrin

Interior Crest

Shiny new tanks

They can seat 281 patrons and they were at capacity at 4:30 on a Friday

I really like places that tier their prices with many pour size options

One of the best I've ever had in the category.  Extra pale ale with all Michigan hops

They had 10 beers on tap.  This is the sampler.  Note the sampler board in the shape of the company crest.  They make two pretty tasty fruit beers as well. 

Their imperial stout was a big  highlight as well

Food options are a "food truck" inside of the building that is the kitchen.

I will post most pictures and more places this weekend.

Cheers! 

Matt 

*All pictures courtesy of Dan N. Productions and cannot be reused with out the express written consent of Dan N. Productions, MLBPA, the NFL, and Gary Cole. 

Michigan Road Trip

This past week we took a trip to Traverse City, Michigan. I've wanted to head up there for a while and just get away from things for a week.  The area around Traverse City is a great location to get a cabin for the week, and not really do much, or do as much as you want.  Traverse City has an exploding food culture, at least 33 wineries in the area,(I think many more than that) fantastic hiking, boating, beaches, and they even had great beer on top of that!

Our first beer related stop was at Jolly Pumkin. I've always been a big fan of them, and this location did not disappoint.  It is set on a beautiful piece of land that is just a short drive up the peninsula from Traverse City.  The Jolly Pumkin location is a restaurant, brewery, and distillery that is very warm and comfortable.  The food was fantastic as well.  One of the best meals I've ever had at a brewery.  It was so much more than "pub" food, and is something I would love to eat at again.

I started out with a pint of Bam Biere.  It was 90 degrees the first day we were there and this hit the spot.  I then went through a flight from North Peak Brewing Company.

Fresh Bam Biere.

The four beer available on draft from JP.

North Peak tap handles.

North Peak flight: Dark Angel Cherry Porter, Dubious Chocolate Stout, Wander Session IPA, Sinuous Celtic Ale, Furry Black IPA, Vicious Wheat IPA.
The session IPA was just fantastic.  Huge hop aroma and very refreshing for the heat of the day.  The Sinuous Celtic Ale was really a wonderful mash-up of a scotch ale and a red ale.  Crisp and refreshing while still being malty and roasty.  The Vicious wheat IPA was another winner.  I thought it to be in the same arena as Gumballhead, and very good.

Front door of Jolly Pumpkin

The next night we went to Mackinaw Brewing Company in downtown Traverse City.  They are a full service restaurant and brewery downtown.  I got another flight here and I really liked their seasonal brown ale.  It was very full and robust, but it was finished with honey and provided a nice sweetness to the beer. They had a cider and a mead on the menu that were also highlights of the the flight.

Left to right: G.T. Golden, Peninsula Pale Ale, Red 8 Ale, downtown brown, oatmeal stout

Left to right: oatmeal stout, West Bay IPA, Hard Apple Cider, and a mead.

 I've got some more beer trip photos I will share in the next couple of days.

Cheers!

Matt

KOTBR #89 - Revenge of the Delayed Liveblogging - Halloween Edition

Our first go-around with delayed liveblogging was an delayed overnight success - meaning we haven't yet experienced its success, but we're sure it's going to take off any overnight now.

But rather than rest on our yet-to-be-acquired laurels, we've decided to do it again. This time, we've thrown another complication into the works - this time, it's Halloween. So grab your wife, husband, children, pets, elderly, withered and poor, servant or free, gentile or Jew... grab them, lock the doors, sit around the fire, and prepare for a bone-chilling delayed liveblogging experience of spooktactular proportions.

The beer we're drinking tonight was acquired on our trip to Michigan. We didn't know much about Arbor Brewing Company when we started this roundtable, and I think you'll see that we didn't know much about them after it was over, either.

We were joined by long-time reader/KOTBR friend John, who has the misfortune of also being Rodney's coworker. Here we go.


Mike typing Arbor Brewing Company Strawberry Blonde

Rodney: This beer is $2.19, you got it from Siciliano's, and Arbor Brewing Company is from Ypsilanti, which is like a Viking city.
Jess: I don't get a lot of strawberry.
Gina: I smell some. I get the strawberry when you breathe out, like on the exhale.

Everyone stares at the screen to see if I'm actually liveblogging.

Rod: Alright, liveblogging.
John: I could drink a lot of this.
Rod: I could do a kegstand of this.
John: I rate all my beer in kegstands - like I could kegstand this for 30-40 seconds.
Rod: I get strawberries and banana in this. I get a kinda... a strawberry juice.
John: It's a fruity something.
Jess: I like that there's such a price difference between these beers. (The beers all have pricetags on their caps, which is just the way the liquor store does business.)
Rod: I get fresh strawberries, like real strawberries. Of all the strawberry beers I've had, this is the most accurate.
John: It's got some stuff floating in it.
Rod: It's probably bottle conditioned.

We're listening to Halloween sound effects, and the current sound is something like someone driving a spike into a ground. Someone decides that the sound is someone playing table tennis. Or badminton. With moon gravity.

A discussion of Rob Zombie movies happens. We're talking about Halloween and John says, "I don't really like those Michael Myers movies - I saw The Love Guru and it wasn't very good."

Rod: Are we mug rating Strawberry Blonde?

YES.

Jess: I give it 2.4.
Rod: I give it a 3.2 because I think that for a strawberry blonde it's an accurate beer. It's very accurate of the title.
Gina; I give it 3.6, I like it and I think it's really good.
Rod: I think if you like fruit beer...
Jess: See, I like fruit beer, but I got too much feet.
FEET?
I think the beer is a little watery, but it is what is is. 2.74
John: I'm similar to Gina, I'd give it a 3.5. I thought it was good, though I'm a fan of sweeter beers anyway.

Jess gets a fresh pour of the beer, and realizes her sample was somehow tainted.

Jess: Nevermind, give me a 3.2.
Rod: Yeah, give me a copy of Rodney.
John: I think this is better if you get the chunks.

Arbor Brewing Strawberry Blonde
Rodney: 3.2 mugs | Jess: 3.2 mugs | Gina: 3.6 mugs | Mike: 2.74 mugs | Guest Judge John: 3.5 mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.24 Mugs


Gina typing Arbor Brasserie Blonde Sparkling Ale

Rod: What's a sparkling ale anyway?
John: It is the Miller High Life of this beer.
Rod: This is chunky. Who's shaking these bottles.
Rod: It's fruity.
Jess: I get pineapple juice and then something weird in the flavor at the end of it.
Rod: Almost all I get out of this is pineapple juice. Maybe apple. It's not that sparkling.
John: Maybe it means how the chunks catch the light. It's almost got a kind of sour thing going on.
Jess: It's almost like when pineapple goes a little bad. Kind of fizzy.
Mike: That's going to be the next wave of craft beer, to see how bad you can make it. Like "Lost Abbey made their beer so wrong this year. They used like a turnip and some ants."
Rod: Maybe they can come up with something that would send ants crawling out of the bottle when it gets opened.
John: Like a rocket widget.
Rod: I like how we've abandoned talking about the beer.
Jess: Arbor Brewing started in 1987.
Mike: Tasting this with pumpkin seeds reminds me of how a public restroom air freshener smells.
Jess: I would say 2.4. Rancid pineapple juice gets a lower score.
John: It's hitting my love for sour beer.
Mike: Uh, It's wrong and I know it's wrong, but I'd drink it again. 3.
Gina: I give it 2.5 Mugs.
John: I give it 3, it reminds me of sour beers which I enjoy.
Rod: I give it 2.45. I might have ranked it higher if it advertised itself as some type of pineapple beer.

Arbor Brewing Brasserie Blonde Sparkling Ale
Mike: 3.00 Mugs | Jess: 2.4 Mugs | Rodney: 2.45 Mugs | Gina: 2.5 Mugs | John: 3.00 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 2.67 Mugs


Rodney typing Arbor Brewing Bliss Hefeweizen

Mike: That doesn't smell like a hefe to me.
Jess: I don't get bananas.
Mike: ..maybe a little bit.
John: It smells like a hefeweizen to me, more citrusy than bananay.
Jess: I get cloves.
Mike: When I think of Bliss I think of watery green beans. Which is what this tastes like.
Rod: I think it smells like bananas, tastes a bit like lemons and limes.
Jess: I thought you said womens.
Mike: It's like the most boring craft beer ever.
Rod: Man Mike, that's damning.
John: Whatever, he bought it.
Mike: I mean, what do you say about it?
John: It smelled like a wheat beer but then it didn't taste like much of anything.
Jess: I give this one a 2.2, Arbor brewing is not impressing me.
Mike: Yeah, it's not like it's bad it's just why bother?
Gina: Seeing that they are in Michigan, I wonder if we got old stuff?
John: Why can't they put born-on dates on these? Why couldn't you go to their brewpub and bring some back?
Mike: Mug score for that beer was 2.
John: Yeah me too.
Gina: Copiers.
Rod: Man when you type copiers you think of the machine. I'm going to give it a 2.6.

Arbor Brewing Bliss Hefeweizen
Jess: 2.2 Mugs | Mike: 2.00 Mugs | John: 2.00 Mugs | Gina: 2.00 Mugs | Rodney: 2.6 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 2.16 Mugs


Gina typing Arbor Brewing Co. Old Number 22 Alt Beer

*insert sound effects about crossing the bridge*
Mike: I feel this guy just stands there telling people not to cross the bridge.
John: It's like the guy on 38th street.
Mike: I know it's like you have your windows up so you can't hear him.
Rod: I think this glass is more than one ounce.
Mike: You just should worry about crossing the bridge.

*conversation about the battery dying on the laptop*

Mike: I think we need to figure out what number 22 is.
John: Maybe he was a baseball player.

*more discussion about the Halloween sound effects*

Mike: Uh, the beer. I get coffee.
Rod: I get a little bit of the rubbery flavor I get out of dark beers.
Mike: I get black coffee, like bitter coffee.

*insert discussion about eating cereal instead of crackers*

John: But, yeah, the rubbery taste. I'm getting it.
Rod: Coffee and some of the flavors I get out of a brown ale. Like an American brown ale.
Mike: It reminds me of that beer...
Rod: Dark Horse?
Mike: Yeah, like that beer Dark Horse does (Dark Horse Black Bier - the one with the donkey on the label). But not as good.
Gina: I don't really have anything to say about it.
John: Yeah, I don't have a lot to say, but I haven't had the Dark Horse beer.
Rod: Mike has skulls on his shoes, they are his Halloween shoes that he only wears once a year.
John: You could drink beer out of it (Mike's shoe) and then it would be really chunky.
Rod: If anything this beer should be commended for its lack of chunks.
Mike: If I'm going to drink a chunky beer then I want it to be a dark beer, kinda like chili.
Rod: I give it a 3, run of the mill.
Mike: I give it a 2.87.
Gina: 2.3
Jess: I give it a 2.0.
John: I'll go 2.5.

Arbor Brewing Company Old Number 22 Alt Beer
John: 2.5 Mugs | Rodney: 3.0 Mugs | Gina: 2.3 Mugs | Mike: 2.87 Mugs | Jess: 2.0 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 2.53 Mugs


Gina typing Arbor Brewing Company Red Snapper Amber Ale

Rod: I'm looking forward to these next two beers. I think they are going to be better.
John: It's got a hop smell, no?
Jess: It smells like yeast.
Mike: I think it's a little bit...Tootsie Rolls.
Rod: It tastes like a good homebrew Amber. It depends on you if you consider that an insult.
Mike: I think it has a pretty nice balance.
Jess: I think it's kinda homebrew-y.
Rod: I'm getting caramel, brown sugar.
John: Mike is making too many tasting sounds.
Mike: I'm just trying to get inspiration.
Rod: Man! In a bank! With a sack of gourds! Go!
John: I don't think this is improv, Rod.

John is following twitter on his phone while this is all happening.

John: I don't get this twitter..."What's your favorite sex position? The Bourne Ultimatum."

Rod: So mug scores. I'm going to go 3.2.
Jess: 2.8
Gina: 2.2
Mike: 3.13
John: 3

Arbor Brewing Company Red Snapper Amber Ale
Rod: 3.2 Mugs | Jess: 2.8 Mugs | Gina: 2.2 Mugs | Mike: 3.13 Mugs | John: 3.0 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 2.86 Mugs


Gina typing Arbor Brewing Co. Sacred Cow IPA

Rod: Sacred Cow is a good name, but not necessarily for an IPA.
Mike: When I think of IPA, I don't always think of India.
Group: OOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhhh. India Pale Ale, IPA, Sacred Cow.
Rod: It's kinda creamy. Kind of an herbal hoppiness. Grapefruit juice.
Mike: It's kinda chewy.
Mike: So is that more IPA or Pale Ale? I think this is the best one we've had.
John: I'm not a hoppy person, but I like this.
Jess: I think it's more Pale Ale.

Mike: 3
Jess: 3.2
Rod: 3.1
John: 2.5 cause I'm not a hops fan.
Gina: 2.9

Arbor Brewing Company Sacred Cow IPA
Mike: 3.0 Mugs | Jess: 3.2 Mugs | Rodney: 3.1 Mugs | John: 2.5 Mugs | Gina: 2.9 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 2.94 Mugs