Beginning tomorrow, Sunday August 31, at 7 p.m., McGeady’s Pub in Monroe will debut their The I-75 Film Series, a monthly indy film series showcasing talented filmmakers and their work. The goal of series is to promote independent filmmaking on all levels.
Each month they will showcase different indie and student films from around the country. Submissions are $5.00 for short and student films, and $10.00 for feature length. The films will be viewed by a panel of four film/video professionals including award-winning filmmakers, videographers and writers. Selection will be based on originality, creativity, and overall production quality. Each month, selected films will be shown at McGeady’s in front of a live audience. The film-makers will have the option of introducing their film and participating in a Q and A about their production with the audience. After the screening, film makers will be contacted with feedback and critiques of thier production.
This is the kind of cool/artsy event that I am happy to see in Monroe and I hope it is successful. So I’d encourage all indie movie buffs in Monroe to check it out. Admission to each screening event is FREE. What’s even better? McGeady’s has a decent (and hopefully growing) selection of bottled Michigan beers available for you to imbibe while you take in the films!
Go to the I-75 Film Series MySpace page for more info.
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The Labor Day weekend is here. Since Labor Day has come to mean the end of summer it also means the end of the summer festival season. I prefer Fall so I am not lamenting the end of summer. Fall is brewing on the deck, football, sitting by a fire, and the return of stouts.
While my weekend will be eagerly anticipating the birth of our first child. Yes, we have the Groaning Ale all ready to go. Outside of the delivery room the one place this weekend I would want to be is the Chain O Lakes Music Festival. It combines great music with world class beer. Here are the details.
August 29-31: Chain O Lakes Music Festival with The Ragbirds, Pinky Lee, Rose Fraser, The Squeaky Clean Cretins, Luke Winslow-King, Susan Fawcett, Seth Bernard, (Daisy) May Erlewine, and Who Hit John?
The following shows are part of the first ever Labor Day weekend music festival held at Short’s Brewing and Chain O Lakes Campground in Bellaire, presented by Earthwork Music.
Tickets available the weekend of the event at the venues.
Chain O Lakes Campground is located on M-88 just south of Bellaire.
Contact Chain O Lakes Campground for information on camping sites - (231)533-8432
What are your plans for this weekend? What will you be drinking? If for some reason your plans are to come by my house? Bring Jolly Pumpkin! That’s a hint, Chandra.
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Just one more thing that I found on the Mental Floss website. One of their bloggers Ethan Trex wrote a great blog on why we have the drinking age set at 21 . The link is below.
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/17893
Posted in Beer History, Beer and Politics 1 Comment »
I found this really cool article in  Mental Floss’ special election issue (Mental Floss is a magazine that specializes in trivial knowledge. It is well written, informative and also has an humorous side.) The title of this issue is “The Wildest Rides to the White House.” One of the articles talks about some of the most contentious conventions ever. Â
The article deals with politics, prohibtion and grown men acting like 4 year olds. The intention of this post is not to besmirch modern religions, Democrats or 4 year olds. It just demonstrates that the Good Old Days weren’t always so good. So in honor of the Democratic National Convention this week and the 75th anniversary of repeal of the 18th amendment I bring you…
“The Convention Turned Klanbake” by Brendan Speigel
“For Americans accustomed to today’s tame scripted political conventions, the 1924 Democratic Convention went down more like a taping of The Jerry Springer Show. On one side was New York Governor Al Smith, supported by urban Catholic voters who favored his efforts to repeal prohibition. On the other side was former Treasury Secretary William McAdoo, who drew the rural, Protestant, anti-alcohol supporters-a contingent that included the Ku Klux Klan. A powerful political force at the time, the Klan had vowed to defeat the Catholic Smith. As politicians on both sides made speeches on the convention floor, hooded Klansmen standing outside burned a cross and defaced effigies of Smith. When a group of outraged delegates motioned to officially condemn the Klan for their actions, the convention plunged into chaos, with pro-and anti Klan delegates shouting each other off the podium and breaking into noisy parades. Eventually, police had to be called in to restore order. the Klan measure failed by just one vote, but that was only a prelude to the nomination fight. The delegates voted a record 103 times, with neither Smith nor McAdoo able to secure a majority. After 16 turbulent days, both candidates agreed to step aside, and the party settled on another nominee-former Solicitor General John Davis.”
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“Oh no! What have I done? I smashed open my little boy’s piggy bank, and for what? A few measly cents, not even enough to buy one beer… Wait a minute, lemme count and make sure … not even close.
- Homer Simpson
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One place that I always thought nicely bridged the gap between pathetic loners sitting at a bar enjoying lunch and a beer to happily married men having brunch with their families on a Sunday, sipping a local craft beer was Tony Packo’s in Toledo. One day I hoped that the bridge would span to bringing our kid along and enjoying lunch while our kid drinks from a sippy cup while I enjoy my beer. Yes, taking the kid to Dick Waters pool (our local public pool) and then going down to Toledo for a hot dog would be a fun-filled family day. Thanks to Tony Packo’s, unless things change, that day just got less fun.
Okay, it’s a long way to go to mention that Tony Packo’s no longer serves Great Lakes Brewing Co. (and also to point out that our public pool is named Dick Waters.)  I know there is no way that Tony Packo’s will read this but, Tony! Why did you make that decision? Okay, you replaced it with Shiner Bock which is fine if you live in Texas but you aren’t in Texas. You are in Ohio and you are an institution. When presidential candidates come through Toledo and they want to seem like regular guys they stop at your place. When Gabe Kaplan comes through Toledo pushing his autobiography and needs a photo op to promote his signing at Border’s he stops at your place. When once popular bands that used to play stadiums are down to playing old movie theatres with their one remaining member, they stop at your place. And now, these people can’t enjoy the best that Ohio has to offer? The Crickets deserve to have local craft beer. They’re from Texas. They can have Shiner Bock anytime.
The remedy is simple. Put Great Lakes back on tap and/or serve it in bottles. You would be supporting a local brewery and spotlighting that great beer can be made in Ohio. To not serve GLBC is taking a step back in time. A time when the greatest accomplishment in American brewing was to get Mean Joe Greene to push your product.
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August 20, 2008 by Rob
Ann Arbor: Weber’s Restaurant & Hotel will host the Special Chef’s Dinner Beer & BBQ featuring beers from Michigan Brewing Company in Webberville, MI on Tuesday, August 26, 2008.
Chef Tye of Weber’s will feature baby back ribs, quartered chicken, corn on the cob, corn bread, fruit salad, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw and more.
Michigan Brewing Company beers to include:Â High Seas IPA, Mackinac Pale Ale, Sunset Amber Lager, Peninsula Porter, Wheatland Wheat and Michigan Nut Brown.
The cost of the event is $35.00 per person and starts at 6:00 p.m.
Weber’s Restaurant & Hotel is located at 3050 Jackson Rd., Ann Arbor, MI. Call for reservations (734) 665-3636
Download PDF for more information.
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Okay I must confess…Oro de Calabaza is not my favorite Jolly Pumpkin beer. But I drank all my Bam Noire while working on the baby’s room so that review will have to wait for another day. I know that Bam Noire is released in September but I love drinking it in the summer. It is perfect for the dog days of summer and is only 4.3% ABV so I can still function after drinking a few. But how ridiculous of me to talk of other beers when I have an Oro de Calabaza right here in front of me. You should always treat the beer in your glass like there is no other beer in the room. In honor of Cindy I will spotlight Oro de Calabaza.
Beer: Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza
Brewery: Jolly Pumpkin in Dexter, MI
Style: Biere De Garde
Beer Advocate Rating: A-
ABV: 8%
Serving Temperature: 45 to 50 degrees F.
Food pairing: I think would be awesome with whitefish and salmon or salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Really any vinaigrette dressing would complement this well. For dessert I would pair it with a tart Michigan cherry pie. Or how about a whole Michigan dinner theme?! Lake Superior white fish encrusted with bread crumbs and parmesan with a tart cherry sauce drizzled on top of it. I just got hungry. (Feel free to throw in your own suggestions. Pairing food and beer is somewhat subjective and I would love to hear what you think.)
Appearance: The body is golden and cloudy. The head pours over the glass with tight small (similar to champagne) bubbles. The head soon goes down but enough lingers so that when you swirl the glass lace forms around the edge.
Aroma: I put a Breath-Right strip on for this part of my tasting experience. Now, I’m going to explain the aroma and a lot of people who don’t drink craft beer are going to say “Yuck.” In no way does this smell like yuck. The first smell that hits you is the sourness. Not a sourness like sour candy or something sugary but a funky sour. Funky in a good way. After taking in a deep breath I am sensing some pepper.
Taste and Mouth-feel: I just took a sip and man that is good! To me there is nothing as tasty as a sour beer done right.  This is a great example of one of those beers. The carbonation wakes up the taste-buds and sits clean in your mouth. The sourn and spicy taste stays on your tongue for a spell, perfect for a sipping beer. That sourness is described by some as horse blanket and for lack of a better term that is about right. Trust me that is a good thing. Once you let this sit in your mouth and enjoy the sour, spicy and black pepper I am sure you would agree. A real light hop flavor to it.
Overall Impression: I haven’t had an Oro in a probably a year. Nothing against this beer I just love other beer from Jolly Pumpkin more. This taste reminded me of what a great beer this is. A beer you can enjoy at anytime. I just wish I had another right now.
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“Oh, Lisa, you and your stories: Bart’s a vampire. Beer kills brain cells. Now let’s go back to that… building… thingie… where our beds and TV… is.” - Homer Simpson
If you are unfamiliar with Magellan’s fate click here for the best summary of his final voyage. If you want to avoid his fate click on Craft Beer Explorers on the Beer Locator website. I have just signed up and joined the ranks of Magellan, Columbus and Armstrong. And I was able to do this while staying home and not putting on my pants. I am sure the Natives that Columbus either killed or enslaved wished he would have done the same.
Beer and exploration go hand in hand. We have heard the legend that the Mayflower was running low on beer and needed to stop at Plymouth Rock. One of the cooler stories that I heard about the Mayflower was about when it landed. Folklore tells that one of the first questions asked of the people on the Mayflower was, “Where is the beer?” Is it true? Who knows, but the first brewery in America was built 8 years earlier so it could be true. If I was there, it would have been the first question out of my mouth.
One of the cooler trips my wife and I made was out to Boston. It took the expedition of three days before we pulled into Watertown. On our trek, we stopped at Great Lakes Brewing Co. for Oktoberfest, Wiloughby Brewing and a real ale festival in Syracuse. Once in Boston we visited Harpoon, Cambridge Brewing Co., Boston Beer Works, and John Havard’s. We also visited some great beer bars located in Cambridge. The prep was the toughest part of the whole trip. No longer! When you sign up to be a beer explorer you can get this route mapped out for you.
The Craft Beer Locator has a lot of features that make the site unique and very useful and the information is direct from the breweries, so its reliable. You can get updates through email or text messages of events at your favorite breweries and your own personal webpage. You can also think to yourself, ”I want a Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire,” look it up on the Beer locator page and find out the nearset place where it is sold. There are so many features that perhaps it’s just better to give you the link to their description of what Craft Beer locator is.
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August 19, 2008 by jnaz
I saw this in the Ann Arbor News:
http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/08/college_presidents_call_for_de.html
The snide comment about the police not enforcing the drinking age at some of these college towns is kinda annoying. So is the comment that colleges want to lower the drinking age because it’s a nuisance to have it at 21.
I’ve always felt that lowering the drinking age would help reduce binge drinking in college but have recently been pointed to studies that cause me to question this. You would have to depend on the parents to help their children develop healthy and responsible drinking habits, and not all parents will do that.
Part of the problem with getting good information is that a lot of it comes from groups that have an agenda and will do and say anything to promote it.
One thing that has always bothered me is that someone can choose to serve their country at 18 but can’t legally have a beer with a parent before they leave.
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