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If you asked me offhand, I would say that I would not like lemon zested beer. My fear, you see, would be that it would be like drinking Lemon Pledge. Somehow though, through the magic of I-don’t-know-what, local brewers hit the, er, lemon on the head with some tasty summertime brews.
I’ve had BeerTodd/Copper Canyon’s Summerzest was the first “lemon zesty” beer that I ever had. I can’t describe it to you in detail, as it’s been a long time since I’ve had it, but I think it was a Witbier and I know it had a zangy ginger/lemon taste to it.
Next, I had Clementine Lemon Thyme from Liberty Street. That was an amazing beer also, as the thyme addition balanced out a strong lemon taste. I checked the website, and it appears that this summertime regular is up and running at the pub.
Most recently, Boyfriend Ken and I stopped by Atwater in Detroit. I’d never been to Atwater, as I always seemed to go with they were closed. Indeed, we first swung by at about 2pm on Saturday and the place was deserted. So I asked my trust phone and learned they opened at 4pm. We amused ourselves at Edsel Ford’s estate (day-um, my man had some cool shit goin’ down there) and then headed back.
At first, we were all atwitter as to whether or not we were in the right place. You see, it looked like the brewery was open, but not the bar. Then we realized that the brewery was the bar. So we sort of tiptoed in (picture that user pic of the Kool-Aid man busting in and then realizing he just “OH YEAH”‘ed his way into a church and then backing out slowly? Just picture the backing out slowly, only backing in…you know what? Never mind) and quickly found out that we were in the right place.
We sat at the bar, as I like to do, and got a sampler. To Boyfriend Ken’s dismay, the Decadent Chocolate beer was not on tap, but we were delighted to discover something awesome: Summertime Ale. Again, this is a lemony beer, and again, it manages not to taste like Lemon Pledge. I am not sure of the base beer (I forgot to ask the bartender), but it is a light, “lawnmower” ale type beer with a strong up front taste of lemons and mellow finish. Low carbonation and would be perfect after a day in the sun. It is perfect during a day of cleaning your house with the a/c on, I can tell you from personal experience.
Like summer, these beers are fleeting so take the lemons that life gives you and MAKE BEER, SON (and daughter)!
Posted in Beer News 
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Original Gravity was kind enough to let MIbeerbuzz host a Michigan Beer Toast this Friday, May 11 at 6pm. Brad will also be releasing a Bourbon 
Barrel Aged Ginger Ale plus one dollar off pints for anyone wearing a Michigan brewery shirt. Show up early and enjoy happy hour from 3 – 6pm.
What is the Michigan Beer Toast? Michigan was the first state to ratify the 21st Amendment on April 10, 1933 which would lead to the eventual end of prohibition. Yet, it was going to take 35 more states to ratify the amendment and no one was really sure how long that process would take. America was thirsty and Washington realized that it was much easier to amend The Volstead Act by changing the allowed percentage of alcohol from .5 to 3.2 by weight. It was still up to each state to pass similar legislation to sell legal 3.2 beer. Michigan did just that and designated May 11, 1933 at 6pm as the exact time when legal beer could be purchased again.
This toast celebrates the men and women who worked to reclaim our right to drink beer and the breweries that make Michigan the great beer state.
Posted in beer, Beer Event, Original Gravity 1 Comment »
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It sometimes amazes me that I get paid to do the job that I do. I love organizing and scheduling and it has that. I love working with kids and it has that. I love teaching teachers, community members and parents new ways of working with students with disabilities and God knows, it has lots of that! It’s not the perfect job, of course—that would be the $200,000 per year job where you sit on your ass, all day long, hang out with your friends and drink beer that does not make you get fat. The next best thing (other than my day job) is the job that I did this past Saturday night—a beer tasting!
My pal Tammy runs a popular business called Tammy’s Tastings. She got hired to run a beer tasting at a birthday party and, smart woman that she is, hired me to be her wingwoman. I must confess to being a little nervous before the party: what if someone asked me something I didn’t know the answer to? What if someone heckled us? What if I spilled beer all over? What if the ghost of Samuel Adams danced in, waving firecrackers at us?! What if what if what?!?!
But it was all good. No hecklers, no spillages, no ghosts of brewers past—just some rockin’ ales. The birthday girl preferred Belgians and the party thrower preferred pale ales, so Tammy and I tried for the best of both worlds. We did a blind taste test wherein people tasted the eight samples at their leisure, followed by a “grand reveal” by us.
We started with Sam Smith’s English Pale Ale, a beer I felt best exemplified the English pale ale style. It got a lukewarm reaction from the crowd (only three self-identified as beer geeks). I found it a bit more plain than I remembered it, and had to remind myself that it is an English pale and I shouldn’t expect the bam of a, well, of a Bam.
The American Pale Ale was represented by Great Lakes Burning River. This batch seemed hoppier than usual, and so a lot of folks guessed that it was an IPA. Nevertheless, a lot of people seemed to like it.
I have to confess that I haven’t had a lot of English IPAs in my day, so I took Beer Advocate’s recommendation and got the St. Peters IPA. Wow! Am I glad that I did! This beer was my personal “find” of the night. It had almost an earthy, smoky quality to it, rounded out by those wonderful bitter hops. Quite a few people picked this as their personal favorite.
Our American IPA had to be Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. I got to give a spiel about the 75, 90 and 120 minute IPAs and I think I impressed a few souls, if I do say so myself.
Next up, we featured our Belgium beers: Duval, Delirium Tremens and the Franco-Belgian beer from our own Jolly Pumpkin, Oro de Calabaza. I have actually never had the first two beers, as I am not a huge Belgian fan. I was very fond of the “pink elephant” beer—nice and strong, but easy drinking. Reactions were decidedly mixed on the two “true” Belgian beers…some folks immediately recognized that they were not fans and others were just the opposite.
The biggest surprise for me was the strong, mostly negative, reaction to the Jolly Pumpkin. One of the categories on their informal score sheets was “Blech”; I was completely floored by the number of people who said that they thought the beer was even worse than that. People in the crowd were similarly floored when I announced all of the awards that Jolly Pumpkin generally and that beer specifically had won. Perhaps it is an acquired taste?
Our final beer was our “wild card” and it was met with a strong reaction of mostly positive reviews. It is one of my favorite beers and comes from a lovely brewery in Grand Rapids. Its label has an old man on it and it is 6.6% ABV. If you guessed Red’s Rye, then you are correct, my child. A lot of people said that this was their favorite beer of the night.
The whole experience was awesome for me, especially when I heard people at their tables talking about the beer. I heard words like “banana”, “earthy”, “balanced”, “bitter”, “nose”, “head” and all sorts of words that I would not expect from a non-beer geek group. It truly made my heart soar like a hawk, as my creepy 10th grade Social Studies teacher used to say.
So if you need a beer tasting at your next party–or if you just think Tammy & I would be fun to party with (we are)–you know what to do! 
Posted in Ann Arbor, beer, Beer Event 3 Comments »
In beer cellars, coolers, and storage rooms wherever Bell’s is distributed, kegs and bottles of Oberon are awaiting Monday, March 26, 2012 at 12:01 AM so that it can be shared with the public. It is the first sign of summer in Michigan even though this year it follows 4 or 5 days of 80 degree weather.
Harbor Inn & Ale, 129 Lounge and Mugsy’s in Monroe had kegs delivered Friday and hopefully they will have it on tap Monday. It will be in bottles at the usual stores that carry good beer.
Oberon is a fantastic summer beer and once we start getting into the season more places will have it on draft. If your bar is not one of those and you live in Michigan you should question why do you drink there? That is the equivalent of not having Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” in a jukebox in the late 70′s. It is some of the best stuff our state has to offer so have some pride and put it on draft. And don’t try to sell me a Sunset Wheat as a substitute. That is the Terry Jack’s “Seasons of the Sun” of beer. If you remember that song as being good you should go back and listen to it.
Locally, there will be a release party in Flat Rock at Big Bear Lodge. Here are the details…
Mar 26, 2012
7-9 p.m
Big Bear Lodge Telegraph Road
Brownstown Township
$3 for 14 oz.
$4 for 22 oz.
$5 appetizers
drawings and prices
Posted in Beer Event, Beer News, Michigan No Comments »
March of Dimes Beer & Wine Tasting
Saturday, March 24
1:00pm – 4:00pm
Harbor Inn & Ale
13993 Laplaisance Rd Monroe, MI
30.00 per person for twelve 3oz. pours featuring Michigan Beer and Wine. Plus there is a buffet!
Tha March of Dimes Monroe Advisory Board and Harbor Inn & Ale are proud to present a Michigan Beer and Wine Tasting. Beer and wine supplied by Rave Associates.
For tickets call:
Pam Levin, 734-761-6331
Darcy Merritt, 734-457-4445
Posted in Beer Event, Beer News, fundraiser, Michgan products, Monroe MI, wine No Comments »
The Founders Kentucky Breakfast release date is upon us! Tomorrow (March 16) KBS hits the stores but since it is a limited release that is in high demand not every store will have it. That is why I am saving my fellow Monroe County citizens some time and effort by letting you know which stores will have it. PLEASE! do not use this information to buy KBS with the intent of selling it on ebay. Let us beer geeks have our beer.
Here are the three stores that will be selling KBS…
Flick’s Package Liquor in Lambertville
Jake’s in Monroe
Broadway in Monroe
Founders is placing an 1/2 case per person limit on KBS but some places may limit you to less than that. I’ll see you tomorrow in the beer aisle.
Posted in beer, Beer News, Michigan, Monroe, Monroe MI No Comments »
A few days ago Mike O’Brien posted about a recent to Original Gravity on the Craft Beer in Michigan Yahoo group. I enjoyed reading it so I thought I would share it with you. I asked Mike to add a short introduction (he made it modest) for those who don’t know him.
I am Mike O’Brien – BrewGyver. I spend my days – and some evenings – helping breweries stay running. I did help Brad install the equipment at OG and was there the day I did the sampling to help Brad rebuild the brewhouse pump. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Brad and sampling a couple of his new beers. Brad’s Belgian offering is now all grown up. He has taken off his Training Wheels and is now serving 2-Wheeler Wit. A delicately balance beer with ‘just the right amount’ of spice.
Ez-Duz-It is his offering for a lighter IPA (4.2%) that is lacking nothing that you would expect in a hoppy IPA – great Amarillo character . . . and you can have more than one!
The latest addition of his BellyWasher (Scotch Ale) is nicely smokey with an addition of crystal rye?! If you think that his ‘famous’ 440 Pepper Smoker now has just a little bit more of a kick you are right. Brad added a couple of Habanero peppers to this batch – still super drinkable!
The current beer list on a chalk board -you can read from across the room Brad’s always delicious sandwiches are now available on beer bread from the Erie Bread Co. Wednesday’s Erie Bread Co.’s beer bread is sold by the loaf. This week was Porter Rye – mmm! If you haven’t been there in a while – it’s time to go back! If you have never been to OG?! – shame on you! Look what you are missing!
Mike O’Brien
BrewGyver
I share Mike’s love of Original Gravity. It is what I would want my brewery to be if I owned one. Fantastic beer. Brad’s sense of community (using a local bakery, hosting a farmer’s market) and a family atmosphere makes OG a special part of the community. Thanks Brad! We will be out to drink one soon.
Posted in beer, Beer Review, Brewery/Brewpub, Erie Bread Company, local food, Michigan, Monroe, Original Gravity 3 Comments »
The Muskrat Mashers are having a “Learn to Make Beer” open to the public event this Thursday, February 9, from 6pm to 9pm at Harbor Inn & Ale. The event hopes to encourage new people to brew by having educational displays, a Q & A session with experienced homebrewers plus one lucky person will be walking away with a brand new starter kit from Adventures in Homebrewing!
Click here for the facebook page. Here is more information about this event from the Muskrat Mashers website.
If you’ve ever kicked around trying to make your own beer, we invite you to stop out to our February gathering. Our plan is to have some equipment set up, some fliers to hand out, and members of the club will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about getting started brewing. Also if you haven’t checked out Harbor Inn and Ale, they have a fantastic lineup of Michigan made beers!
The Muskrat Mashers is an informal homebrew club that meets once a month to discuss one thing: How to make beer. The group isn’t made up of a bunch of chemists or master brewers, we’re just regular people, that get together to enjoy quality beer and talk about how we made it. The club has a mix of people from newbies to seasoned brewers. We love helping new people get started with brewing, because somewhere along the way, someone experienced helped us get started.
Learn to make Beer!Thursday, February 9th 6-9pm @ Harbor Inn & Ale – Monroe, MI (click for map)
Public Welcome! Ever wonder how beer was made? Ever consider making it yourself? Stop out for an evening dedicated to how to brew your own beer. Members of the local homebrew club Muskrat Mashers will be on hand to discuss the basics of making your own beer from buying equipment and choosing a recipe to bottling or kegging the final product.
- • Equipment and ingredient displays/discussions/handouts
- • Discussions on how easy it is to make your own beer
- • Already brewing? Meet other local homebrewers!
Posted in Beer Event, Brewing, Homebrew Club, Monroe MI, Muskrat Mashers 3 Comments »
We are the Great Beer State. With brewpubs opening to packed houses and awesome movies like this, it should come as no surprise that we are seeing an increase in beer festivals. This winter alone, you have your choice of festivals in Grand Rapids, Jackson or Westborn Market’s 3rd Annual Beer Fest.
This Saturday, January 28, will see the Royal Oak Music Theater transformed into a big ol’ beer fest featuring over 80 beers from around the state, nation and planet. Over ten new beers will have their own malt-tastic “debutante coming out” party at the fest. What I think is extra cool about this fest is that it benefits Camp Casey, which is a horseback riding campe for kids with cancer. Seriously, could it BE any more win-win??
Speaking of win, check out some of the brewpubs that will be in attendance: Arbor Brewing, Arcadia, New Holland, Brewery Vivant and Dark Horse. !!!! In addition to the beers, there will be local vendors including Chuck & Dave’s Salsa, which will feature beer-inspired food samples. More win!
So what precipitated this event? Well, straight from the horse’s mouth (i.e. Jason Dristan – Beer Fest Co-Founder), “We recognized Metro Detroit did not have a true Beer Fest during the Winter and wanted to fill that void. This is the third year we have scheduled it the weekend between the NFL Championships and the Super Bowl. It is the perfect answer to cure the ‘winter blues’.” Yes, yes it is!
The event starts at 8pm and goes until midnight. The ceremonial keg tapping will be at 9pm and feature representatives from Camp Casey, Westborn Market and the city of Royal Oak. They will tap a special Michigan Brewing Company Winter Cask Ale.
Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. You will get 25 beer samples, you will help out a great cause and you will satisfy your palate. Did someone say something about WIN…?
Here are some picture of last year’s festival. Because these pictures are awesome, you should by now know that they were most certainly not taken by me! (Thanks to Dana from On the Rocks Detroit!)
Posted in Beer Event, fundraiser 2 Comments »
Some people think of Friday the 13th with a sense of doom fearing that something bad is lirking right around the corner. I on the other hand am looking forward to Hopslam arriving in Monroe today knowing that four of my five senses will be very happy tonight.
I found out that kegs are arriving today at McGeady’s and Harbor Inn & Ale. I talked to the owner of HIA and he said that it will be on tap today.
Bottles will be showing up in stores so look for them at Jake’s and Foodtown.
Posted in Beer News 1 Comment »
May 29, 2012 by Patti Smith 
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