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!)
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.
Why certain retail businesses fail and while others succeed has long intrigued me. Ann Arbor, especially, intrigues me to no end. I have gone to some wonderful places only to see them close (I still mourn Pelagos), yet it seems people will pay $30 for a piece of lettuce in other places. I mean, sure, the lettuce was pooped out by a goat wearing an organic headdress made of hemp and singing harmonies, but still, it’s a piece of $#&!^ lettuce!!! As someone who can most definitely not afford $50 for a small plate of food, I am always on the look out for good meals for less than my hourly wage. If I can pair that food with a nice beer, all the better.
So lucky for me that I discovered Piatto Di Pasta in the southeastern part of town. Nestled in the plaza on the corner of Stone School & Ellsworth, this is an awesome Italian restaurant/take out place. A friend had recommended it and so I decided to incorporate it into my next beer pairing article. The bad news is that I had only porters in my refrigerator and, to my palate anyway, porters and Italian food don’t go that well together. Luckily, I had bought a B.Nektar Zombie Killer Cherry Cyster from Made in Michigan last week and even luckier was how well the tastes went together!
First, the food! I got two entrees, which included bread, salad (or soup) and your choice of meat, noodles and sauce. I got the penne pasta, traditional sauce and meatballs for myself and the cheese ravioli, spicy sauce and chicken for Boyfriend Ken. ZOMG—that is a clove of garlic that you see in that meatball. Yes, a clove of garlic. I ate and ate and still couldn’t finish all of the pasta (if you have ever seen my rather expansive thighs, you will know that I can eat). While waiting for Boyfriend Ken to get home, I liberated some of the ravioli from his plate. Hands down, the best I have ever eaten and in fact, I was kind of hoping he’d work late and leave all the pasta for me
See? It’s a clove of garlic! That clove is now somewhere in my stomach, awaiting further digestion.
Now the Cyser, as I said, went very well with the pasta and meat. This cider is amazing! It is basically apple cider with honey and cherries…but so much more! It’s much lighter than a mead, yet not as heavy as, say, a red wine. The honey flavor is light and adds a crispness to it, while the cherries round out the tart finish. Since Italian food is somewhat heavy, this was the perfect drink to balance it out. (A porter beer, for instance, would have just made the meal too heavy).
One of the best labels, period.
So give Piatto Di Pasta & Zombie Killer a try, individually or together. The food is locally sourced when possible and organic and the “cyser” is too…and they won’t break the bank! And no organic goats were necessary, either!
Beer drinkers looking for a reason to make a trip to Adrian, MI may soon have one. Brett and Krista Cotton, a couple from Adriann, has been giving to okay to seek a microbrewery license from the state. Click here for the complete lenconnect.com article.
We wish you luck in your new business adventure. And thank you Chris for passing this onto me.
I attended a very fun birthday party this past weekend. Because the host and hostess are awesome, they had two kegs of beer on tap: Dark Horse’s Crooked Tree and Saugatuck’s Neapolitan Stout. Both beers are fantastic; I have had Crooked Tree a bunch of times, but the stout was new to me. Might have drank a few of those.
At some point, my friends and I started consuming rather large quantities of bleu cheese. As my friend pointed out–”Bleu cheese takes like blue” and in fact, it do! (It rhymes; sue me). So the question became, “Which beer pairs best with this cheese?”
The IPA definitely had an edge. The sharp, bitter hoppiness complimented the “blue” tangy taste of bleu cheese. Crooked Tree is crisp and has, to me anyway, a nice dry finish. This finish seemed to go well with the moist texture of the “blue” tasting cheese.
My friends kind of dismissed the stout out of hand, but I think there is something to be said for it. As the name implies, it has chocolate, vanilla beans and strawberries like its namesake ice cream. Because it is a milk stout, it is creamier than many other stouts, and not as dry. I found this creaminess to be a nice compliment to the bleu cheese. It might have been a touch too much dairy for some, but I liked the sharp cheese and smooth beer combination.
Have you tried these beers with cheese? Am I off my rocker? What are some other good beers to pair with bleu cheese?
So where was I? I know, amigos, it’s been a hot minute. I’m one of those
people who either has nothing going on, or a million things going on and
I’m afraid it’s been the latter these past few months. I’ve been
drinking my fair share of fine, malted beverages, but haven’t had the
room to report upon them.
Fortunately, things appear to be settling down. Therefore, here I am!
The most recent beers in my mug were at an Ale Dinner party that I went
to last night. We had five lovely courses, each paired with an equally
lovely beer. My course was dessert, and so I made my tried and true
flourless chocolate cake (always a hit at the Seders). I brought with me
some Bell’s Porter. The party also featured Founders’ Porter (paired
with the roast beef–nice!), and so I decided to do a side-by-side
comparison of the two.
Founders’ Porter – this is a rich, smooth beer. It’s about as perfect of
a porter as I could ask for. It has chocolate notes to it, a hit of
coffee, and is balanced by the bittering hops. Having said that though,
it was not (for me anyway) perfect for the cake. I am not a huge
chocolate fan, and it was just too much. This porter went much better
with the roast beef.
Bell’s Porter – This is also a fine example of a porter. I found it not
as chocolately or coffee-y (?). The dark malts balanced with the hops, a
little more on the bitter side than the malty side. In this way, it made
a much better match with the chocolate cake, as I didn’t feel an
overload. The slight bitter taste balanced the sweet deliciousness of my
cake.
So there you have it! Two great porters that pair better with different courses. Looking forward to more, as winter slowly creeps in.
On a personal note, I want to thank my friends Kevin & Jnaz for their infinite patience with me these past few months. I’m glad to be back!
This summer I received an email from Keith Carey of the Charlevoix Downtown Development Authority. In it he mentioned the DDA’s desire to have a microbrewery in their town so I asked him if he was willing to promote it on our blog. He was.
I agree with Keith. A microbrewery would be a fantastic addition to Charlevoix. Way back in 2007 when people had computer desks and you had to text using your phone dial pad Sarah and I drove through it looking for a brewpub. While we didn’t find one, what we found was a beautiful city ( it made the Forbes list of America’s Prettiest Towns) in both location and architecture that was bustling with shoppers perusing great shops and dining at local restaurants.
I finally “sat down” for a virtual Q & A with Keith this week about the prospects of a brewery in Charlevoix. Here’s what he had to say:
What type of city is Charlevoix?
Charlevoix is a city of 3,000 year round residents that typically swells to 30,000 or more during the summer months. Our community welcomes a significant number of summer residents, or “resorters”, who relocate to their summer homes in Charlevoix between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Downtown Charlevoix is nestled on an isthmus between majestic Lake Michigan and beautiful Round Lake. Along with its beautiful water views and million-dollar sunsets, Downtown Charlevoix is most noted for its signature drawbridge which opens every hour and half hour and its truly unique waterfront shopping and dining experience.
Downtown Charlevoix is also home to the second most popular municipal marina in Michigan. This facility, along with the two square block expanse of East Park, received a $13.5 million upgrade less than five years ago. This massive renovation project expanded the number of full-service boat slips to 75 and included a new harbor master building and state-of-the-art outdoor performance pavilion. The project resulted in East Park being recognized as one of only ten “Great Public Spaces for 2009” by the American Planning Association. Charlevoix was also recently recognized as the #2 “Best Yachting Town in the World” by Yachting magazine and its readers in July 2011.
What do you see as the mutual benefits of having a brewery in Charlevoix?
Charlevoix provides an excellent opportunity for a brewery due to its loyal, year-round customer base, strong summer tourism season, unique geographic location, and vibrant events and activities calendar.
The significant upgrades to Downtown Charlevoix’s municipal marina and signature East Park also make buildings within our downtown development authority boundaries eligible for participation in Michigan’s Redevelopment Liquor License program, offering licenses at a reduced cost in exchange for private building improvement investment.
Becoming home to a brewery would broaden Charlevoix’s eatery inventory and aid us in our efforts to make our downtown a must-stop destination for dining and entertainment.
Any brewer would want to know if your water source is Lake Michigan. Is that the case?
Yes, homes and businesses within the Charlevoix city limits, including Downtown Charlevoix, receive their filtered and treated water directly from Lake Michigan.
Can anyone interested in opening a brewery contact you?
I’d welcome any opportunity to speak with folks interested in opening a brewpub here in Charlevoix (or any other business, for that matter). I can be reached by calling 231 547-3257 or emailing kcarey@cityofcharlevoix.org. If someone simply wants to learn more about Downtown Charlevoix, they can visit our webpage at www.DowntownCharlevoix.com or our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DowntownCharlevoix.
I would like to thank Keith for taking part in this short Q&A. I wish you luck in finding a brewer to make Charlevoix their home.
Bell’s Brewery is suing the State of Michigan over the new keg law that went into effect on November 1. Click here for the whole story. Below is the video from WWMT News Channel 3.
I realize this is extremely short notice but the Monroe Buffalo Wild Wings is having craft beer night every Tuesday. Tonight, November 8, they are featuring Michigan beers. All Michigan beers will be a dollar off plus there will be a meet and greet with the local Rave distribution representative. So stop by on your way home from voting. Oh no! I knew I forgot to do something today! I better go do that.
Keg drinkers beware! A new keg law goes into effect on November 1st. Below is an excerpt from an October 23 article from the Monroe Evening News regarding this law…
“Under the new state law, effective Nov. 1 buyers will have to sign a receipt with their name, address, telephone number and driver’s license or state ID card number. Retailers will have to attach a yellow tag on each keg and record the tag number on the receipt.
And if customers return the empty kegs without the tags, they won’t get their $30 deposits back. They also will be subject to fines and jail if they remove the tags.
The new law mainly is meant to keep party planners from supplying beer to minors and to make the beer buyer accountable if the party gets out of hand.”
The use of the word “mainly” is interesting to me. I think it has as much to do with kegs being lost because they are repurposed by us home-brewers and bbqers/smokers for our respective hobbies as it does with underage drinking. Even though one puts a $30 deposit a keg does not mean he gets to keep it. It is still the property of the brewery. This law will be a definite deterrent in this practice.
I’m not happy with the new law and the inconvenience it will cause me but I don’t have the time to start an Occupy Brewpub. I do wonder how this will change filling up your corney keg that may be a thing of the past.
January 22, 2012 by Patti Smith 
Posted in Beer Event, fundraiser 
2 Comments » 
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