Homer: “Here’s to alcohol, the cause of—and solution to—all life’s problems”
As I approach 2008 I realize that most people like to toast the New Year with champagne. I am not one of those people. I am a beer drinker and will, of course, toast the New Year with beer. However, it can’t just be any beer. Tonight we will be serving a smoked porter that […]

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One of the biggest selling and most controversial newer beers is Blue Moon.  Is Blue Moon (produced by Coors) a good beer to introduce drinkers to the world of craft beer or is it a way for macro-breweries like Coors to capture their share of the craft beer market? I won’t attempt to answer this question because the truth is both sides of […]

Posted in Beer Style, Buying Beer 7 Comments »

One of the great things about being married to a homebrewer/beer lover is that it makes shopping for Christmas gifts easy and fun. Especially if you’re a beer-lover yourself.
Here are the beer-related gifts that I and others got Kevin for Christmas this year.
1. A 6 gallon glass carboy (from his Dad). This was a great gift considering he accidentally dropped his […]

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1pt. 9.4 oz bottle
Purchased at the brewery for around $10.
Beer pours a rusty brown color. A tiny bit of a head appeared from the pour and quickly dissolved into a light colored foam ring around the glass. A hazy, swirly thin texture remained on top of the beer.
A very sour wine […]

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Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout
Purchased at Food Town, Monroe, MI. $3.99 for a 1pt. 2.7 oz. bottle.
Samuel Smith’s
Imperial Stout
The appearance of this beer is a good solid black. It pours a dark tan creamy head that has stayed about an eight of an inch solid for a while now.
The smell is a very sweet […]

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On a stormy Wednesday evening, June 2 of 1909, the last brewery left in the city of Monroe was completely destroyed by fire. The Jacob Roeder Brewery had stood on the corner of Navarre and what was then called La Plaisance Bay Turnpike since 1874 (near where the VFW sits today and - sadly - equidistant from Rob’s […]

Posted in Beer History 3 Comments »

Maumee Bay Brewing Company (Toledo OH)
2007 Blitzen Flavored Ale
I picked up 1 pint 6 oz. bottle at The Andersons in Toledo Ohio for $3.49.
I only recently found out they brew this beer every year, from an article in the Toledo Blade. I hadn’t really planned on picking it up, but I was at the […]

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If I were to send Santa a beer list this year, I’d put the following:
Sam Adams Utopia: Even Santa would scoff at the price of this beer ($120 24 oz bottle), but boy it sure would be interesting to try - article here.
Samichlaus Bier: A Swiss Lager brewed once a year, aged for […]

Posted in Beer Style, Buying Beer 2 Comments »

10 to 12 inches of snow by the end of the day today. Perfect weather for sitting back  drinking one of your favorite craft beers. (Or brewing a beer in the garage, which it looks like we might be doing today.) 
Right now I’ m not actually drinking a beer. Instead I am drinking what’s left of a wassail punch I made for […]

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Great article on Christmas Ales
Holiday spirits: Christmas ales are hot
- Jennifer Day Toledo Blade 

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