This week is a great week for tastings and learning how to taste. Sarah and I will be pouring at the Discounts Drinks Tasting for Rave on Thursday so stop on by and say, “Hi.” If you are closer to Howell, Mr. B’s is having is also having a tasting on that night. Eastern Market is having a tasting on Saturday. It’s a great opportunity to pick up some of Michigan’s harvest and try some beers. If you want to learn about how to properly taste your beer, Corner is having a class on that very subject. Here is a list of those and other events coming up this week.
Also, congratulations Detroit Beer Co. on 5 years. The DBC is a great place to visit before games and concerts. It serves good craft beer and doesn’t smell weird like a certain bar area on Woodward. I know you(unnamed bar) like to pour your Bud and Miller in a Tom Cruise in Cocktail manner but you should think about cleaning up the stale beer from your bar.
October 16, 2008 Discount Drinks Beer Tasting 7-9 PM Admission: $20 in advance at store prior to Oct 13th $25 At the Door Place: Downriver Italian American Hall 646 Biddle Ave Wyandotte, MI 48192 What: Lots of Beers, Food, & Fun
October 16th at Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, MI Beer Tasting Class Oct 16 & 23, 2008 6:30 PM Back by popular demand! Join me for a two-part class on beer flavors and history called Beer:An Educated Palate. The first session (Thursday, October 16th) will cover the brewing process and the flavor impacts of ingredients on beer. The second session (Thursday, October 23rd)will discuss the history of beer and it’s impact on the development of specific styles and characteristics. This course is being offered through the Washtenaw Community College Lifelong Learning program. Classes will be held at the Corner Brewery. All-inclusive course fee is $55. We’ll be drinking beer so you gotta be 21. Advance registration required.
October 16th, Mr. B’s in Howell, MI Big Bad Beer Tasting. Beer list: Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale, Stone Smoked Porter, Lagunitas Pils, Lagunitas Maximus, Arcadia Jaw Jacker, Arcadia IPA, Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Ale, Unibroue La Fin Du Monde, Unibroue Trois Pistoles, Unibroue Ephimere, New Holland Brewing Company Golden Cap Saison, Wheinstephaner Dunkel-Weisse, Wheinstephaner Korbinian, Founder’s Breakfast Stout, Kasteel Rouge, Southern Teir Unearthly IPA, Southern Tier Hoppe, Scrumpy’s Organic Cider, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Rogue Chocolate Stout, Maredsous 8*, Wychywood Fiddler’s Elbow, Wychywood Scarecrow, Hofbrau original, Hofbrau dunkel, Victory Golden Monkey, Victory Storm King Imperial Stout, Lion Imperial Lager, Schwelmer Hefewizen, Blanche De Bruxelles. B. Nektar meadery will also be there sampling some of their fine product, I ask that you tell all your friends about this tasting event. It is the biggest we have ever done and ever may do. We invite beer enthusiast and beginners alike, there will be staff on hand to help with education and also there will be some door prizes awarded at the tasting. Entry is 20.00 at mr. b’s in downtown howell. more ?’s call me @ 517-546-3722
October 18th at Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. Warren, MI Kuhnhenn Oktoberfest Event Details: Our own Oktoberfest party. Releases of seasonal beers. Food. Smoked pork shank (Eisbein), Bratwurst,Weisswurst, Knockwurst Beef Brisket, Potato Salad, Red Cabbage, Sauerkraut, Apple dumplings. http://www.kbrewery.com/
October 18th & Nov. 1st @ Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, MI Corner Brewery: Introduction to Home Brewing Class Saturday Oct 18 and November 1, 2008 12:00 PM Want to learn how to make your own beer at home? Join us for a hands-on two session class in which you’ll learn beer basics, how to brew with malt extract, and how to bottle your brew. We’ll be drinking beer so you gotta be 21. The first session will be the brew session and will be around 3 hours. The second session will be the bottling session. Class participants will also be invited to a release party where the beer will be served. This course is being offered through the Washtenaw Community College Lifelong Learning Program. Advance registration required.
October 18th at Detroit Beer Co. - Detroit, MI 5th Anniversary party. The Anniversary Ale will be tapped along with live music.
Saturday, Oct 18 Metro Times Ale Fest! at Eastern Market: Detroit, MI 1:00pm to 5:00pm More than 50 different beers will be available to sample, ranging from dark ports and stouts to lighter pale ales and ciders and including Michigan brews
I had heard the line to get into the convention center tended to be horrendously long, so my wife, Kim, and I set out for our first Great American Beer Festival session around 10am. It was a rare grey and misty day in the Mile High City; a perfect day to spend indoors sampling hundreds of beers. I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a few “normals” on the bus headed to GABF in addition to the usual riff raff. On the way, I overheard a group of GABF veterans discussing their game plan and made note of their pretzel necklaces. We packed a bag of pretzel rods which provided great absorption, but weren’t nearly as fashionable as the necklaces. Oh well, we’re rookies, this was to be expected.
We arrived downtown around 11 and decided we should probably get some food in our bellies, lest we pass out before drinking our IQ in samples. After enjoying a giant sandwich courtesy of Jimmy John’s, we made our way to the venue. To say the line was long would be an enormous understatement. I’m not sure exactly how many people were in front of us, but it had to be in the hundreds. According to one of the guys in line behind us, he had attended the Thursday session and made the mistake of getting there late. He said the line wrapped almost all the way around the building (which was HUGE). Yikes.
We dodged a bullet early when I realized that the tickets said “NO BACKPACKS” in big, bold letters which was unfortunate considering I had brought my brand new laptop bag. My wife, quick thinker that she is, put on the laptop bag and VIOLA! it was now a purse. The doors opened a little before 12:30 and we were in the hall with a sample in our hands within 5 minutes. The GABF staff have really gotten the routine down after 27 years. We started off in the Pacific section of the hall with an eye towards Russian River’s booth. Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones looking to see what RR had to offer and found a line stretching across the aisle already. We figured out pretty quickly that a line meant that you DEFINITELY wanted what that booth had. Case in point: New Glarus Brewing out of New Glarus, WI. I had never heard of it, but they had the longest line in the festival by far. It was well worth it to get a taste of their Wisconsin Belgian Red and Raspberry Tart framboise. Apparently, NG beers are only available in the cheese state and can’t be shipped over state lines, so all the out of staters had to get their fill at GABF. It was so good, we went back for seconds… and thirds. A word to the future GABF rookies: if a booth has a long line, don’t be shy about pounding your sample when you get to the front of the line and asking for a second, third, or even fourth sample. Craft beer aficionados are a pretty mellow lot by nature and are even more so after a couple hours of sampling; they won’t mind and will probably do the same.
Rather than pretend that I was able to coherently rate discern whether or not the beers I sampled fit the characteristics of the style (the tastebuds in charge of that went to sleep after sample number 14 or so), I will just say it was more awesome than I could have ever imagined. I have been to my fair share of huge conventions, events and concerts that have turned out to suck. I was pleasantly surprised to see how smoothly GABF handled the 46,000 attendees and how all but the most popular beers had not run out until last call. And, as much as it pains my Ohioan soul to say it, the Michigan Brewers’ Guild booth was the best in show among the brewing collectives. Their pamphlets were informative, their booth looked great, their beer selection was vast and the guy manning the booth truly loved what he was doing. [We took pictures of the booth, but it was late in the day, so they weren't exactly good or even Photoshoppable.] One thing that was missing was a Bells booth. Rob talks about them non-stop and, since they don’t have any distribution in Colorado, I was looking forward to giving them a try. Hopefully we’ll see them next year.
FYI- September 24, 25, 26, 2009! Start saving your pennies now! Prost!
Gold: Munich Dark, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
Silver: Bastone Münchner Dunkel, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI
Gold: The Detroit Dwarf, The Detroit Beer Co., Detroit, MI
Bronze: Luciernaga, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, MI
Gold: Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
UPDATE: I stopped in here on Saturday and this is defiantly not a Brew Pub. They were very clear about not brewing beer (and pointed me down the street to Arbor), but they seemed a bit cagey about not being a brewpub. Maybe they are trying to put their own spin on the phrase “brew pub”. Their beer selection is all mass-market lager on tap and a little more in bottles.
The Middle Eastern-themed nightclub Oz in downtown Ann Arbor was replaced last month by The Fifth Quarter.
General manager Ben Buhr said the club is a brew pub in front and dance club in back. The entire place was gutted and remodeled. A restaurant will be built on the second floor with a pool hall, but that won’t likely open until sometime next summer.
Address: 210 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor.
Phone: 734-332-0200.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.; closed Sunday-Monday.
Interesting hours. As far as I know another brew pub called the Blue Tractor is also supposed to open in conjunction with Cafe Habana too.
Our pal Brian Richards from Homebrewing Adventures, took a trip to this past summer to Three Floyds and Flossmore Station, where he got to brew a batch of his beer. He posted a video documenting some of his trip. My favorite part is the hotel beer fridge.. gotta keep that stocked! I actually just had a bottle of the Fantome last weekend, and it was amazing. Best Saison ever! I also cracked up at his story about the drunk guy chatting to him about Abraham Lincoln.. we’ve all been there. Great video!
Here are the beer events for this week. Although it is a little late there are still some great events coming up this weekend. I am currently working on something that I hope will end me posting events in this manner. I hope to have it worked out soon. Once again please add any event on our comments page.
Thursday, October 9. Arbor Brewing - Ann Arbor, MI - Beer Tasting: Oktoberfest & Fall Faves featuring Marzen and Vienna style lagers as well as an assortment of fall specialty ales and lagers. They’ll select a couple dozen favorites from close to home and across the globe, pair them with an appetizer buffet, provide style and tasting notes, and top off the night with a door prize drawing. Tastings run 7-9 PM. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 on tasting day. Advance tickets recommended as tastings often sell out in advance. Call 734-213-1393 to order tickets over the phone.
Thursday, October 9. Frankenmuth, MI Wein and Stein:Enjoy a night traveling to 11 different locations sampling wine and beer. Tickets are $20 and include a commemorative glass for the first 198 tickets sold. Each ticket allows two samples at each participating business as well as hors d’ouevres. Tickets are available at the Chamber of Commerce, 635 South Main. Call for more information.
Saturday, October 11. Founders - Grand Rapids, MI 5th Annual Harvest Celebration: Annual release of Harvest Ale, fresh hopped IPA. Live music. http://www.foundersbrewing.com/home.php
Saturday, October 11@ Hideout: Grand Rapids, MI Oktoberfest Beer ‘n’ Brats. German Plates, 2008 Oktoberfest Lager, Live Music
One last thing I want to bring to everyone’s attention. October 9th-11this the Great American Beer Fest. Below is a list of participating MI breweries. I am asking all of you to root for all these MI breweries in your own way. I will be toasting them good luck. We all benefit in Michigan when our beer gets national credit for being as great as it is. I will also be cheering for the breweries of the Midwest like Great Lakes Brewing Co. and Three Floyds.
Rochester Mills Beer Co. Rochester, MI
The Royal Oak Brewery Royal Oak, MI
Arbor Brewing Company Ann Arbor, MI
Corner Brewery Ypsilanti, MI
Arcadia Brewing Company Battle Creek, MI
Atwater Block Brewery Detroit, MI
Big Rock Chop House & Brewery Birmingham, MI
Michigan Brewing Company Webberville, MI
New Holland Brewing Co. Holland, MI
Olde Peninsula Brewpub & Restaurant Kalamazoo, MI
Copper Canyon Brewery Southfield, MI
Dark Horse Brewing Co. Marshall, MI
The Detroit Beer Co. Detroit, MI
Short’s Brewing Company Bellaire, MI
[1pm Update: According to AllAboutStout at RateBeer, "Unfortunately this will be a brewery only release. The label approval didn’t get done on time. These should be released at the end of October early November at the brewery." Nothing official from the brewery yet but posters generally don't just make stuff up!] - More here.
Dragline: Nothin’. A handful of nothin’. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin’. Just like today when he kept comin’ back at me - with nothin’. Luke:Yeah, well, sometimes nothin’ can be a real cool hand.
From “Cool Hand Luke”
I just wanted to throw in my favorite quote from one of my favorite Paul Newman movies. I will have to throw in a George Carlin quote sometime soon to honor him.
Here are some of the big events in Michigan beer this week. Sorry, I missed last week. The computer was in a small dark room in our house so I decided to move it downstairs. That way, I can be next to my ladies while working on the blog. Feel free to add anything I forget.
Tuesday, September 30th at The Copper Canyon Brewery: CCB proudly presents Rocktoberfest an Oktoberfest too big and too special to just call an Oktoberfest. This is a Dopple-Marzen. It is smooth and strong at 8.5%abv (oops my bad). Come on by and try this malty behemoth, you WILL enjoy it.
Saturday, October 4th at Michigan Brewing Co.: It is the 1st Annual Appreciation Party honoring valued investors and patrons. Come out for food, friends, music, games, prizes, and great beer in the Brewery, The Pub, and on The Patio! Vendors will be on hand to share their goods:Zingerman’s of Ann Arbor, 3 Sergeants Brewing of Traverse City, OnTapNow.com, Merindorf Meats of Williamston, The Pub Show pubcast and more! Everyone is welcome!
Saturday, October 4th at Red Horse Ranch :Local restaurateurs, Journeyman & Rye have joined forces with the folks at New Holland Brewing Company, Red Horse Ranch and Fenn Valley Winery to host an all-day farm party & harvest celebration on October 4th. The event will feature live music from local artists, local pork & produce, local beers and local wine. Admission is being sold “by the carload” in conjunction with the groups eco-friendly slogan, “Save Gas, Eat Pork.” A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance. The collaborators behind Porkapalooza share common ground in their pursuit of quality and their belief in championing local, sustainable lifestyles. The event will shine a light on some of the areas treasures, including not only the products available, but the creative energy of many local artisans and musicians. Hosting a 800 plus people event while sticking to earth-friendly ideals will showcase some of the realities around sustainable living. The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance is a not-for-profit benefactor as well as a mentor for the event, adding volunteers and expertise to an already green-minded effort. The event takes place at Red Horse Ranch, a rolling 14 acre retreat just outside of downtown Fennville. Red Horse Ranch is located on 62nd Street, just South of 122nd Ave.
Saturday, October 4th at Sherwood Brewing: Oktoberfest Party - Bier, Food, Games, Music
Saturday, October 4th at Andersons (Toledo, OH) 12-3 p.m. - Jolly Pumpkin Tasting!!
It is a tradition to hand out cigars after the birth of your baby. Why am I not doing this? I hope this does not take my license to be a man away but I don’t care for cigars. And I really don’t like the bubblegum cigars. The gum is almost as bad as the ones that used to come in packets of football cards. The taste is the same but football card gum broke into shards once you bit into them, damaging card collectors’ mouths hindering their capacity to talk to girls. I do like the fake Hershey bar but it lacks a personal touch. As a substitute for all these things we decided to hand out a homebrew.
What style of beer would we do? We went through a lot of discussion before we settled on the perfect beer style. We talked about brewing a beer with a vague baby reference (Milk Stout), a beer that ages well (Barley Wine), or one that appeals to the masses (American Wheat). It might have been while I was drinking a Dark Horse Perkulator, one of my favorite beers when it dawned on us a doppelbock. Of course there was only one obvious name to give a doppelbock especially made for this occasion… Impregnator.
Some of you get it and I’m sure others may need an explation. It is tradition that the name of a doppelbock style beer end with an ATOR. How did this start? According to the BJCP, the doppebock originated in Munich and was brewed by the monks of St. Francis of Paula and they named it Salvator (savior). The beer was brewed as a substitute for bread during Lent. It became popular once released to the general public and a tradition of ending all doppelbocks with the suffix ATOR soon followed. It either started as a tribute to the original Paulaner Salvator or to capitalize on the popularity of that beer.
The labels for our doppelbock were designed by our soon-to-be Sister-in-Law Kendra Becher. On the front we have Magdalene’s birth weight at the bottom where the volume of a normal beer would be listed. The back label contains the rest of her birth information. Along with a real cool bar code that is shows her actual birth date.
Although this is a limited release, our plan for the beer is to hand them out to the craft beer drinkers amongst our family and friends. We plan on saving a bottle for her first birthday and also saved one to crack open when she turns 21 (or whatever the legal drinking age may be in the future.)
This past weekend, my wife and I went to an AHA membership rally at Bells in Kalamazoo. They had a tour of Bells Brewery to start off, and then it was off to the Eccentric Cafe downtown for the rally. The tour was awesome. The place was far bigger than I imagined. I got a chance to meet and chat with Larry Bell and Charlie Papazian (founder of the American Homebrewers Association and author of The Comlete Joy of Homebrewing). Both were amazingly down to earth cool guys to chat to. We were handed Bells pint glasses as we walked in filled with goodies (stickers, pin, bottle cap opener and 1 oz. of hops!). I took video of Larry and Charlie speaking and posted them on Youtube. Both gave pretty cool talks. I also included a link to my pictures of the brewery tour and event below. I had a great time, met a lot of awesome Michigan homebrewers and am looking forward to receiving my Zymurgy magazine.
October 14, 2008 by Kevin Nash 
Posted in Beer Event 
3 Comments » 
Great video!
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