Archive for July 2013

07. Ommegang - Three Philosophers

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Looking through my fridge and boxes of beer, I actually had a hard time choosing what to review today. I obviously had an even harder time on Monday, because I really did plan on writing something but I blankly stared into the abyss that is my fridge as people often do and eventually started to feel like this cartoon and proceeded to walk away, giving up all hope of writing something decent because all I really wanted to do was find some silly Billy Blanks workout video on youtube and do just enough of it to exhaust me to the point of falling asleep so I could enjoy a full eight hours of rest.



I think I would change "What am I doing here?" to "Stop fucking up the electrical bill."

But today, while I almost fell into the same trap of staring at said fridge listlessly, I saw a shinning beacon of hope and inspiration in the back on the second shelf. 

I HAVE NEVER TRIED ANYTHING FROM  BREWERY OMMEGANG BEFORE.

It's a fault of mine, I know. I am well aware that I am behind on this. But I got lucky with this one, this was a lucky find at the very bottom of a pile of broken bottles (our company allows for employee sales of bottles at a discounted rate if a case is partially broken). Normally I am ravenous when I dig through these piles, never concerned of covering my work clothes in dust or broken glass to get the best I can find every Friday, but a few weeks ago I was particularly determined. This Ommegang was a gem, and there was only one. 

So tonight I'm going to be talking about Three Philosophers (9.7% abv)from Brewery Ommegang. This Belgium-style quad is brewed with cherries, so I'm really anticipating that in the flavor.



Despite not having the right glass for this beer, I'll do my best to overcome. 

Huge head at first but not a lot of retention there. The middle fades to an off white while the rest clings to the side of the glass and holds a slightly orange hue. Pours a murky brown with a really nice sienna orange glow. Really fragrant right out of the bottle, sweet like sun dried raisins or dates. There is also some cloves there and a touch of peppercorn. It actually smells exactly like these raisin tarts we always ate with my grandparents in the summer up in Canada. I never adored raisins but I have fond memories of the sweet, buttery taste.

They look like this! You know what I mean? You can find the recipe here


At first, the taste is fruity, possibly cherry but without knowing prior that the ale was brewed with cherries it could be mistaken for plum or fig. Much more juicy than the aroma, which would have led me to say prune or date. Then following there's some unsweetened chocolate to add a touch of bitter, a little brandy, and some roasty malts. The finish has just the tiniest bit of booziness that you can feel in your nose (and later in your legs).

It has great, lasting carbonation, but it doesn't overwhelm how deliciously buttery and smooth this beer is. This is superb work on Ommegang's part, I have great respect for this beer.

I guess I'll just have to find out the hard way whether whether all of their offerings live up to this one!



BEER SWAG

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Time for a little more BEER SWAG?


I think so.

First and foremost, I wanted to update on the fact that I did in fact receive the shirt I bought from MittenWear!

Here it is in all its comfy glory.

 (pardon the "I just got out of work and don't give two shits appearance")

And I'll make this BEER SWAG post brief considering how long last week's was, and I really want to have time to check out a new beer tonight.

This tie makes me want to wear a full suit to work.

Cyberoptix has created this beauty using vintage botanical prints of hops, wheat, and barley. In their shop,they've actually got quite a few different colors of ink and pretty much any color tie you could possibly want, as well as other goodies printed with this particular image, including scarves, bow ties and pocket squares.




I love how they advertise them as custom printed for weddings. I can just imagine a line of groomsmen wearing these ties, it would look really wonderful.

I should have found this around Father's Day! I don't think this would get the typical "not another tie" reaction.



Michigan Summer Beer Festival

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I know I said this last weekend, but honestly. WHAT A WEEKEND.

I just want to start out by saying it is in no way reasonable to expect to be able to review any of the many, many beers I was able to try at this festival. For Friday, we only had from 5 to 9 to use all 15 tokens, and I really thought I had a game plan, but in reality I was so unprepared for how enormous and overwhelming it all was! It was like if someone dropped off a 5 year old at Disney World and said "ok, you have 4 hours to pick 15 rides.... go!"

I went with my good friend Helen, and we stopped for a second and tried to make a game plan, but after about four beers that whole thing really just goes to hell. There are too many sights and sounds, games to play, people to talk to, new beers being tapped, and food to eat!

So instead of attempting to write incredibly detailed reviews, I'd love to just generally discuss what we had and go through my experience, hopefully to help those who want to go in the future or possibly just for entertainment (because it was a really, really fun day.)

Helen and I first ventured to the back of the festival, because it seemed like all the congestion was around the front. This was actually a really good idea, I would recommend it because a lot of tents that became incredibly popular later when people started moving back past Dark Horse Brewing Co. which was right at the front and had almost 100 beers to choose from!

We started at Saugatuck Brewing Company, which started drawing a crowd mostly due to all the cute beachy cutouts that you stick your face in to take pictures and kiddie swimming pools that you could stick your feet in to beat the heat. I tried the Bikini Bottom Pineapple IPA and Helen had the Ginger Honey Ale. I was really happy with what I had, it was a great way to start out the day and there were no surprises. Both tasted exactly like what they say, the Ginger Honey was incredibly fragrant with a little sweetness and a slightly spicy bite, and the fresh pineapple from my IPA mixed well with possibly citra or cascade hops.

While we drank our beers, we found a spot and tried to sort out a quick game plan that ended up not being relevant after about an hour.

While we went through and highlighted our priorities, I remembered to grab a photo before things got to hectic. I was so excited throughout the day, I really couldn't remember to take a lot of pictures, but this shows how nice and open it was before it was completely packed at about 7:30 p.m. It was a beautiful day for it, not an overwhelming amount of sun, but it was nice and warm all day and it didn't rain!


We then headed to Hopcat which was even further back. This is where I had one of my absolute favorite beers of the day, The Jerk. This was a really delicious pale ale spiced with Jamaican jerk seasoning and it was really, really hot. I mean, make your throat tingle and your nose water hot and I loved every second of it. This isn't for everyone, and the spice left little room for any traditional pale ale flavors or aromatics to come through, but it tasted damn good and I am really into some good heat on my palate on a summer day. They were not afraid to kick this beer up about ten spicy notches. Helen had the Naughty Nicodemus, which was an ale that used a gruit (an herbal mixture used to flavor beers, most popular before the 11th century as the use of hops to flavor beers became a more frequently used method) of juniper, cucumber, and lime zest. This beer was literally the polar opposite of The Jerk, as it was very cooling and soothing. The cucumber came through most powerfully, and I think it's equally a good choice for summer.

Next, Helen and I split briefly so we could get different breweries that were right next to each other. I went to Sherwood Brewing Company for the first time and tried their Wildflower Saison. It was ok. Definitely a decently done saison, but not terribly unique as I got more traditional saison yeast than I did floral notes. But it was good, and I'm obsessed with saisons for the summer months.

Everything after this point was amazingly delicious or unique, but also kind of a whirlwind. The festival site looked like this. Much more packed.


I think our next stop was Greenbush Brewing Company. This was the longest line of the day for us, but well worth the wait. Greenbush, like Dark Horse, came prepared with an enormous list to choose from. Helen and I ended up talking pretty extensively about what to order with quite a few other people, which helped pass the time. This was also the moment we realized over an hour had gone by and we'd had two beers.

It was time for us to take some serious action.

Once we got up to the front of the line, I grabbed the Barrel-Aged Mr. Hyde Coffee Cream Stout, which was spectacular but I can't promise a fair review of this one because this is where I stopped taking notes, and it also was the beginning of what I would like to call my "Barrel-Aged Binge."

We went to New Holland Brewing Company next. This was actually our second stop, because we had went their very early in the day to grab Helen a glass of Rye Hatter, but I knew what I wanted from New Holland and I didn't want to start with it. When we went back this time, Helen had a Firkin tapping of Dragon's Milk (when the same barrel used for fermentation is used to serve the beer) and I had Ashley's Cherry Dragon's Milk which was Dragon's Milk aged in cherry bitters barrels. I am almost positive this was what did us in for the rest of the night, knowing well that at home I can drink a 12oz bottle of Dragon's Milk and quit. 

The awesome New Holland Brewery Elvis


That was also the moment we decided to get food. We ended up grabbing tamales, which were some of the most delicious I'd ever had, but we also had the absolute worst beers possible to go along with it. A higher percentage beer is horrible with spicy food because it literally is like dumping oil on a fire. Both the beer and the spice create a burning sensation in your mouth on their own, but together it generally becomes a hot, fiery mess.

Fortunately we didn't care much because both the beer and the food was so good!

We wandered to what was closest, which was Witch's Hat Brewing Company. I told you this was going to be a "Barrel-Aged Binge," so of course I had to get the Bourbon Barrell Well Water Barelywine. Again, no notes were taken. I'm sure it was delicious.

On the other side of the tent, we stopped at The Livery where I grabbed some Barrel-Aged Funkalicious, which was an imperial wild ale with raspberries. It definitely had some funk to it, probably from whatever yeast they used. I remember being pretty surprised by how much earthiness it had.

Then, knowing we were down to about an hour and a half left of time, we pretty much cut the nonsense and went into super sonic beer drinking mode.

We basically ran to Dark Horse Brewing Co.

My first choice was The Mighty Peach Basil Ale, but they had already run out. So I continued along my dark, dark road to intoxication and had the Unpredictable Chocolate Chili Stout. This one also had some nice heat actually. It had no head and the same grainy, heavy mouthfeel of thick, dark Mexican hot chocolate. 

Because they had so many, we just turned around and got back in line. I finally turned towards the light and grabbed some Pam's Kitchen Ale, which was made with a mash of fresh lime and cilantro. I may not have been super impressed with this sober, but I just kept thinking of how much I wish I had another tamale to eat with this. Ultra refreshing, full of flavor. The cilantro gives it a bite and the limes were tart.

We then headed towards the back once again. We stopped at Kuhnhenn Brewing Company. We wanted to stop earlier, but with their festive mardi gras decor, they were really popular and hard to get to. I tried one of their cocktail-inspired beers, probably because I was too drunk to be afraid of the idea by the time we got there.

I had the Carnivale: Zombie, a beer inspired by the Zombie cocktail. I mean, it really just tasted like the cocktail, I shouldn't have been surprised! It drank like punch, it was really bizarre.

We then went further back to Sherwood again, because they had no line. They had just tapped their Daily Grind Kona Porter, infused with Kona coffee. I recall this being absolutely delicious.

We met someone who was pouring for Liberty Street Brewing Company, so we headed back with him and I grabbed my first taste of their Clementine Lemon Thyme. I don't remember anything about it, I'm sorry! I tried. I'm sure I liked it enough.

Then we headed to the back to say goodbye to one of Helen's friends, but on the way I saw The B.O.B.'s Brewery had a Chipotle Mango beer. It was definitely too sweet for me, but it wasn't bad to end the day with as it was a familiar flavor to leave in my mouth.

We found our ride (poorly) and headed back to Ann Arbor after that to sleep.

All in all, Michigan Beer Festival was amazing and highly entertaining. I can see why people go back every year, Helen and I turned to each other faithfully every ten minutes to express that yes, this is the best thing ever. Everyone seemed to have a great time (safely, thanks to how well organized the festival was). It was awesome to talk to the people that were pouring who were all very knowledgeable and looked like they were also having a really great time. I'm so thankful I got to go, and I will make sure I can go back again.

The other thing I noticed and loved about the festival was that everywhere I went, I heard people proudly proclaiming that Michigan is the greatest place in the world. What a priceless thing, gathering a group of people to not only celebrate the craft of beer, but also to celebrate what an amazing place Michigan is, especially after Detroit just declared bankruptcy and we're currently in the middle of some seriously strange summer weather shifts (100 to 50 in one week, really?). But we have so much to be proud of! Not only because of our unique and blossoming craft beer industry, but we have four amazing Great Lakes, delicious food from our local agricultural production, beautiful historic architecture, over 100 species of trees, an awesome hockey team, diverse wildlife, and somehow one of the most kind and neighborly populations in the United States despite all that we have lost.







BEER SWAG

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Hello and welcome to the second edition of BEER SWAG where we look at all the awesome things on the market today for beer lovers.


Of course, the only thing you really need in the end is the liquid itself, and possibly a glass to put it in but that still isn't completely essential, but it does help to have the right glassware. 

Last week, we looked at a shirt from MittenWear's shop on Etsy! I actually did end up purchasing this shirt so I can tell you now firsthand, buy it and you won't be sorry! 

This week I'm looking at something else that is rather small and affordable, but fantastic nonetheless.

I love this website, Pop Chart Lab. I bought a poster from there previously as a gift that had different bands and musicians sorted into sections under "The Periodic Table of Heavy Metal." 



Anyway, I think this website is really clever and very on-point with what people are interested in, from super heros and music to facial hair and cheese varieties. They are pleasing to both sides of the brain by being both creative, bold, and graphic as well as scientifically inclined with the layout as all of the posters are a collection of data.

Pop Chart Lab actually has several posters relating to beer, so instead of picking I'm going to apply the same method I use for grocery shopping and just pick all of them.

#1. The Very Many Varieties of Beer (18" x 24") - $27
Mmmmm, look at all that beer.



#2. The Very, VERY Many Varieties of Beer (24" x 36") - $32
As the name would allude, this poster contains more beer.



#3. Breweries of the United States (39" x 27") - $36
Not completely comprehensive, but this does have a TON of breweries. Impressive work.




#4. The Venn of Beer (18" x 24") - $24
Simple and to the point. Magic happens in the middle.


Of course, like any great print shop, Pop Chat Lab has t-shirts printed of a few of these designs as well if you'd rather wear your art.

And last, but certainly not least, something that I am discovering is very important thanks to all the hardwood in my new apartment, COASTERS.

These coasters take your favorite umbrella genre of beer and break it down into the appropriate subcategories. Not only do they support your drink, but they support the beer know-how in your mind! They come in both concrete and acryllic. I personally think the acryllic looks really sharp.

   

I know that's a lot of BEER SWAG for one week, but this shop is just so cool and all of their stuff is incredibly well done. Might as well show off their entire beer related collection.

Hopefully you found something interesting somewhere in there for your beer-loving friends and family!










06.Odell Brewing Co. - Cutthroat Porter

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So this marks the first time I'll be reviewing a non-Michigan beer! I'm thrilled to try something from this brewery in particular because it's something I can't get here on a regular basis. This beer, along with a few other things from Odell Brewing Co., were part of a trade I made with a friend and co-worker, Karl Freye.

Today I'm looking into Odell Brewing Co.'s Cutthroat Porter (5% abv). Odell is based out of Fort Collins, Colorado. Trying new Colorado beers is always an exciting thing for me because I am looking into possibly relocating to the area at some point.

While I wait for this porter to come slightly closer to room temperature, I really want to talk about the packaging of not only this beer, but of their brand as a whole because I currently have quite a few things from them sitting in my fridge. As a designer, I'm really drawn to interesting and consistent packaging. Odell's has some really gorgeous label artwork. It continues to use the same text style throughout, and it's very distinct lettering. It looks both organic and a bit vintage. Most of the labels use two-color printing, but a few use three (mostly just to add black or white accents). The color combinations are incredibly diverse so you can tell what you're looking at from far away, but up close they all share a similar illustration style reminiscent of hand worked screen prints. That feel is emphasized by the use of high-quality, lightly textured paper. The bottles also share a striking leaf print on the glass.




Anyway, back to the porter.

Pours totally black and completely opaque with a khaki head and great retention. This beer is THICK.

Aroma is actually a bit subtle. Hints of coffee come through initially, followed by a nice meaty smoke that I look forward to tasting. It has a bit of molasses there as well. But again, very illusive nose.

This is a truly spectacular example of a porter. It tricks you with that soft, fine nose, this is a robustly complex beer. First, sweetness, not the chocolate you expect, but a milky espresso sweetness and some great malty character. A little bit of pumpernickel bread in the middle. There certainly is the hint of smoke that I was so excited about, which then gives way to a bit of a metallic tinge at the end. It is one of the earthiest porters I have ever had, and I really love that. Very well balanced, at once surprising and exactly what I want from a porter. 

Odin is the best beer mascot ever. Seriously, some brewery should hire him, look at that face!


The one note is that I wish it was a little more boozy. I am not one to complain about the abv. of a beer and honestly sometimes get sad that I can only get through two pints of a high abv. beer before I'm completely out of the game, likely thanks to my short stature. But it's the boozy warming taste that I miss and normally enjoy from a porter. But that is my only note, and with the complexity of this beer, I would almost say it doesn't need it (almost).

I would kill for a nitro pour of this one. I think it might bring out more in the aroma, and I can only imagine how gorgeously creamy this beer would be.

All in all, this porter is stunning. A really great example of amazing Colorado craft beer, and I hope to have this again sometime!

05. New Belgium Brewing - Prickly Pear and Arbor Brewing Company - Anahata Chakra

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What a weekend!

And it started on such a high note, with the Shakespeare's Pub 10th Anniversary Party. While an enormous thunderstorm raged outside, and I later found out uprooted tons of trees and cut the power in many neighborhoods, I spend the night safe and sound in the bar with a pint in hand, totally oblivious to the mayhem. Of course, the draft list was spectacular and included the following (from their tentative list posted on Facebook):

1. Spinnal Tapper- Right Brain- IPA
2. Rye Wine- Perrin
3. Black Goat-Perrin- Double Black Lager in Bourbon Barrels
4. Rocket Sauce-Perrin- Imperial Golden
5. Batch 100-Perrin-Double IPA
6. Blue Agave Lime-Shorts-Pilsner
7. Peanut Butter & Banana-Shorts-Wheat
8. Paw Paw Brewin g Wheat
9. Pure Michigan Vanilla Stout-Founder’s-Stout
10. Prickly Pear-New Belgium- Saison
11. Lost Abbey-New Belgium-Abbey Dubbel
12. Sonoma County Stout-Lagunitas-Stout
13. Uberon-Bell’s-Barrel Aged Oberon
14. Bells-TBD15. Bells-TBD
16. Apollyon-Arcadia-Strong Golden
17. Napoleon Pils-Arcadia-Pilsner
18. Mosaic IPA-Blue Point-IPA
19. Honey Lavender Ale-Arbor
20. Dirk’s Secret Stash-Arbor-Belgian IPA
21. More Fun Session Sour-Arbor-Sour
22. Northwest Porter-Avery-Porter
23. Berry Cider-ACE-Hard Cider
24. Pear Cider-Wyder’s-Hard Cider
25. Compass-Southern Tier
26. Brush Tail-Big Sky
27. Arch Angel-Northpeak
28. Broken Promises-Greenbush
29. Double Skull-Epic
30. Oatmeal Stout-Great Lakes-Stout
31. Chateau Jiahu-Dogfish Head
32. Ice Ice Tasty-New Holland- Brown Ale
33. Fifth Voyage-Cranker’s-Coconut Porter
34. Mermaid Pils-Coney Island-Pilsner
35. Human BlockHead-Coney Island
36. Fat Bottom IPA-Oddside Ales-IPA
37. Beatnik Blonde-Tapistry-Blonde
38. David’s Sling-Hebrew-Pilsner
39. XS Scotch-Rogue-Scotch Ale
40. Minion-Dark Horse-Amber
41. Fat Bottom IPA-Oddside Ales-IPA
42. Bourbon Barrel Night Tripper-New Holland
43. Cream Soda-Sprecher
44. Mandarina Bitter-Victory
45. Dolly Dagger-Short's-Belgian India Red Ale
46. Hazy Daze-Short's-Rausch Bie
r47. Sagejuana-Short's- Experimental IPA
48. Chocolate Banana Stout- The Hideout
49. Bubble Gum Aviator- The Hideout- Pale Ale
50. Caramel Macchiato Brown- The Hideout

 All the beers were ones that had never been on tap in Kalamazoo ever before! It was so hard to choose, and I almost decided to drink flights all night, but one of my favorite bands, Roster McCabe, was playing and I feel like it's definitely difficult to stand up and dance with a flight in your hand. So I ended up trying two.

 The first was New Belgium's Prickly Passion Saison from their Lips of Faith series (abv 8.5%). 

 Now that's a decent saison.



Gorgeous clear ruddy golden color. Little retention on the head, but what was there was pure white. Smells of ripe apples and mangos, with quite a bit of classic saison yeast. Not a lot of prickly pear or passion fruit in the nose.

 Mouthfeel is a little syrupy on this one, but fortunately doesn't get too overwhelming thanks to the effervescence. I do get a bit of tropical passionfruit, a little pineapple and quite a bit of apple and white grape. There was a nice, warming finish. Still missing the prickly pear sadly, but it tastes good so I'll let it slide only because it adds something memorable to the name. Who doesn't like to say "prickly pear?" It has a good, healthy amount of yeastiness. It's tart, crisp, and refreshingly simple. Sounded a bit adventurish, but it was just a nice, well-crafted saison with a slightly tropical twist. 

 The same cannot be said for the next beer I tried, which was truly adventurish in taste and in name.

 The anahata chakra refers to the heart of the chakra system. The seven chakras are the vital points of energy in our bodies according to yogic traditions. It is also the name of the beer I enjoyed friday, the Anahata Chakra from Arbor Brewing Company (7 % abv). It was a honey lavender experimental ale, and poured much darker than I honestly expected! Virtually no lacing, it poured the color of slightly undersaturated black tea. 

 The aroma was spectacular, really strong and pure lavender scent. Literally like walking through a field of fresh lavender, and it was incredibly soothing. Maybe it was even calming for my anahata chakra, who knows?

 Smooth and silky, the honey was present in the mouthfeel, and added a touch of sweetness, but just like with the aroma, lavender was the star player. Lavender isn't an easy flavor, sometimes coming off soapy when done wrong, but this was luscious. Very herbal, a little minty and woody.

 I really want to try this beer again, preferably with some home-cooked french provincial meal.

 Anyway, that was just the beginning of a great weekend made complete by my family from Mexico coming to visit, which didn't allow for much beer time considering they are six and eleven. But it was worth it, and I will be getting more than my fill when I attend the Michigan Brewer's Guild's Summer Beer Festival thanks to the generosity of my job. I already feel like a kid waiting for Christmas just thinking about what a great opportunity this festival will be! So look forward to a lot of reviews and a whole lot of pictures next weekend! In the meantime, look for some posts on some non-Michigan beers. Consider them a palate cleanser for the feast of Michigan craft deliciousness that will be coming your way!

04. New Holland Brewery - Monkey King Saison

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So I spent the evening with the always lovely (and recently engaged) Heather Nephew. We decided to head downtown and enjoy a little bit of what Kalamazoo Restaurant Week had to offer. Now I am a Restaurant Week veteran, normally trying at least three restaurants biannually as there is one Restaurant Week in the winter and one in the summer. Yesterday I went to The Union with my boyfriend, and though we didn't sample any of the more.... fermented options, as I had to work immediately afterwards, the meal was, as always, completely delicious and we had a great time.

Photo from mlive.com


Heather and I decided to hit Epic Bistro, one of many fantastic restaurants participating in creating a special menu for the event. While the food was spectacular and innovative and all that jazz, especially the arugula salad topped with capers, tomatoes, garlic, and a fried soft shell crab (seriously, get it now if you can), we also did not forget that Epic Bistro is attached to Central City Taphouse. While it was so hot that the only thing Heather could think about was a cool, refreshing Oberon, I decided to revisit a brew from my hometown of Holland, Michigan.

The Monkey King Saison from New Holland Brewery was just what I was looking for. It was about 96 at its hottest peak today, and I honestly had been dreaming of a nice cool saison to settle in with.


This photo is certainly at its frothiest point because the head got quite thin very quickly, and reflected a slight amber tone from the beer itself. On top of amber tones, the beer also shows some hazy straw-colored gold in the glass.

The nose was definitely grainy and filled with sweet wheat. Some tripel-esque banana ethers are coming through as well. A little nutmeg and peppercorn are in there as well.

As far as taste, the yeast and grain really shine through. It has sweetness to it that mixes well with the grain, almost like a sweet roll effect. In the middle there's the tiniest bit of lemon tartness and a little bit of spice. I enjoy the little bit of barnyard funk going on right towards the end of this, it makes the entire brew a little more earthy and definitely a stand out from other saisons that I have tried. Definitely not as crisp, fruity, or spicy as I would have thought, but New Holland does put their own twist on things and I did enjoy this brew.

For a hot day like today, you can't really go wrong with this one. I would not call it spectacular, but only because I know what New Holland can do, and this brewery can really wow you with some of the beers they put out on the market. It really is a lovely balance of sweet and refreshing mixed with a drier funk. It drinks smooth, and does well at a nice, brisk temperature.

And with how hot it is today, I will not settle for anything above brisk. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm probably going to try out some hot yoga in my apartment, because it is definitely hot enough to do that right now. Then maybe I'll need another icy cold beer.

BEER SWAG

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So I'm going to start doing this weekly segment called "BEER SWAG" (this is in all caps because I kind of picture some sort of weird drill sergeant yelling the title) because in my various beer-related crusades around the internet, I've found some really amazing products and handmade creations that I think really contribute to craft beer culture.

And hey, when you're looking for a unique gift for the beer lovers in your life, or for yourself just because you're awesome and deserve a present, check back weekly for awesome beer-related that I have hunted down and looked into.

Family members and boyfriend, this weekly segment is dedicated to you.

Cheers to BEER SWAG!

Though I've been finding plenty of things to post in the $100-$300 range (falling under the "if I win the lottery category"), I figured I'd start out with something affordable, simple, but also totally necessary.

This Drink Michigan Beer shirt is $20 off etsy from a shop called MittenWear. Based out of Farmington Hills, this shop has tons of ways to help you show of some Michigan pride, but this shirt definitely is the best offering.


Check out the shirt HERE!

Gotta love the tiny stein in the middle of the R.

The best part about this shirt, for me, is that even the guy in the corner who's been drinking Greenbush's Rage all day (14.6% abv) can tell what it says because the lettering is HUGE and BOLD.

This shirt is 100% cotton and comes in Great Lakes navy blue. 

So if you feel like your love for Michigan beer simply can't be contained and you want to tell everyone you pass by, consider buying this shirt and let it do the talking so you can focus on drinking your beer.



03. Oddside Ales - Simcoe Sensation Session Ale

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So I tried Simcoe Sensation from Oddside Ales a few nights ago. I was really looking forward to it because Oddside is relatively new to bottling and they are in West Michigan, right out of Grand Haven. My most coveted beer of theirs is definitely the Pineapple IPA and it pains me to say I haven’t tried it yet. Their Citra Pale was quite nice, but the Simcoe is.....

Certainly not bad? Just underwhelming, I think.
This is my second bottle, the first I had was after a few beers and wasn’t sure if I was judging it fairly.
There is definitely a gorgeous, fluffy white head to this beer, looks great in the glass. Good lacing. Comes out a tawny orange with a little bit of haze.
Super hoppy nose, very citrusy and I’m getting a little pine as well.
This is an incredibly bitter beer. Though it was citrusy in scent, the hop profile is much floral and grassy. First note is like wildflower, then there are notes of pine resin throughout. The bitterness overwhelms most of the beer, and is almost somewhat assaulting upon first sip, but eventually my palate numbs to it, and it begins to taste more herbal.
Which is the moment I decided to use about a third of the bottle in a cooking endeavor.
I had a globe eggplant that was on its last leg. I knew I could keep the freshest bits for baba ghanoush, but I had parts that I really just wanted to cook down pretty hard. I had decided to cut the eggplant into disks to batter and fry.
The larger eggplants have such a mild flavor, I knew adding Simcoe to the batter would definitely mean having to work with the bitterness of this beer.

I eventually decided to do the Simcoe and flour with some chopped basil and lemon pepper, and served it with leftover marinara for dipping with pulled strings of fresh mozzarella.
Fried food is never the prettiest to photograph, but this was truly delicious and I’m sure my mouth will be watering when I check back on this post tomorrow and see the picture.

Of course the process of frying all these little discs is something I would love to forget. It was pushing 90 degrees all day, and my kitchen was sweltering. Not really a well thought out meal for today, but I’m rewarding myself for sticking it out with ice cream and the rest of that frothy, cold Simcoe Sensation.

02. Southern Tier Brewing Company - Creme Brulee Stout

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So last night I had the chance to actually go to the bar! I really do love to go out, be social, and enjoy the great beer culture we’ve developed in Kalamazoo. I just have so much beer at home and it’s hard to motivate myself to spend that kind of money with the insane amount of beer I have stashed at my house. Not to mention this beer was purchased at a ridiculously discounted price through my job. It’s hard to look at the price of pints after being out of the game for so long, but in this case, I had a very important reason to go out.

It was my friend Tim’s birthday, so a celebration must be had!

We started out at the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange, which I am going to shamelessly plug for approximately one paragraph, because it is a magical place with a great concept.





The Kalamazoo Beer Exchange works like the stock market. Everything they have on draft for the evening is put up on large TVs around the bar a la Wallstreet, and the more people order a particular beer, the higher the price gets. The opposite goes for beers that get neglected for an hour or so. And of course, like on Wallstreet, sometimes the beer stock market will crash out of nowhere and beer prices will drop to an all-time low for five minutes where everyone scrambles to buy (possibly multiples) of their favorites. Not only do they always have a great selection available, but the food is delicious and innovative, the staff is friendly, and it’s really hard not to have a good time. They have received national recognition for the concept, so if you’re in the midwest, swing through Kalamazoo and visit KBE! You’d have to really put up serious effort to be unhappy with your experience.

Anyway, I had Sapient Trip by Dark Horse Brewing Co. from Marshall, MI. It really redeemed my last tripel experience (which you can read about here), but that’s not what I chose to write about today, because I happened to try something far more interesting at the next bar we visited, Shakespeares.

Never short on choices, Shakespeares boasts 44 taps of liquid gold, but I knew what I wanted when I walked in the bar. I have been looking for Southern Tier’s Creme Brulee Stout from New York, and I knew it was at Shakes.

This imperial stout has a solid 9.6% abv and a truly adorable cow on the label, or tap handle in this case.



This beer pours black, but not as thick and molasses-like as other imperial stouts. Nice, heavy medium-tan head.

But the smell. Oh, the smell of this beer is dessert in and of itself. It was so incredibly fragrant that I could smell it sitting on the bar in front of me without even trying. If you blindfolded me and put me in front of this beer, I would mistake it for actual creme brulee in a heartbeat. Not really much more explanation needed, it was spot on in the nose. Really a stand out characteristic.

Fortunately, that caramelized sugary sweetness was not the only taste to this beer. Yes, it was a little syrupy. A little. But it had a nice roasted malts, a little coffee in there at first. Then it gives way to vanilla, butterscotch, sweet cream, and that signature taste of sugars stuck under a blowtorch. Well balanced, not overly sweet like the initial scent may have alluded, and has the exact mouthfeel you’re looking for in an imperial stout: thick and creamy, but not overly viscous due to a very nice level of carbonation.

I would love to have this again, but not right away. It would be like having two chocolate cakes back to back.

I would absolutely recommend this to someone looking to try a stout that’s a little different. I want to cook with it someday, honestly. The flavor would stand up against heat or additional flavors. It would taste amazing over ice cream or added to a frosting.


So after you have a really nice meal and you’re looking for dessert, make sure to check the beer menu and see if they have this on the list.




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