beauty and the brew

I'm going to try to make this quick, because it's Saturday and there are things to do.

Personally, I am enjoying the music coming from right down the street at our local radio station's block party. I really adore the neighborhood I live in, and being able to see the stage in front of one of my favorite Kalamazoo bars, O'Duffy's, is one of the reasons. There is always something going on, this is just one stand-alone example.

So this will be really brief, but it's too delicious not to review.

I'm currently drinking Old Chub from Oskar Blues Brewery (8% abv) on the porch.

Nice head right of the bat, thick and full of white foamy goodness, great for holding onto the aromatics in this beer.

There's some chocolate malts, a touch of smoke and toffee, and certainly some ethanol in the nose. Very nice.

Really, really enjoy this one. It's a great example of an American Scottish strong ale. Rich and malty, some great roasty qualities. Certainly some molasses in here as well, which makes this a very smooth drink with a thick mouthfeel and a robust finishing flavor. Despite having some alcohol in the nose, it doesn't taste aggressively boozy.

I really enjoy this, it's a wonderful scotch ale. For me, it's up there with Loch Down from Arcadia for my favorite go-to American Scotch ale. I am so glad I have several more cans.

Looking out the giant windows of my office on my lunch break is what inspired me to write this post.

Last year, if you remember, summer was ungodly scorching hot. Not only in Michigan, but everywhere. And I'll be honest, I love it that way. I study Latin American art for a reason, I love the heat. I love the moist tropical heat of Nicaragua and the dry, arid heat of the Andes in the warmer months. I am just a person that likes to be warm.

This summer hasn't been nearly as hot, especially in the past few weeks, I might actually consider this a "cool/normal Michigan summer." But today is different. Today boasts skies so blue and clear, it looks like they would ripple if you somehow could touch them. No wind, no humidity. Just nice, dry, solid warmth (we're not quite up to heat yet). This definitely gives me hope for days to come.

So, to celebrate to forecast showing clear skies for five straight days in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I want to talk about my top five beers from this year that I want to grab when the weather is so beautiful that it should be spent on your porch and not in an office.



5. Sunspot - Greenbush (6% abv)

This is probably my go-to Michigan Hefe. If you're looking for something a little less experimental for summer, definitely go for a Sunspot. This particular style definitely serves well ice cold, and carries nice biscuity aromas and traditional banana wheat flavors with some baking spice. It's crisp and surprisingly complex. Just picture yourself holding a pint of this in a wicker chair on a hot summer day, feeling the cold glass perspire between your fingers. Drink and say "aaaaahhhh." Repeat.


4. Mango Magnifico - Founders Brewing Company (10% abv)



Just reviewed this, so you can read the long discussion here, but just to reiterate, this beer is a perfect option for summer. Just perfect.


3. Duchesse De Bourgogne - Brouwerij Verhaeghe (6% abv)




This flemish red ale isn't super easy to come by, nor will it be easy on the pocketbook, but boy do I crave it when I'm sitting on the porch at dusk watching fireflies. This beer is heavily laden with fruity tannins with flavors of tart raspberry, cherry jam and passionfruit. Served chilled, this highly carbonated beer is super refreshing and drinks like a really good sour. I have dreams about this beer.


2. St. Lupulin - Odell Brewing Company (6.5% abv)




This hoppy masterpiece is enough to make me want to pack my bags and drive out to Colorado tomorrow. It's the perfect blend of citrusy hops and herbal flavors that make this beer scream summer. It's got just enough bitterness and piney resin to balance perfectly with the touches of honey throughout. A great American Pale Ale.


1. Anniversary Ale - Short's Brewing Company (10% abv)



This limited release American Wheatwine is one of my favorites from Short's Brewing Company out of what I have tried so far considering their portofolio is ENORMOUS. It's brewed with multicolor peppercorns, corriander, orange peel, blood orange zest and 225 lbs of blood oranges, which makes it incredibly refreshing for summer with a nice kick in the pants from the peppercorns. I love Nicie Spicie because it has the citrus and peppercorns, which both come through beautifully, but this beer takes it to the next level in flavor and in abv considering it's a wheatwine. The richness and tartness of blood orange versus valencia oranges really brings this beer up a notch in comparison. It even looks like summer in the glass, as it pours a beautiful copper orange creamsicle.

Most photos taken respectfully from the internet as I haven't personally photographed the beers recently. Click the image to see its original source.

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.