EXTENDED ARTICLE: Oddside Ales

Located in the heart of downtown Grand Haven, Oddside Ales sits comfortably inside the old Story & Clark Piano factory, a large plaza right off Washington Street. The pub just celebrated it’s one year anniversary in March and when you walk inside, you can’t help but feel comfortable. The taproom is very unique and homely feeling, allowing you to sit and enjoy a pint in a very relaxed atmosphere while the sun shines in through both sides of the room. When head brewer and owner Chris Michner was asked why Grand Haven was chosen as the location for his new endeavor, he responded, “It’s the perfect place between Saugatuck and Holland. There’s not much of a beer bar here.”

You can feel the care and time taken to make the taproom their own - the tall round tables have checkerboards laid into them - made out of light and dark malts - and the main bar features an even more stunning inlaid malt design that took over three months to complete. The taproom doubles as an art gallery, featuring local artists work that only makes the room feel that much more comfortable. All the beers and events are listed in chalk, giving the taproom an even more present tangibility. “We want the taproom to feel more like a café than a bar,” Chris says.

Oddside joined forces with Ceramic Café - a local Grand Haven pottery store - to offer their Mug Club members a unique opportunity:  join the club and you get to choose one of four mug designs to take home and decorate yourself. They then get taken back to Ceramic Café, fired, and placed upon the main wall above the bar for all to see.

There are 16 taps waiting for you upon arrival, with a rather wide variety of experimental and standard beers for you to experience by the pint or by the flight. Pints range from 3.75$ for a standard beer and 4-5$ for a premium pint; they also offer growler fills. When asked about what standards Oddside had to offer, Chris expressed that the taps are constantly changing, from a beer catalog over 50 strong. with sixteen taps and a small brew system, there is tons of room for experimentation, and Oddside definitely provides. They have just expanded with the addition of two new larger fermentation tanks, allowing the older, smaller tanks to be dedicated to further exploration.

Their biggest beer is their Jackalope Amber Ale, a clean, drinkable amber with a very nice, balanced malt profile. Other beers on tap at the time of my visit included an excellent Berliner Weisse, a Great American Beer Festival submitted Pucker Up! Sour Flanders Red, and a very nicely balanced and not overpowering Pineapple IPA. Oddside also started distributing kegs in March this year, and the demand has been constant. Keep an eye out for Jackalope in your local pub, as well as their Mint Stout, Citra Pale Ale, and their Peanut Butter Cup Stout.

Next time you’re in Grand Haven, stop by 41 Washington and check out the Odder Side of Michigan Beer.

EXTENDED ARTICLE: Michigan Beer Cellar

Located in the heart of downtown Sparta, Michigan Beer Cellar has been keeping very busy since their grand opening on June 1st of 2010. They are one of the most recent additions to the West Michigan beer scene, making their first Michigan Brewers Guild Beerfest appearance in February 2011.

Dan Humphreys, owner and head brewer, has been home brewing for 13 years. He began guest brewing at many West MI breweries, including Founders Brewing Co., The B.O.B’s brewery, Grand Rapids Brewing Co., and the Hideout. However, there were no fixed brewer positions available in the area, and his eyes eventually turned towards opening his own place, and Sparta was perfect. “We looked around the area, and had to find a  place that would fit,” says Humphrey, “and it all came together here.”

The taproom is very large and open, holding tables and couches for your drinking pleasure in a warm, comfortable atmosphere. They have a small deli for sandwiches and finger foods to cure all of your snacking needs, and large televisions for you to catch the game on. “We like the taproom to feel friendly,“ says Humphrey, “We try to make everyone feel comfortable, as if they’ve been coming here for years.“

MBC maintains 15 taps, including mainstays as well as seasonals and variants. Stop in for a cold Black Magic RyPA, a dark IPA with a soft rye presence; or, for you bigger beer lovers, try the Double Black Magic, the imperial version. They also have a great Porter, and had two variants available upon my visit, a Vanilla Porter and Cellar Joy, a coconut, almond and chocolate porter. They also have a great Blonde, IPA, and Dunkelweizen. Summer Sunshine just went on tap, a Belgian Wit light and complex for the summertime, as did a new beer - a Ginger Peach Cream Ale.

Not only does MBC boast an impressive taplist of brews, their talents do not end there. They also craft fine wines, including their recent Michigan Apple Delight wine, which they keep available in the taproom; they also make mead in house, using local Rockford honey.

MBC is also the first distillery in Kent County. They specialize in neutral grain vodka which they infuse with various flavors, allowing them a totally unique mode of creating mixed drinks. They keep around 30 different infusions on hand at the bar, and make unique, different drink specials weekly that range from 2.50-3.50$ (including pints) .  “People go to places, and some people just don’t like beer.” said Humphrey, “we want to cater to whatever you could want.”

MBC started distributing kegs within the last six months, so keep an eye out at your local taphouse. They are also planning on starting bottling in the fall; you will be able to stop into the pub and take bottles home with you. They are also going to start offering their wine to-go as well. They also host an open mic night on Tuesday nights, and has live music on Friday and Saturday nights all through the summer. There are also plans laid for taproom renovation, as well as the creation of a beer garden and patio in the back for the summertime.

“It’s just a short little drive up to Sparta,“ Humphrey says, “Come on up and enjoy what we have to offer.“ Next time you’re considering a brew, head up to Sparta and spend some time at Michigan Beer Cellar and kick back on the new patio, have a pint (or three) and enjoy our wonderful Michigan summer with the only thing that could make it better: A Michigan pint.

Right Brain Brewing Co. takes a second slice at "Whole Pie" series!

RIGHT BRAINED TAP HANDLES DEBUT FOR THE SPECIAL TAPPING OF THE CHERRY PIE WHOLE BEER

Brewed with fifty whole Cherry Crumb pies from Grand Traverse Pie Company

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Right Brain Brewery plans to debut their new right brained tap handles for a special tapping of the Cherry Pie Whole beer.  The Cherry Pie Whole beer was recently brewed using fifty whole Cherry Crumb pies from the Grand Traverse Pie Company.  The new tap handles will debut at the special tapping on Friday, July 1^st at 6 p.m., just in time for the National Cherry Festival kick-off.  New at this year’s National Cherry Festival beer tent, being served out of their new tap handles, will be Right Brain Brewery’s Will Power Pale Ale!          

Right Brain Brewery (RBB) has been working on creating their new tap handles since the fall of 2010 after Russell Springsteen, owner and operator of RBB, was asked to speak at a U of M entrepreneurial conference.  Other guest speakers representing Northern Michigan companies were, Mike and Denise Busley, co-founders of the Grand Traverse Pie Company, and Mike Steele, founder of the Tape Wrangler.  During a lunch brainstorming conversation the idea of new tap handles and brewing a beer using whole pies from the Grand Traverse Pie Company (GTPC) sprouted. 

It was this brainstorming conversation that led to the experimental brewing this past February of the original Pie Whole, which used seventy-five Carmel Apple pies from the Grand Traverse Pie Company.  When asked, why another pie beer, Springsteen stated, “Why not?  It makes sense and it was really fun the first time.  Plus, Grand Traverse Pie Company has such a fantastic variety of flavors!”  RBB chose to experiment with the Cherry Crumb pie for obvious regional and seasonal reasons; it’s the season for cherries, the influx of visitor to our region, and of course, the National Cherry Festival.

On Thursday, June 16^th, Corey Wentworth, head brewer at RBB, brewed the Cherry Pie Whole using fifty whole GTPC Cherry Crumb pies.  The Cherry Pie Whole will be a lighter ale than the original Pie Whole and has a lighter malt profile to highlight the natural cherry flavors. 

When asked what’s next, Wentworth replied, “The Cherry Pie Whole is another right brained adventure in the world of pie beer; next stop Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, I don’t know what’s next, but watch out Little Debbie Zebra Cakes!”

The Cherry Pie Whole beer will be released at a special tapping on Friday, July 1^st at 6 p.m. at Right Brain Brewery (221 Garland St., Traverse City). It will be served as a premium beer in a 12 oz. glass for $6.50.  Along with the special tapping RBB will be debuting their new tap handles. 

RBB’s new tap handles have been a nine-month design process.  Springsteen first started to investigate options with Mike Steele, founder of the Tape Wrangler, a local Traverse City company, in hopes that RBB could keep this project within the local economy.  They soon discovered that the tap handle design was extremely unique and unfortunately with the company’s lack of tap handle production, experience, and technique Springsteen would need to use a company that specializes in tap handle production.  Taphandles Incorporated, a tap handle company based in Seattle, Washington, decided to take on the challenging and unique design.  Nielson Design Group, based in Traverse City, designed the overall look and feel of the new tap handle.

The new tap handles are clear acrylic with many random objects, including but not limited to RBB sayings, safety pins, glitter, random beads, seashells, space shuttles, and more randomness floating in the handle.  The new handles are adorned with a cube on the top that contains Right Brain’s branding.  This is the first tap handle of this design and took approximately three months to design and six months to get the prototype correct. 

“Overall it has been a fun experience.  One of the most challenging aspects of this design project was finding the objects that appear to be floating in the tap handle.  These objects needed to be certain sizes, couldn’t melt when put into the hot acrylic, and also needed to be whimsical, playful, and random.” stated Springsteen. 

RBB will retire the original tap handles and officially change them to the new design during the special tapping of the Cherry Pie Whole beer on Friday, July 1^st at 6 p.m.

Expect to see additional RBB tap handles in the seven counties that Right Brain currently distributes to, as RBB expands their distribution through Wicksall Distributors based in Traverse City.  Springsteen plans to sell the limited edition original Right Brain taps for $75 each.  Interested parties should contact Right Brain directly.  There are less than fifty original taps available.

Right Brain Brewery, featuring rotating artwork and beer menu, is committed to brewing its handcrafted microbrews with the best available local ingredients.  Right Brain Brewery is located in Traverse City’s Warehouse District and is open seven days a week.  Right Brain Brewery is also proud to support our community by being involved in countless community events.

- Dayna A. H. Valpey, Right Brain Brewery

National Beer News! (Congratulations to Short's Brewing Co!)

Short’s Brewing Company is the fastest growing beverage company in the United States.

Dogfish Head plans a growth/expansion investment of $45 over the next three years. (Revenue growth of this brand has grown from $3.6 MM in 2003 to $41MM in 2010.)

Stone Brewing plans a $26.6 MM project, pushing production capacity to 500K barrels.

Lagunitas Brewing is currently undergoing a $9.5 MM project. § Sierra Nevada Brewing is looking to acquire an east location that could lead to $70 MM investments.

Founders Brewing recently renovated their production facility to the tune of $8.8 MM.

Re-Post: STONE BREWING CO Barrel Aged Series

Written by Jacob Mckean

They are the great white buffaloes of Stone’s line-up. Like a cross between a unicorn and a siren, they appear enticingly for the briefest instance, only to disappear in a flurry of whispers.

They are Stone’s barrel-aged beers and special treatments. Stone Imperial Russian Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels. Double Dry-Hopped Stone Ruination IPA. Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Aged in Red Wine Barrels. And many more.

A veritable sea of barrels taking up precious space in our brewery

Now, we are utterly thrilled to be announcing that some of these sudsy jackalopes will be available in quite debonair (if-we-do-say-so-ourselves) 500ml corked-and-caged bottles.

Here’s the rub: There will be very few of these bottles available, and irregularly at that. At least for the foreseeable future. Space is our biggest constraint, and filling up our brewery with barrels just isn’t an option. So if you can’t get these, we’re sorry, we really are. We’ll try to make more, and if you can make it to one of our events, there’s a chance you’ll get to try them on draft. But that’s the best we can do…for now.

Yeah, we've tasted these, and they're damn good

Without further ado, our first “Quingenti Millilitre” release will be…Ken Schmidt / Maui / Stone Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter Aged in Bourbon Barrels. Yeah, that’s right. We’re releasing that. All 672 bottle of it. Tentative release date: sometime in July.

Stay tuned for release details, but this will be a brewery-only release due to the very small quantity. If you need an excuse to visit America’s Finest City and come to our gorgeous Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, here’s an excuse. You’re welcome.

This. In bottles. Probably in July.

To keep the Quingenti Millilitre releases flowing, we’ve brought in a whole lot of new barrels, which are temporarily stacked in our cellar. Namely, we recently acquired 346 Scotch whisky barrels—some of which we’ve already filled—along with a handful of new wine barrels and bourbon barrels.

So expect to see the results of these delicious experiments released in bottles over the coming years. In fact, a small amount of 2011 Stone Imperial Russian Stout & 2011 Stone BELGO Anise Imperial Russian Stout—which will be released May 31^st—is already resting gently in a variety of barrels.

But that’s not all, folks! We may well release Quingenti Millilitre bottles of our double dry-hopped beers or other unique treatments we dream up. So keep your barrel-aged ‘beerdar’ on. We’ll send updates here and on our Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Oh, and what the hell does Quingenti Millilitre mean (well, besides denoting something tasty)? It means quite simply “500ml,” which is the size of the special bottles.  And it’s the name we’ve given to the series (“Brewmaster’s Series” or “Brewer’s Special Reserve” and all that just sounded too cheesy).

20 MICHIGAN Breweries snag 51 medals at the World Expo of Beer - Frankenmuth, MI

(LANSING, Mich) – Twenty Michigan Brewers Guild member breweries collectively snagged 51 medals at the 2011 World Expo of Beer Competition, April 30 in Frankenmuth. Overall, there were 554 entries from around the world in 29 categories. Many of the beers entered in the competition will be available for sampling at the World Expo of Beer, May 20-21, at Heritage Park in Frankenmuth.

2011 MBG winners include:

Category 3 European Amber Lager 9 Entries

Silver               Fest Beer                                Kuhnhenn Brewery                 Warren, MI

Bronze             District 16 Amber                    Wolverine State                      Ann Arbor, MI

Category 4 Dark Lager 10 Entries

Bronze             Munich Style Dunkel              Frankenmuth Brewing          Frankenmuth, MI

Category 5 Bock 19 Entries

Bronze             Drag Me to Helles                   Wolverine State                      Ann Arbor, MI

Category 6 Light Hybrid 33 Entries

Silver               Cream Ale                               Bastone                                   Royal Oak, MI

Bronze             Dirty Blonde                            Atwater                                    Detroit, MI

   

Category 7 Amber Hybrid 6 Entries

Gold                Amber Tease                          Schmohz                                 nd Rapids, MI

Category 8 English Pale Ale 11 Entries

Gold                Midland Pale Ale                     Midland Brewing                     Midland, MI

Silver               Sir Williams ESB                     Dragonmead                           Warren, MI

Category 9 Scottish/Irish Ale 22 Entries

Gold                A Few Shillings Too Many      Kuhnhenn                                Warren, MI

Silver               Brik                                          MillKing It                                Royal Oak, MI

Bronze             Grateful Red                           Black Forest                            Frankenmuth, MI

Category 10 American Ale 22 Entries

Gold                Best Brown                             Bell’s Brewery                         Galesburg, MI

Bronze             Hobos Breath                          Mt. Pleasant Brewing             Mt. Pleasant, MI

Category 11 English Brown Ale 9 Entries

Silver               English Brown                         Redwood Lodge                      Flint, MI

Bronze             Jimmy Brown                         Great Baraboo                        Clinton Twp, MI

Category 12 Porter 13 Entries

Silver               London Porter                         Arcadia Ales                            Battle Creek, MI

Bronze             Pirates Porter                          Black Forest                            Frankenmuth, MI

Category 13 Stout 34 Entries

Gold                Kalamazoo Stout                    Bell’s Brewing                         Galesburg, MI

Silver               Oatmeal Stout                         Redwood Lodge                      Flint, MI

Bronze             Double Cream Stout               Bell’s Brewing                         Galesburg, MI

Category 14 IPA 45 Entries

Gold                Buzz Saw IPA                         Arbor Brewing                         Ann Arbor, MI

Silver               Two Hearted Ale                     Bell’s Brewing                         Galesburg, MI

Bronze             Arcadia IPA                             Arcadia Ales                            Battle Creek, MI

Category 15 German Wheat/Rye 21

Bronze             Dunkel Weizenbock                Bastone                                   Royal Oak, MI

Category 16 Belgian/French Ale 33 Entries

Silver               Golden Cap                             New Holland Brewing             Holland, MI

Bronze             Witface                                    Bastone                                   Royal Oak, MI

Category 17 Sour Ale 10 Entries

Gold                Red Rock                                Big Rock Chop House            Birmingham, MI

Category 18 Belgian Strong Ale 21 Entries

Gold                Thors Hammer                       Bastone                                   Royal Oak, MI

Silver               Dubbel Vision                          Bastone                                   Royal Oak, MI

Bronze             Final Absolution                       Dragonmead                           Warren, MI

Category 19 Strong Ale 16 Entries

Gold                Cereal Killer (2009)                 Arcadia Ales                            Battle Creek, MI

Silver               Old Ale                                    Mt. Pleasant Brewing              Mt. Pleasant, MI

Bronze             Barleywine                              Mt. Pleasant Brewing              Mt. Pleasant, MI

Category 20 Fruit Beer 21 Entries

Bronze             Tart Cherry Porter                  Liberty Street                          Plymouth, MI

Category 21 Spice/Herb/Vegetable 24 Entries

Silver               Sacred Gruit                           Mt. Pleasant Brewing              Mt. Pleasant

Bronze             Clementine Lemon Thyme     Liberty Street                          Plymouth, MI

Category 22 Smoke/Wood Aged 15 Entries

Gold                London Porter                         Arcadia Ales                            Battle Creek, MI

Silver               Bourbon 4^th Dementia            Kuhnhenn                                Warren, MI

Bronze             Bourbon Belgian Blond           Walldorff                                 Hastings, MI

Category 23 Specialty 24 Entries

Gold                Wanderer                                North Peak Brewing               Traverse City, MI

Silver               Cobains                                   Walldorff                                 Hastings, MI

Bronze             Cocoa Loco                            Arcadia Ales                            Battle Creek, MI

Category 24 Traditional Mead 9 Entries

Silver               Wildflower Sack                      Kuhnhenn                                Warren, MI

Bronze             Orange Blossom                     Kuhnhenn                                Warren, MI

Category 25 Melomel 13 Entries

Gold                Michigan Tart Cherry              Kuhnhenn                                Warren, MI

Silver               Lingonberry                             Kuhnhenn                                Warren, MI

Bronze             Elderberry                               Kuhnhenn                                Warren, MI

Category 26 Other Mead 24 Entries

Gold                Green Apple Riesling              Kuhnhenn                                Warren, MI

Beer Review: Samuel Adams Lattitude 48 IPA

Hopheads rejoice!

Not too many avid beer lovers I know get too excited about a Samuel Adams beer these days. I feel like most people overlook them, almost to the extent of considering them a "macrobrewery" by default.

Well, Lattitude 48 IPA is one of a few recent beers Sam Adams has brought to the table to relay the idea that they're just as passionate about beer as the little guys. Honestly, I wasn't excited to try this beer. What, there's only two in a summer sampler? For those of you who have had the standard Sam Adams IPA, I think my sentiments can be shared that it was good, but by no means exceptional.

This beer IS.

Beer pours a beautiful gold-amber with a bright head, ready to tingle your nose with a wonderful aroma of hops with a soft malt presence. Your first sip is the kicker. The moment. This IPA comes off so horrifically balanced and clean that your mind will implode. I can fairly say that I don't think I've ever had a cleaner IPA.

 (except for possibly the Big Rock Chophouse [Birmingham, MI] "Norm's Raggedy Ass IPA", which is the only IPA that beat Founders Centennial IPA at the World Beer Cup in Chicago last year.)


This beer is wonderfully balanced, with a solid malt backbone to the hops, sporting nice caramel middlenotes while still not being too overpowering or too laid back. The hops are bright and consistent all the way through your sip, from the tip of your tongue all the way down. This beer also has a fantastic afterhop that stays with you only long enough for you to have a woah moment, then it's gone.

The yeast is extroardinarily clean. So clean it almost feels unnatural. The yeast is very neutral, but leaves a soft metallic ester that some wouldn't necessarily enjoy (but I LOVED it).

I savored the first. The second. Before I knew it, my six pack was gone.

and I wanted more.