Name: Road Crew
Brewing Company: Arcadia Brewing Company (For U.S. distribution)
Location of Company: Kalamazoo, MI.
Style: America IPA
ABV: 6.2%
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Description: Perfect amount of bitterness mixed with crisp, clean flavors. Refreshing. One of those beers that you’d drink a 6-pak before you know it. Get it while you can!
MUST LISTEN TO MOTORHEAD WHILST DRINKING.
This isn’t a Michigan beer, but good craft beer is good craft beer and LaGunitas is one of my husband’s favorite beer companies.
Name: 12th of Never Ale
Brewing Company: LaGunitas Brewing Co.
Location of Company: Petaluma, CA
Style: Pale ale
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 45
Rating: 3.8 out of 5
Description: Standards LaGunitas with a grapefruit smell on top. Super thin pale ale. Poundable. Everything about bitter beer people like without the ABV.
Name: Anni Ale 13irteen
Brewing Company: Shorts Brewing Company
Location of Company: Bellaire, MI
Style: Sour Ale
ABV: 8.7%
IBU: 30
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Description: A nearly perfect sour. The dry hops sit at the top of the whole thing, then quickly opens up to a very drinkable fruity sour. Super tart.
Okay, okay, I know. I said I’d do a beer style guide first BUT I’m too pumped from a fun night out so that will come next time.
Name: Late Night Session
Brewing Company: Stony Lake Brewing Co.
Location of Company: Saline, MI
Style: Pale Ale
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 38
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Description: Light, sweet nectar. Hoppy deliciousness.
That’s right. The long awaited new section of the blog is finally ready to begin posting.
I’ve mentioned once or twice or three times that craft beer is HUGE in Michigan. I swear I read somewhere recently that said we have 444 breweries in Michigan, now that I’m googling it again it’s saying 122 craft breweries. We’ll go with 122 but that was from 2012, five years later and we can probably safely round up to the 200 marker. Practically every city is sporting it’s own personal brewery. The city I live in has two and Ann Arbor right next to us has six. I should notate that I’m only counting actual breweries, not brew pubs, tap houses or taverns. As our friend from New York who is in town as we speak says, “You Michigan people take your beer seriously.”
It’s true. In fact, it is so true that no one I know even drinks anything else besides craft beer. I personally do not drink beer, carbonation hurts my tongue, I’m weird. However, as someone who doesn’t drink beer, I know far too much about craft beer. My husband loves it, my uncle brews his own, and if you bring Coors, Miller or Pabst to a party, well you’re a dick. You’ve just become the pariah of the party.
We have craft beer festivals, home brew competitions, beer guilds and beer guides.
All of that being said, my husband will be providing beer reviews. Mostly Michigan craft beers, but you know, one or two other states hit the nail on the head when it comes to beer too. Each review will be of a specific beer, and once in a while, when we actually go to the brewery itself, we’ll review our experience as well.
To gear you up for future reviews, the next post in this section will be a beginner’s guide to styles of beer. Yes you heard me right, styles. IPAs, stouts, lagers, we’ll learn the differences between them all. Not every style is for everyone, just likes genres with books.
Do you see how much I care about you dear readers? Not only do I guide you to awesome reads and awesome eats, now I’ll guide you to awesome (and warn you away from not so awesome) beers as well.
Read, eat, drink and be merry!
cupcakesandmachetes 