OT: Michigan Beer
Since, it's the bye week I felt that this thread is okay. If not, delete.
But next week, for the Maryland game, I will be making my first trip to Ann Arbor. Lately, when I travel to a new area or state, I have been trying to grab a six (or 4)-pack of the best beer from the area and bring it back home with me.
With the large amounts of drinking threads that flood this website weekly, I know that you all know your beer. So I've come here to make it easier on myself and ask for some of your help.
If I could grab one six (or 4)-pack to bring back home with me to MD, what should I get?
I don't have any preferences, anything is fine with me.
November 15th, 2014 at 10:27 AM ^
30 packs in the Big House...memories.
November 15th, 2014 at 11:14 AM ^
has pbr on draft and schlitz in cans. it could use strohs. labatt blue was my beer of choice in college (9.99 a case) but strohs was my choice for volume; 30 beers for about the same price.
November 15th, 2014 at 10:26 AM ^
I drank my age of Stroh's at age 15 at my cousin's graduation party.
Puked my guts out in the women's bathroom of my grandmother's senior center.
True story.
Not sure whether to put :-) or :-( after that.
November 15th, 2014 at 10:48 AM ^
When I was 16 (1975) the drinking age in Michigan was 18 and I had the world's worst fake ID but it was a different era and nobody gave a shit it was fake. We went on one of many brewery tours and I was completely facinated by the bottling machine and the fact that they had a dude whose sole job was to watch the bottles and make sure the Goebels (sister brand) bottles had red caps and the Strohs bottles had yellow caps. And to pull the offending bottles off the belt before they got put in a package.
The rules back then were you could drink as much as you wanted at the brewery but were not allowed to take anything out. So naturally the only thing we wanted to do was smuggle delicious Stroh's & Goebels out.
November 15th, 2014 at 10:56 AM ^
Signature was all my buddy would drink. He loved the bottle and flavor. I stuck with Stroh's.
November 15th, 2014 at 12:30 PM ^
had a problem with drinking! When he met my mom they rededicated thier lives to God! Over the next 40 years he did not drink! I feel like drinking is not inherently a sin so I began to explore, starting with Guiness. Over the years I have enjoyed finding what my palet enjoys in a beer. My mom recently passed away and in talking with my dad, the topic of beer and drinking came up! He decided unbeknonst to me to pick up a sixer of Strohs. He asked me if I would have one with him as his first beer in 40 years! Pretty powerful moment for us!
Be Hoppy Hoppy Hoppy
Go Blue!
November 15th, 2014 at 9:49 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 9:54 AM ^
The new Beer Grotto in downtown Ann Arbor may be open by then, you can sample a large variety of Michigan beers, and select those you like:
November 15th, 2014 at 12:38 PM ^
so I clicked the link. Holy Molly my eyes lit up! I would be a big kid in a big kid candy store!
I would be Hoppy Hoppy Hoppy
Go Blue!
November 15th, 2014 at 9:58 AM ^
Soft Parade by Shorts.
November 15th, 2014 at 10:21 AM ^
Was in a bad mood yesterday due to our Health Care premium more than doubling. So my wife was a sweet heart and went out and bought me a six pack of Soft Parade. Became much happier after several.
November 15th, 2014 at 11:30 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 10:00 AM ^
Jolly Pumpkin has some very good beers if you like sours.
Bitter Old Fecker is pretty good newer local beer.
Greenbush Dunegrass and Anger are good.
Odd Side ales Citra is good and not found much outside Michigan.
Shorts just released The Curl and Bonafide Legit this month which are both solid.
Lots of good choices.
November 15th, 2014 at 10:01 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 10:01 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 12:49 PM ^
I just say for him or anybody with that mindset to not make it that complicated. To know what you like you have to start somewhere. I have moved from stouts to porters to IPAs as my favs. I really enjoy that I have a pallet that has been stretched to enjoy the different genres of craft beer!
Go Blue!
November 15th, 2014 at 10:04 AM ^
I'd recommend Gulo Gulo, an India Pale lager brewed by Wolverine State Brewing right here in A2. Their tap room is on West Stadium Blvd, not too far away from the stadium.
November 15th, 2014 at 10:35 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 10:07 AM ^
Founders Centennial or Dirty Bastard
Bells Porter or pretty much anything
New Holland's the Poet
Shorts Chocolate Wheat (Shorts has quite a selection, so you can't really go wrong with any of them)
November 15th, 2014 at 10:07 AM ^
You'll need to get that much to do justice to the variety and quality of Michigan beers.
November 15th, 2014 at 10:14 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 10:11 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 10:47 AM ^
Mount Airy, in Carroll County.
November 15th, 2014 at 1:00 PM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 10:13 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 10:16 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 10:16 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 10:17 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 11:46 AM ^
if someone could actually go in a store right now and find KBS i'd be amazed!
November 15th, 2014 at 10:19 AM ^
North Peak Diabolical. You can get it at Grizzly Peak or Jolly Pumpkin if you're downtown. I think all three breweries are owned by the same group.
November 15th, 2014 at 10:46 AM ^
Pretty much all of the North Peak stuff is fantastic. And the bottles are fun, too. Highly recommended.
I went to Jolly Pumpkin one time with a friend and split their sampler. We loved about half of 'em, hated the other half. The waitress came up and asked what we liked, turned out we'd fawned over all the North Peak stuff. Made by the same people and everything, but... That was awkward.
November 15th, 2014 at 6:34 PM ^
Of the North Peaks I've only had Diabbolical. Loved it. IIRC it gets it's name from it's 6.66% alcohol volume.
November 15th, 2014 at 11:03 AM ^
Bell's Two-Hearted Ale is arguably the best in the ten-state area.
And it comes with the additional charm of being named after one of Hemingway's earliest short stories (before he even felt comfortable with having more than one character and, therefore, dialogue)--"Big, Two-Hearted River." He wrote it in the upper peninsula near the Fox River.
Apparently he travelled there to be close to nature after the first Great War. As the biography goes, he returned from war mentally scarred and on the brink of insanity. And that trip to a "big, two-hearted" Fox River proved restorative. It comes out in the short story that there are two bellies to the river--one pristine and full of fish, the other swampy, fly-ridden, and without anything to eat. And Hemingway's guy decides to spend zero time in that other belly as a metaphor for the zero time he is willing to spend talking about the war.
November 15th, 2014 at 11:19 AM ^
I defy anyone to find another football blog where you can get posts like this one. Where else can you go to talk football and then read about Hemmingway and WWI.
That's a fantastic story Carris and it's posts like yours that separate this place from the rest IMO. Thank you.
November 15th, 2014 at 11:21 AM ^
I liked it so much I double posted. That's how much I liked it.
November 15th, 2014 at 11:30 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 10:41 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 10:48 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 12:58 PM ^
Just on the name of the brewing company alone. Speaking for the purposes of this blog and good beer.
Go Blue!
November 15th, 2014 at 6:27 PM ^
Love your beer. Love your state.
November 15th, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^
Thanks for all your input, it seems that I'll be coming home with closer to 30 beers than 6 haha
November 15th, 2014 at 1:55 PM ^
Money well spent
November 15th, 2014 at 10:52 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
November 15th, 2014 at 10:54 AM ^
Stuff you should be able to find easily
- Founders Breakfast Stout (you won't find Kentucky Breakfast Stout aka KBS this time of year)
- Bell's Expedition Stout
- Bell's Two Hearted
- Founder's Centennial IPA
- Oddsides Citra Pale Ale
- Shorts Humalupalicious
- Jolly Pumpkin brews (go visit the brewpub, but note if you don't like sour/funky brews, look elsewher)
Seasonal Stuff (that might be around)
- Founders Backwoods Bastard
- Founders Harvest Ale
Stuff Worth the Trip
- Kuhnhenn's brews (Warren, MI - about 45 mins E by NE) especially DRIPA, 4D. They also make world class meads if that's your thing. Have a really nice brewpub where you can buy bottles or growlers. Grab a growler of DRIPA and you'll be a happy man.
- Dark Horse (Marshall, MI - about 1 hr W) - Has a brewpub.
Best Advice:
- Ask the locals. Go to Ashley's, talk to the bartenders and they'll tell you where you can find what you're looking for.
November 15th, 2014 at 11:04 AM ^
I had no idea until very recently that there is a "reality" show based around this place, called "Dark Horse Nation." I think it's on the History Channel (and ha, well...THAT'S a discussion for another time and place).
Anyone ever seen it?
November 15th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
November 15th, 2014 at 11:51 AM ^
Yeah, I've never seen it, but I saw the "promo" shot on History Channel's website for it, and, well...it does look like these guys are trying really hard to be the Robertsons.
November 15th, 2014 at 1:05 PM ^
about Dark Horse as a very 'Good' brewery. Unless your pallet just does not put Dark Horse in the top echelon of Michigan Breweries dont let the show cloud your objectivity. You can read most blogs, brew publications, beer advocate, Untapped, etc. that Dark Horse is quickly rising. Either way have a hoppy hoppy hoppy day.
Go Blue!
November 15th, 2014 at 11:43 AM ^