Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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Detroit is Brewing # 3 – Batch Brewing


We have come to the final brewery feature of the month. We land at Batch Brewing Company.

One of their ideas is The Feelgood Tap that raises funds to support local and regional nonprofits throughout Michigan.

The plan being that beer bars, breweries, and other craft beer-loving restaurants (not just Batch Brewing) pick a “beer from their menu, raise the price by $1, and let consumers do the giving.” The Feelgood Tap at Batch Brewing is double the amount $2 – $1 from you, and $1 from us.

And what beers would I choose? Here they are…
Palewise Kölsch
Derby Kiss Witbier
Son Of A Batch IPA – American
Keeping Up With the Juices IPA – American
Blue Sailor Stout – Milk / Sweet
Requited Belgian Strong Golden Ale

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Detroit is Brewing # 2 – Lake Brothers


No, they only do the one lager (Vienna, no less) and they are contract brewed (that is not necessarily bad) but even without a lack of a taster tray, I would look for the throwback visual look of Lake Brothers lager.

Lager – “Drawing inspiration from the region’s oft-forgotten brands of yesterday, we set out to create our Lager. An American, all-malt lager, our beer is brewed with Cluster and Liberty hops, Midwestern malted barley and the purest of Great Lakes water. Amber in color, this beer pours brilliantly clear with a rich malt aroma, subtle hop character and a pleasant finish. Refreshing, flavorful and drinkable, our Lager is everything a great beer ought to be!”

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Detroit is Brewing # 1 – Motor City Brewing


To start in Detroit, I am going very on point with Motor City Brewing Works which started up way back in 1994 making it the oldest operating brewery in the city.

Situated perfectly near both Comerica Park the home of the Detroit Tigers and Ford Field the home of the Detroit Lions (as well as cultural institutions for those not into sports), if I find myself in the re-awakening city, I would try the following:

Bohemian Lager
“Motor City Bohemian Lager is an original Detroit beer style. We use Noble Hops and pure Detroit water to bring out the crisp, clean flavor that made Detroit famous.”

Corktown Stout
“Motor City Corktown Stout is an Irish Style Dry Stout is named after Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood. Thick, rich and dark from generous additions of roasted barley balanced with imported East Kent Golding and Fuggle hops.”

Belgian Tripel
“Tripel is a classic Belgian style golden ale, with a perfect balance of delicate fruit esters and subtle spicy notes.”

Motor City Ale – Muscle Series
“Motor City Ale – once known as Strong Ale, until the ATF got wind of its powers, this Ale is inspired by traditional English style barley wine made with 100% malted barley, and no malt extract. Utilizing the first runnings of three different mashes to get this light bodied high alcohol flavor it is delicate, smooth yet strong. An homage to Detroit’s resilience,power and above all strength. Tap Room regulars like to refer to it as the Strong Ale.”

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Nashville Brewery Tour # 3 – Czann’s Brewing Company


Our final stop in Nashville is at Czann’s where you will find classic styles that the brewery makes using base and specialty malts supplied by Franco-Belges, a European based malt shop. Nothing fancy in my initial taster tray but maybe their “clean yeast” and those malts will sing together…

Czann’s German Pilsner
“Two months in the making, this German Pilsner is made from European Pilsner malt and hopped with Perle & Hallertau Hersbrucker. Crisp and clean with a pleasant hop flavor.”

Czann’s Dunkelweizen
“A dark wheat beer featuring caramel and munich malts from Germany, France, and Belgium. Brewed with German Hefeweizen yeast for the traditional banana and clove flavor, complimented by the underlying dark malt flavor.”

Czann’s Pale Ale
“Brewed using 4 different malts and 3 hop additions. Dark crystal malt is used to create its deep color and low bittering hops are used for a unique hop flavor that doesn’t overpower the complex malt flavor of the beer.”

Czann’s Belgian Blonde
“A light and refreshing Belgian ale featuring sterling and saaz hops complimented by a light spicy finish.”

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Nashville Brewery Tour # 2 – Honky Tonk Brewing


Most brewery websites have the same generic “origin story” on their About page. The Honky Tonk Brewing site has that too, but they also convey this funny story about a classic Johnny Cash song that “tells the tale of a GM assembly line worker’s ingenious plan to steal all the parts to build a Cadillac one piece at a time and put it all back together before he retires. Johnny’s plan worked out just about like our plan to build this brewery one piece at a time. It’s fired up and running but we get a few strange looks every now and then. The beer tastes mighty fine and “It didn’t cost us a dime!” I like that a brewery has a sense of humor and isn’t full of themselves.

Now onto what beers I would put into a taster tray….

TN Jed
“A unique American wheat beer created especially to be a year- round beer for a broad TENNESSEE audience. It’s crafty, but you don’t need to twist your mustache to enjoy. Slightly sweet from a healthy does of Caramel malts, finishes clean with low bitterness.”

LeBrown James
“A dark, chocolatey brown ale brewed with flaked oats making it smooth & full bodied with a dry finish. This beer is rounded out with a generous dosage of hops, giving it just the right amount of bitterness.”

West Coast IPA
“True to the style, our West Coast IPA is a Hop BOMB! loaded with “C” hops to 85 IBUs. We dry hop it for a big hoppy aroma. It’s dry, citrsuy, with notes of grapefruit & orange with a lasting bitterness.”

Blackberry Berliner Weisse
“Our Spring Seasonal Blackberry Berliner Weisse is tart & approachable. The addition of ripe Oregon Blackberries is the perfect compliment to the taste bud tingling sour affect of the Berliner Weisse style. This beer pours a beautiful magenta color and sits at 4.3% ABV”

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Nashville Brewery Tour # 1 – Southern Grist


Usually Los Angeles is home to transplants from across the nation but so is Nashville which is our brewery focus for this month and we start at Southern Grist Brewing Company founded by Jamie Lee, Kevin Antoon, and Jared Welch, three Nashville transplants who have quite the list of interesting beers. Especially using coffee.

Buckeye Drip – Imperial Stout
“Imperial stout brewed with peanut butter, chocolate, real buckeye candies, and Barista Parlor’s Brazil Special Lot Reserve #673.”

Too Much Sauce – Double IPA
“Hazy Double IPA with Azacca, Mandarina Bavaria, and Vic Secret hops.”

Pineapple Moerloos – Belgian Strong Ale
“Belgian Golden Strong Ale – earthy and spicy with strong notes of banana-pineapple added.”

East Brown and Down – Brown Ale
“Brown ale made with cinnamon, hazelnut, and coffee.”

Insert Juicy Pun – Double IPA
“Make up your own pun…Juicy IIPA”

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DC Brewery Tour # 3 – Atlas Brew Works


Our final stop in the federal district is in the Ivy City neighborhood in Northeast DC at Atlas Brew Works and their 100% solar-powered brewery.

Here are the beers that I would add to my initial taster tray…
District Common
“Inspired by the beers that accompanied America’s westward expansion, District Common is fermented using lager yeast at temperatures common to ale fermentation. The result is a pale, well-balanced beer combining crisp lager character with fruity ale notes. The clean grain bill provides a refreshing drinkability and supports late aroma additions of Czech Saaz hops.”

South Cap Helles
“Named after the home field of the District’s favorite ball club, the 1500 is a crisp, craft lager perfect for a sunny afternoon in the bleachers. Made with aromatic Munich malt and earthy American hops, it is a Washingtonian take on a traditional German Helles.”

Home Rule IPL
“Home Rule, a style-defying India Pale Lager, is as delicious as it is unique. A pilsner malt base and Atlas’ house lager yeast provide a clean and crisp backdrop for late and dry hop additions of Southern hemisphere hops. New Zealand Waimea hops impart key lime notes that pair excellently with the tropical fruit notes of Australian Galaxy hops.”

Rowdy Rye Beer
“Made with three varieties of hops and a generous amount of specialty malts, Rowdy offers a complex flavor and aroma that is both aggressive and fun. The addition of malted rye to the grain bill lends a peppery and distinct character to the beer which complements the bitterness and floral notes of brewhouse hop additions. Finally, this copper-hued ale receives a liberal addition of dry hops in the fermenting vessel, imparting citrus aromas and a crisp, clean finish.”

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SudNorth


In a counterprogramming move, Ryan Brooks (formerly of Coronado Brewing Co.) will be opening a brewery that strides the brewing styles of Southern California and Northern Mexico. With the well-suited to branding name of SouthNorte, let’s hope that they can fuse the tastes of two countries.

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DC Brewery Tour # 2 – Hellbender Brewing


Our 2nd stop in the Nations Capitol of Intelligence sharing is at Hellbender Brewing whose name is “inspired by the endangered Hellbender Salamander struggling to survive in our neighboring Appalachian rivers and streams…”

The brewery (like many others) is using brewing techniques to make an environmental difference so that the little creature can continue on.

Below are three beers from the core line-up as well as two somewhat recent tap room offerings that intrigued me the most…

Bare Bones Kolsch
“Traditional German-style ale light and crisp with a spicy finish from American-grown noble hops.”

Southern Torrent Saison
“A rich, golden colored farmhouse ale with a thick, white head. It finishes crisp and dry with hints of pear, citrus and apple in the aroma.”

Days Gone By Dry-hopped Belgian Tripel
“A collaboration with the historic St. Feuillien Brewery in Le Roeulx, Begium, Days Gone By is a traditional Belgian tripel brewed with a distinctly American hopping. Bright golden in color with a light corriander spiciness, it finishes with bold citrus and tropical flavor and aroma from Citra, Amarillo, Idaho 7 & Azacca hops.”

Oat to Joy Oat Pale Ale
Heartbreaker Nitro Red Ale

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DC Brewery Tour # 1 – Right Proper


Our first stop in the Nation’s Capitol is at Right Proper Brewing. Nathan Zeender is the Head Brewer assisted by lead brewer, Bobby Bump are aiming for “rustic but elegant beers with a complex flavor profile that are generally lower in alcohol and often don’t fit into a style category (so sometimes we make them up).”

These are the beers that I would have in my initial sampler tray:
Being There Kellerbier
“Bready, Grassy, Crisp. This bready, floral, unfiltered beer is inspired by German brewing tradition. Enjoy balanced malt and hope flavors present in the dry finish.”

Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine Tart Wheat Ale
“A tart wheat ale fermented with lacotbacillus. Dandelion root and leaves in the kettle and dry-hopping with Centennial and Chinook combine for herbal, citrus and pine character to balance the bright and fruity acidity.”

Baron Corvo Rustic Biere de Garde
“This strong provisional farmhouse ale is fermented in 45 hl French oak foudres with our house-mixed culture of wild yeasts. Amber-hued, vinous and malty with yeast derived fruit and spice.”

Gin-Inspired Blended Beer
“60% White Bicycles, 40% Diamonds Fur Coat Champagne with Angelica Root, Juniper Berries, Black Limes and gin-soaked oak.”