Tag: Michigan

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Featured Brewery # 2 – Dead Bear Brewing

We head to Grayling, Michigan for our second “bear” themed beer spot. The Dead Bear Brewing Company. This member of the Michigan Brewers Guild serves up both beer and food and here is what I would order in a first taster tray…

El Simado Galaxy Session IPA – ” Nice body, low ABV, and a great hop flavor makes this ale very drinkable. Includes Simcoe, El Doarado and Galaxy hops.”

Burly Bear Dry Stout – “Roasted and dry, full bodied and smooth. Just a few words to sum up this delicious addition to our draft selection.”

Ulfhednar barleywine – “Like the warriors of old, this beer kicks ass! Contains michigan hops and local honey.”

Sugga Bear – ” Brewed with marshmellows, brown sugar, Northern Bee Michigan honey, maple syrup, and raisins.”

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Small Brewery # 2 – Mackinaw Brewing

We head to Traverse City in Michigan to e-visit Mackinaw Brewing. Welcome to Mackinaw Brewing, which has been brewpubbin’ since 1997.  Known for both food and beer.  Below are my choices for an initial taster tray…

G.T. Golden – “Our lightest beer we brew that goes down clean and smooth, a quick fix to a thirsty day. Great with burgers and fries or soup and a sandwich.”

Red 8 Ale – “A Mackinaw Brewing Favorite…we wouldn’t dream of changing this auburn beauty. A rich malty red ale that goes great with any dinner or appetizer.”

Cherry Heritage Lager – “(available during cherry season) A crisp easy drinking lager, cold brewed with local cherries, a taste that is pure Traverse City.”

Belgian Whitecap – “This amazing beer is a true example of a Belgian style wheat ale. Brewed with Coriander for a unique aroma and a delicate fruity finish…this almost white golden colored ale will satisfy the occasional craft brew drinker or beer snob.”

East Bay IPA – “Big Bold and Beeautifully Hoppy.  Just like this India Pale Ale.”

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Sixth Sense


Hard to believe but we are heading into Revolution No. 006 of Luponic Distortion from Firestone Walker. And this time they are bringing a bit of Michigan to California.—a blend of seven hop varieties led by two hops grown in the up-and-coming region of Michigan.

006 is a blend of seven hop varieties including two hops grown in the Michigan “terroir” by Hop Head Farms. The Spartan State hops add “a bright, citrusy grapefruit territory.”

Good to see the series take a left turn. Gotta keep the hopheads on their toes.

And this will be coming to cans too…

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Review – Expedition Stout from Bell’s

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While the IPA obsessed on the West Coast were giddy about getting Two Hearted (and it is deserved giddiness). I was more excited about the stouts and porters. Ales made to warm on cold days. Cold days that L.A. brewers don’t normally experience. So let’s check out what the Expedition Stout from Bell’s is like.

It pours an inky black with some nice coffee colored foam that fades off but clings to the edges of the glass for a pretty picture of light and dark brown. Expedition is a really dark bitter roast. In line with a Starbucks coffee. There are also some burnt wood notes. This is a heavy, slightly viscous brew that lingers on the palate. Not much in the way of chocolate or fruit notes to balance out the near rauch character. Some balancing flavor or a rounding of the sharp edges would make this stout more tuned to my palate but it is a good late night beer.

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Review – Two Hearted from Bell’s

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Is this what the Doctor would drink on Gallifrey? Too geeky? Probably but I see a chance for cross promotion. Which I think would be cool especially since I do not like the label for Two Hearted at all. Though to be fair the rendition on the Bell’s can is much better.

On to the beer, it pours a lovely medium orange. To be frank the aroma is muted from my west coast perspective. A bit of spice orange teas drifts up but that is primarily it. The taste is almost more session wise except for the beefy malt base. The main note that I get is orange. Almost a candied, creamsicle type of orange which works really well. More smooth than carbonated but that works here and the bitterness rounds it out in the back. You can taste why this is popular.

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Review – Kalamazoo Stout from Bell’s

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Don’t get much Bell’s beer in these parts so any chance, I take it.  That is why I picked up Kalamazoo Stout. And it pours a dark black color with loads of coffee and black licorice taste here.  Oddly it is also very juicy and wet as well.  Not a dry stout and there is some dark chocolate here as well.  But there is almost more of a BBQ meaty sort of thing going on here.  It is quite bright as well.  Sharp tasting but still silky on the palate.IMG_7560

Hate the label though.  Doesn’t evoke anything to me.  Still don’t get the Bell’s logo either.  Maybe someone can enlighten me.

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Bell’s in SoCal

I don’t think we here in Los Angeles will be getting Hopslam anytime soon.  But there are rumblings that Bell’s may follow Boulevard and Goose Island and Clown Shoes and Cambridge into the SoCal area.

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But I can easily make do with Oberon…. “An American wheat ale made with European ingredients. Belgium wheat malt and Czech Saaz hops provide a spicy, fruity balance to this seasonal ale.”..

….or Expedition…”The darkest beer we make; this Imperial stout contains double the malt and five times the hops of our Kalamazoo stout and is perfect for cellaring as its complex character will evolve over time. Available October-March.”

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Where Santa might Stop – Red Jacket

While flying over Michigan, Kris Kringle may pause at Red Jacket which is inside the Michigan House Cafe.

They brew a 1/2 barrel at a time and produce a coffee oatmeal stout with the same type of ingredients that breweries used before prohibition. It has 13 shots of espresso that should keep Santa going well into the night.

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Batch 10,000

I might have to buy a bottle of this to pair with my Batch 9,000 that is in my beer cellar. When I would pull them out is still in question but I think they might make a very compelling duo.

“After combing through the catalogs of many malt and hop suppliers, our brewers used over 100 different malts, grains, and other fermentables, and followed them up with a blend of 60 different hop varietals between the kettle additions and dry-hopping. The resulting beer presents a deep, chocolate brown hue and offers roasted and caramel notes from the malts mixed with an assertive hop character. Sharply bitter, the beer possesses a full mouthfeel without being heavy and will withstand aging in your cellar, if you prefer.”