Category: Beer

Oktoberfest Celebration Lager

JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Rochester Mills, Rochester Hills, Michigan, USAwpid-20141020_183329.jpg

Style: “Oktoberfest” lager.

ABV: 6.2%

Purchased for $11/4 pint cans

Appearance: Amber with a big foamy head.

Nose: Sweet malt with a slightly sour, yeasty aroma.

Palate: Medium bodied. Dark malt,

Finish: Lightly roasted malt with a nice hit of hoppy bitterness on the back end.

Parting words: I know Oktoberfest season is coming to an end, but I’m a slow beer drinker. This beer is a fine example of the style and is very food friendly, as it should be. Went well with fromage fort, pretzels with mustard and even pecan wood smoked baby back ribs. The price could be lower, but it’s a tasty seasonal beer and I’m a big fan of craft pint cans. Rochester Mills Celebration Lager is recommended.

Strange Stout

JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Lily’s Seafood Grill and Brewery, Royal Oak, Michigan, USA

Style: Oatmeal stout

ABV: 5.2%

Price: $5/pint, $12 growler refill

Appearance: Dark chocolate with a light lacy head.

Nose: Milk chocolate, caramel, toasted pumpernickel

Palate: Medium bodied. French roast coffee, cocoa powder, dark whole wheat toast.

Finish: Charcoal smoke, roasted barley, lingers for a good length of time.

Parting words: Lily’s is one of Downtown Royal Oak’s best regarded and longest operating restaurants. It’s named after Lily Strange, grandmother of the restaurant’s founders. Lily was born and raised in Scotland so the place has a vaguely Scottish theme.  In addition to serving great seafood (and other stuff), Lily’s is also a brew pub with consistently good beer. It’s a testament to how good that beer actually is it thrives in an area saturated with brewpubs and bars selling craft beer. In addition to this stout, they also make a light lager, hefeweizen, red ale and at least two seasonal offerings.

Strange Stout is a very good example of the style and the smoky finish adds and nice extra dimension not usually found in the competition. Don’t look for something to rival stouts from Bell’s or Founder’s, but this is a solid brewpub stout. Strange Stout is recommended.

Anger

JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Greenbush, Sawyer, Michigan, USAwpid-20140908_191327.jpg

Style: Black IPA

ABV: 7.6%

Purchased for $11 for a 6 pack.

Appearance: Dark coffee, lacy, light colored head.

Nose: Grapefruit, lavender, coriander, toasted brown bread.

Palate: Sweet and spicy. Black pepper, coffee, hint of chipotle.

Finish: Mildly sweet and more dry hoppy spice. Black cherry, then a bit roasty bitterness.

Parting words: I’ll admit to being a man who got sick of IPAs. The IPA madness seems to have died down about so I came out of my hiding place to buy myself a pack of Anger.

Anger makes me happy. It has lots of hoppy IPA aggression but it is perfectly balanced by toasty and subtly sweet flavors. It goes ok with food, but some of the subtlety is lost. This is an IPA I can drink (a lot) and enjoy. Anger is recommended.

Soft Parade

JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Short’s, Bellaire, Michigan, USAwpid-2014-08-18-20.21.51.jpg.jpeg

Style: Strong rye ale with pureed strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

ABV: 7.5%

Purchased for: $11

Appearance: Golden brown with a hint of pink. Lacy head.

Nose: Roasted malt, fruit juice.

Palate: Medium bodied and nicely balanced. Hot cereal, Hawaiian Punch, wild blackberries.

Finish: Dark rye toast, with a tiny bit of mixed berry jam.

Parting words: Summer is the time for fruit beers and this one is very popular in these parts, and not just because of the great label art. It’s everything a fruity summer beer should be. It’s fruity and refreshing while still having the character of the “base” beer, in this case a strong rye ale. The ABV is sneaky and could take one unawares, but there’s nothing not to love about this beer except maybe the price. Soft Parade is recommended.

Atwater Summer Time Ale

Josh1 Comment

Maker: Atwater, Detroit, Michigan, USAwpid-20140804_170659.jpg

Style: Wheat ale brewed with lemon peel & grains of paradise.

ABV: 5%

Purchased for $9/6 pack

Appearance: Dark copper with a light foamy head. Slighly cloudy.

Nose: Malt, mandarin orange, peach.

Palate: Medium bodied and effervescent. Lightly roasted malt, hint of yeast, balanced by some acidity.

Finish: Fruit then a bit hit of bitterness. Lingers for a long time with a bit of stickiness on the lips.

Parting words: This Atwater’s take on the summer wheat ales that Michigan brewers have made popular (we can all name at least one).

This one is different than its cousins, though, because of its bitterness and much more subtle fruit flavors. If I hadn’t read the label, I would never have known that lemon peel was used in the brewing of this beer. That’s not a knock, though. Some of these types of beers can be too fruity and ham-fisted in their use of fruit and spice. If anything this is a little too far on the other side of the spectrum. There’s a little too much bitterness and richness for a summer ale. Seems more fitting for fall.

Still, it’s enjoyable and the price is typical for microbrews. Atwater’s Summer Time Ale is recommended.

Traverse City Cherry Wheat

JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Atwater, Detroit, Michigan, USAAtwater Traverse City Cherry

Style: Wheat beer with brewed with cherry.

ABV: 6%

Appearance: Light auburn with a short-lived, foamy head.

Nose: Malt, sourness, fruit.

Palate: Medium bodied. Slightly sour with sweet malt and a splash of tart cherry juice.

Finish: Cherry flavor, some malt and a little hoppy bitterness.

Parting words: Not to be confused with Atwater’s Cherry Stout. This beer is also included in Atwater’s summer party twelve pack. It’s an easy drinking, lightly fruity and sour wheat beer. Nothing earth- shattering but tasty on a hot and sticky summer evening. Traverse City Cherry Wheat is recommended.

Thunder Trail ESB

Josh2 Comments

Maker: Arcadia, Battle Creek, Michigan, USAThunder Trail ESB

Style: Bitter Ale

ABV: 6%

Appearance: Burnt sienna with a frothy head.

Nose: Malt, yeast, hint of hops and figs.

Palate: Medium bodied and fairly sweet on entry. The bitterness grows and grows like a until it overruns the mouth.

Finish: Big hoppy bitterness. Dried flowers, grapefruit, dark toast.

Parting words: Thunder Trail is a reworking of Arcadia’s old ESB and it’s just as good, if not better (assuming it’s not just the same thing with a different name). Historically, Arcadia’s specialty is British style ales and this beer is an excellent example. It’s a classic ESB. Dark and rich with a lot of bitterness on the back end. Very food friendly and might lend itself to session drinking, even though that’s not something I really do with beer and the ABV is on the high side.

Anyway, I love this beer like I do most everything Arcadia does. Recommended.

Vanilla Java Porter

JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Atwater, Detroit, Michigan, USAVJ Porter

Style: Porter with coffee and vanilla extracts added.

ABV: 6%

Appearance: Very dark brown, like coffee. Moderate head.

Nose: Vanilla syrup, coffee.

Palate: Medium bodied, semi-sweet and effervescent. Gas station vanilla “cappuccino”, a little bitterness and slightly sour.

Finish: Coffee and hint of fruit. Lingers for a while.

Parting words: This beer delivers on its promise. I taste vanilla, I taste coffee, I taste porter. I expected something a bit more intense than this, but I can’t complain that it tastes exactly how it is described on the label. It could have used more bitterness and a fuller mouth feel but it’s fine as a change of pace. Vanilla Java Porter doesn’t pair very well with food. It’s best as an after meal dessert pour. Vanilla Java Porter is mildly recommended.

Milkshake Stout

JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Rochester Mills, Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA

Style: Milk stout brewed with cocoa nibs.RM Milkshake

ABV: 5%

Price: $8 for 4 pint cans

Appearance: Chocolate brown with a light tan head.

Nose: Chocolate milk, roasted malt.

Palate: Medium bodied. Chocolate egg cream, but with enough bitterness to hold the sweetness in check and bring the two together seamlessly.

Finish: Rich dark hot chocolate. A little sticky on the lips like a good milkshake, but not gooey. Fades slowly.

Parting words: I was surprised to see that I hadn’t reviewed this beer before, but I hadn’t. It’s one of Michigan’s best milk stouts but not, to my knowledge, distributed outside the state. It’s well worth seeking out, though. It’s creamy, chocolaty and delicious without being cloying or tasting too much like a flavored beer. The chocolate and lactose integrate perfectly into the flavors of the stout. The price is fair for such a tasty beer and I’m a big fan of pint cans. According to the internet it’s even better on tap. Rochester Mills Milkshake Stout is recommended.

Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout

JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Anderson Valley, Boonville, California, USAAnderson Val BBS

Style: Dry stout aged in Wild Turkey bourbon barrels.

ABV: 6.9%

Price: $10 (Binny’s)/22 oz bottle

Appearance: Chocolate bown with a big tan head.

Nose: Roasted malt, soy sauce.

Palate: Mildly sweet and bitter with some butterscotch and salted caramel.

Finish: Mildly sweet and a little fruity, then a touch of bitterness.

Parting words: My first encounter with an Anderson Valley beer was not a very positive one. This is much better. It’s not particularly ambitious or edgy. It’s just a stout that has spent some time in a bourbon barrel. But it’s tasty. The barrel contributes some very nice sweet butterscotch flavors without making it too boozy or sappy. One might even call this a session bourbon barrel stout. Maybe.

 

The price isn’t too bad for a product like this, but it is near the upper limit of what I would be willing to pay. Knowing the origin of the barrel is a nice bonus too. Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout is recommended.