Tag: Michigan Micros

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Shandy/Alster/Panaché Drink.

Type: Beer Drink

Recipe: 50% Lemonade/50% Lager (Blonde Ale)

Featured: Keweenaw Pick Axe Blonde Ale

Like many of these old-timey drinks, there is a bit of confusion  as to what actually constitutes a shandy.  According to online sources, in the U.S. a shandy is usually a mix of lager and ginger ale or ginger beer.  In the U.K., it is usually lemon soda with lager.

The German and French equivalents Alster (short for Alsterwasser, after the Alster river that flows through Hamburg) Panaché respectively, are both lagers with lemonade.  Being without ginger ale, but with lemonade, I decided on the continental version tonight.  Also lacking a lager, I used the lager-like blonde ale from Keweenaw Brewing company in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan.

The result was very refreshing.  As I am the only drinker in the house at the moment I had two.  No sense in wasting a perfectly good half can of beer!  At these proportions, the lemonade take the lead, but a pleasant bitterness pokes through at the end.  The beer also gives it a full body and keeps the sweetness of the lemonade from subjecting my teeth to that grinding, aching sweetness they get from drinks like lemonade.  It really hit the spot after a day of planting and coughing.

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Big Dick’s Olde Ale

Brewer: Arcadia, Kalamazoo, MI

Style: Old Ale

ABV: 9%

Big Dick’s Olde Ale was named in tribute to Richard Cœur de Lion (1157-1199), king of England, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquataine, Count of Anjou, etc.  I doubt the man ever drank any, since it is an English style ale and the man spoke very little English and spent very short amounts of time in England, spending most of his life in France.

At any rate, the first rease(s?) of the ale were a part of the Big Beer series, which included Arcardia’s Shipwreck Porter and Cereal Killer Barleywine.  Now they are being released in normal sized 12 oz bottles in packs of four.

The color of the beer is a beautiful auburn color.  The nose is nice and malty, or should I say big and malty.  It tastes like one expects a big malty ale to taste but then it takes a turn.  It’s as if the road I was on ended suddenly and I found my car driving through a blackberry patch.  No thorns, but a surprising hit of sweetness and tartness.  I liked this the first time I drank it and a like it still.

The bottles have “2009 vintage” written on them, and given that they are at 9% ABV,  I’m assuming these are suitable for aging.  I think I’ll let these sit for a little while longer and come back to them in a few months.