Tag: Michigan Micros

Zombies Take Manhattan

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Maker: B. Nektar, Ferndale, Michigan, USAZ take M

Style: Imperial Apple Mead with cherries added and finished in rye whiskey barrels.

Purchased for:$14/500 ml

ABV: 12%

Appearance: Gold with a reddish tinge.

Nose: Spicy and fruity. Caramel apples, marachino cherries, a bit of curry.

On the palate: Medium bodied and fizzy. More caramel apple but with a little oak, butterscotch and cherries jubilee.

Finish: Semi-sweet and quick fading. A slightly tannic flavor lingers in the mouth though.

Parting words: I’m sick to death of zombies. I never found them all that interesting or scary in the first place but now that they’re everywhere I find them irritating too. What does that have to do with this review? Nothing, I just needed to say it.

The Zombie Killer Cyser with cherry added was one of the first of these 500 ml, horror themed meads from B. Nektar that I enjoyed. Zombies Take Manhattan is a higher ABV, barrel finished version of that product. I’m not sure where the “Manhattan” element in the name comes from and I’m too lazy to do any research on it right now, but I suspect it may be finished in Tuthilltown Manhattan Rye barrels.

As you can see from the “style” category above, they did a hell of a lot of stuff to this zombie. It pays off. It has all the good things barrel aging a mead or beer can bring, but without some of the weird, bitter flavors that sometimes plague barrel finished meads.

The price is high, but you get half a liter and it’s higher ABV so it’s all good. This is an excellent product. Zombies Take Manhattan is recommended.

Head to head: Cereal Killer vs. Cereal Killer Special Edition Cellar Aged

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1) Cereal KillerIMG_20130930_162935

2) Cereal Killer SE

Maker: Arcadia, Battle Creek, Michigan, USA

Style: Barleywine

ABV: 10%

Purchased for

1) $12 for a 4 pack

2) $10 for a 22 oz bottle

Appearance

1) Dark auburn with a moderately foamy head on first pour.

2) Similar but with a slightly lighter color.

Nose

1) Big and fruity. Cherry-walnut bread, raisin, plum.

2) Less aggressive but brighter and a little sour. Apricot, mandarin orange, sourdough bread.

On the palate

1) Grainy. Grape Nuts cereal, Kasha, hints of yeast, blueberries and roasted malt.

2) Creamy and citric. Lemon custard, fresh squeezed orange juice.

Finish

1) Long and bitter. Burnt toast, French roast coffee.

2) Easygoing and bright. Medium dark toast with lemon curd and a cup of Central American coffee.

Parting words: Barleywine is not a style of beer I drink much of, because I early in my craft beer journey I had some that I didn’t care for. It’s still not a style I’m probably going to drink a lot of, but Cereal Killer has changed my thinking on barleywines. It’s very tasty with big cereal flavors and very satisfying on its own.

The difference between the aged and standard versions was striking. Some of the aggressive fruity flavors that make the standard version so exciting are muted here and the citrus notes come on very strong. Not to say the aged version is dull, but it’s a different beer entirely. I don’t know if it’s better or worse but it is easier to drink. Not to say that the standard edition isn’t, but…oh hell. Both are recommended.

Black Fang

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Maker: B. Nektar, Ferndale, Michigan, USABlack Fang

Style: Mead with blackberry, clove and orange peel

ABV: 6%

Appearance: Dark burgundy. Not much effervescence after the pour.

Nose: Wild blackberry, sandalwood, hint of honey and citrus.

On the palate: More lively than expected. Medium sweet and spicy. The blackberry is front and center, but the clove slowly builds in strength until it takes over my whole mouth. The orange peel is a background balancing note.

Finish: Tart berries with an orange peel body guard with the clove doing the same slow sneak attack thing it does on the palate. Like a vampire. Or something.

Parting words: This is the second of B. Nektar’s horror-themed fruited & spiced meads I’ve tasted. The first one was mango and black pepper(with an Evil Dead tie-in. I love that flavor combo but the mead I did not love. It was good, sure, but the pepper didn’t come through and the mango only came trough enough to offset the bitterness of the honey. Not much different than their Orange Blossom mead. I was disappointed.

This is a much more successful product. Nosferatu (one of my favorite horror films) is the cover star this time. The label blurb is chock-full of cheesy vampire jokes (“CAUTION: Keep away from sunlight. Product will not sparkle in sunlight”) but the bottle is full of tasty. One of the things I admire about B. Nektar is their willingness to try just about anything. Not every experiment works but you never know if something will work unless you try, right? Black Fang (at about $8 for 500 ml) is recommended.

Au revoir et bon jour!!

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In lieu of a whiskey review this Friday night, I offer up to you a review of a Michigan micro-brew sold only at my local Meijer store. Cheers!

bonneamieknits's avatarbonneamieknits

Detroit was home to the longest running state fair in the United States. The state fair grounds are located just a few blocks from my house. When the boys were little, we always walked to the fair and trudged home at night, exhausted. But alas, a series of economic downturns in the last 10 years left all government budgets pared to the bone. The Michigan State Fair was a casualty. So the grounds sat empty for several years, many plans have been (and continue to be–it’s a large parcel) floated for land use. One that got a lot of attention was for auto racing. Why not, in Motown? I’ll tell you why not. It’s extremely noisy for what is otherwise a stable, quiet residential area. Thankfully, that idea went bye-bye.

The northern-most section of land is now developed. It is a new strip mall with a great big, beautiful Meijer…

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Rübæus

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Maker: Founders, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USARubaeus

Style: Raspberry Ale

ABV: 5.7%

Thanks to Patty for the recommendation.

Appearance: Crimson with a big fluffy head on initial pour,persistant lacing afterwards.

Nose: Raspberry jam, a hint of malt in the background.

On the palate: Full bodied, slightly tart but not overly sweet. Low-sugar raspberry jam with some malt and maybe even hops.

Finish: Creamy. Raspberry custard or maybe fool (look it up). Fades away slowly into a roasty malt flavor like the crimped edge of a baked pie crust.

Parting words: I one of those people who has said for a while that I didn’t like fruity beers, but Rübæus and another one (to be reviewed soon) have really changed my mind. . Raspberry was used at several stops along the way in the fermentation process and that care shows up in the depth of flavor and balance at every stop in the process of drinking it. The sweetness and some of the tartness of the fruit comes through without turning the beer into a pucker-fest. The creamy finish is really outstanding too. Makes a nice after dinner or summer afternoon treat. It comes in a four pack that sells for around $12 so it’s not cheap, but it is worth it. Rübæus is recommended.

Nomad Dry Hard Cider

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Nomad CiderMaker: North Peak Brewing, Dexter/Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Appearance: Like cloudy lemonade. Fizzy head upon decanting, then with a few bubbles in the haze.

Nose: A crisp, subtle apple aroma with a bit of limestone in the background.

On the palate: Medium-bodied and very dry. Golden delicious, more mineral water.

Finish: Crisp and clean. Leaves a bit of a carbonated tingle behind.

Parting words: This is hands down the driest American cider I have ever tasted. It’s really remarkable. Not that it’s the best one I’ve ever had, but it’s unlike anything I have had made in this country. I’ve had British ciders that approached this level of dryness, but the closest comparison that came to my mind was the dry Austrian Riesling I reviewed a while back. An apple-infused San Pellegrino or Gerolsteiner come close too.

My only complaint is the price, which is very high. If I recall correctly I paid over $12 for a six pack. Still, there’s not much out there like it, and it’s very refreshing on a hot, humid summer day. Nomad Dry cider is recommended.

Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout

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Maker: Bell’s, Kalamazoo/Comstock, Michigan, USA.Bells Double Cream Stout

ABV: 6.1%

Thanks to Brian for leaving three of these at my house!

Appearance: Dark coffee brown with a creamy beige head.

Nose: Semi-sweet chocolate, apricot.

On the palate: Full-bodied, creamy, and slighly fizzy. Chocolate brownies with raspberry morsels mixed in while drinking a cup of Ethiopian Harrar coffee. I know that sounds nuts, but 1) that’s how it tastes and 2) Shut up.

Finish: Intense, but not heavy-handed. Like sucking on a wedge of dark (70%+) chocolate. Fades away very slowly leaving a delicious and slightly bitter coating all over the lips and tongue.

Parting words: Wow. Bell’s Double Cream Stout is a fantastic beer, probably the best stout I can remember having ever. The depth and subtlety of this beer is just stunning. I found myself wracking my brains trying to pick out flavors and descriptors for this review, even moreso than I usually do for beers! There was a lot more there than I could put into words.

For long-time Michigan microbrew drinkers, Bell’s can seem old hat at times. Oberon comes in mini-kegs and 12 packs here and I sometimes find myself rolling my eyes at the raving about Bell’s by out of state beer drinkers. “Oh you’re excited about picking up some Oberon and Two-hearted Ale today are you? How cute.” This stout shows very clearly why Bell’s has become the juggernaut (by microbrew standards) it is. Bell’s Double Cream Stout is a masterpiece and highly recommended.

The Naughty Ginger

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Maker: B. Nektar, Ferndale, Michigan, USA.Naughty Ginger

Style: Spiced, hopped mead

ABV: 6%

Appearance: Pale gold and pretty fizzy.

Nose: Ginger, honey, spice.

On the palate: Light, effervescent and spicy. Easy on the entry, not much in the mouth but some light spice.

Finish: Much more assertive after a gulp. Heat lingers on the tongue, Madras curry powder, a bit of gingery soapiness.

Parting words: The Naughty ginger is a much more drinkable ginger mead than the Schramm Series Ginger Mead B. Nektar put out a few years ago. That was like being tied down and having raw peeled ginger stuffed into every orifice. The ginger flavor in that wasn’t aggressive, it was downright violent.

This ginger is naughty but not a sociopath. The hops and coriander balance out the ginger and give it a pleasant curry taste that is fun drinking and even food friendly. This is a very successful mead and very much worth picking up. Naughty Ginger is recommended.

White Hatter

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Maker: New Holland, Holland, Michigan, USAWhite Hatter

Style: Spiced wheat pale ale

Vintage: 2012

ABV: 5.5%

Appearance: Golden with a bit of froth at the top, not much in the way of head.

Nose: Subdued. Some malt and hops with a touch of tropical fruit.

On the palate: Full bodied and hoppy. On first sip tastes like an IPA but then shifts into a mildly fruity wheat flavor.

Finish: The bitterness and the fruit fade into a lingering soapy taste.

Parting words: I’ve been a fan of New Holland for quite some time and a search of the archives will reveal numerous positive reviews of their beers and spirits. I just can’t do it with this one. It’s a part of their vintage series of riffs on their very successful Mad Hatter IPA. I have enjoyed all I have had until this one. It could be spoiled, but one would expect a beer that is vintage dated (and kept in a fridge) to be capable of aging for at least a year with positive results. At any rate, it pains me to say this, but White Hatter is not recommended.

Round Barn Kölsch-style Beer

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Maker: Round Barn Brewery, Baroda, Michigan, USARB kolsch_

ABV: 5.2%

Appearance: Old gold, with a decent head.

Nose: Malt, hops, hint of lemon peel.

On the palate: Medium bodied and fizzy. Crisp with a classic Kölsh profile, but with more weight than expected.

Finish: Crisp and slightly fruity fading to a long, pleasant bitterness.

Parting words:

I was pleasantly surprised to see one of Round Barn’s beers on my supermarket shelves, since we rarely even get their wines around here. My concern with operations that seem to do a little bit of everything (Round Barn makes beer, wine, and distills spirits) is that they often end up doing nothing very well. Round Barn is a welcome exception to that tendency and I look forward to trying more of their beers in months to come.

This is a delicious, refreshing and very food friendly beer. It is full bodied enough to give it presence but so boozy as to preclude a second glass. The price is a tad high, but not out of line with other quality microbrews. Round Barn Kölsch-style Beer is recommended.