Tag: Michigan Micros

Freshwater Rum: Huron White

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Maker: New Holland, Holland, Michigan, USA

Style: White (unaged) rum.

ABV: 40%

Appearance: Clear with long sinewy legs.

Nose: Raw spirit, lavender, dried wildflowers.

On the palate: Medium bodied and sweet. Simple syrup, anise.

Mixed: Performs well in all applications tested: Rum & Coke, Cuba Libre, Mojito.

Parting words: This is a simple spirit, so it’s getting a simple review. Does everything a white rum is supposed to do, and does it well. The price is high, compared to the mainstream competition ($25) but if you don’t mind shelling out a few extra shekels for a micro-distilled product you won’t be disappointed. Just consider it a contribution to New Holland’s future endeavors. Huron White is recommended.

Ichabod Pumpkin Ale

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Maker: New Holland, Holland, Michigan, USA

Style: Ale with Pumpkin and spices

ABV: 5.2%

Appearance: Dark Amber with a frothy head

Nose: A bit of spice, pumpkin pie.

On the palate: medium bodied. Pumpkin, allspice, nutmeg, bit of ginger.

Finish: Fizzy, slightly bitter with more spice. Ginger, specifically.

Parting words: Ichabod was one of the first pumpkin beers on the market, and still one of the very best. It’s not overly sweet or overly spiced. One can actually taste pumpkin not just pumpkin pie spice or sweetness. It’s very food friendly, especially when compared to the competition and does not have too much alcohol. Ichabod comes highly recommended.

Pontius Road Pilsner

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Maker: Short’s, Elk Rapids, Michigan, USA

ABV: 4.5%

Appearance: Pale gold with a foamy head.

Nose: Standard pilsner. Creamy malt, sweetness, coriander, hops.

On the palate: Light bodied, aggressive hops and bitterness.

Finish: Bitter. slightly sweet, then big hop notes.

Parting words:  Pontius Road Pilsner is drinkable, but out of balance. The best pilsners are crisp and clean but also with enough bitterness and spice to make it interesting. This one is fairly crisp, but too heavily hopped for my taste. Not bad, but could be better. Mildly recommended.

Founder’s Porter

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Maker: Founder’s, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

ABV: 6.5%

Appearance: Dark chocolate brown, nearly black, with a frothy brown head, like espresso crema.

Nose: Rich and slightly boozy. Bitter dark chocolate, coffee liqueur (you know the one), espresso.

On the palate: Full-bodied. Slightly bitter, but not overly bitter. Dry. French roast coffee, dark toast.

Finish: Long and bitter. Like gargling with coffee. Long-lingering.

Parting words: Founder’s is a textbook porter. It’s all roasted coffee deliciousness. Nothing not to like. That said, it could use a little more sweetness for balance. Good but one-dimensional.  Still, Founder’s Porter is recommended.

The Wanderer Session India Pale Ale

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Maker: North Peak, Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Style: India Pale Ale

ABV: 4.2%

Appearance: Golden brown with a foamy head. An odd cloud hangs over the top half of the beer as I drink it.

Nose: Floral but slightly fruity. Wildflowers, fresh pineapple, peppered mango.

On the palate: Medium bodied and complex. Hops are the biggest flavor component here, naturally, but there are fruit and malt flavors here too. Dried wildflowers, orange peel, breadfruit.

Finish: Malty and hoppy. Lingers for a pretty long time.

Parting words: Against my better judgment, I bought yet another North Peak beer to review, based on the recommendation of another blogger. I’m glad I did. This is a fine, well-made IPA with more than just bitterness going on. The lightly fruity undertones of the Wanderer take it beyond the realms of the workaday session IPAs. I was very pleasantly surprised with this one. Maybe there is hope for North Peak yet. The Wanderer is recommended.

Nicie Spicie

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Maker: Short’s, Elk Rapids, Michigan, USA

Style: Spiced wheat ale

ABV: 4.5%

Appearance: Dark straw, cloudy and foamy.

Nose: Moroccan spicy. Coriander, Meyer lemon, hint of white pepper.

On the palate: Light bodied with lots of spice tempered with a little wheat character. Coriander, faint hints of citrus. Maybe even a little creamy.

Finish: Sweet and slightly fruity. Fades fairly quickly.

Parting words: This is a summer limited release from shorts in the vein of spiced wheat ales like Whitsun. The spice dries out (in a good way) the normally fruity wheat beer profile. It’s a fun drink, especially in late summer when thoughts of pumpkin ale are in the air. Another good solid offering from Short’s. If I have a criticism it’s that the coriander is a little too strong. I would have appreciated more citrus and pepper. At any rate, Nicie Spicie is recommended.

Evil Genius IPA-style Mead

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Maker: B.Nektar, Ferndale, Michigan, USA

Style: Hopped mead

Vintage: 2012

ABV: 6%

Appearance: Chablis-colored, effervescent.

Nose: Whipped wildflower honey spread, paper white narcissus, dried flowers.

On the palate: Floral and slightly sweet. The bitterness of the honey and the bitterness dovetail into a very weird, but delicious and even refreshing taste.

Finish: Sweet honey at first, then a long, hoppy, floral bitterness.

Parting words: I’ll gladly admit that I am one of the contras when it comes to the hops-madness that the beer world still seems to be in the grips of. Part of it is just my

nature, but another part of it is a love for rich, malty, toasty porters and stouts and fruity, sweet wheat beers. I came into Evil Genius as a skeptic.

But this is a very good mead and as far as I know a unique product. Hops and honey seem like they were born for each other after a few sips. Granted, there isn’t much complexity here, but it’s so weirdly refreshing it doesn’t even matter. B.Nektar’s Evil Genius IPA-style mead is recommended.

November Gale Pale Ale

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Maker: Keweenaw Brewing Company, South Range, Michigan, USA

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: ??% (not particularly high)

Appearance: Old gold with a foamy head.

Nose: Hops, sweet hay, lemongrass.

On the palate: Medium bodied. Sweet Woodruff, malt, Meyer lemon.

Finish: Slightly citric and mild, then a big hit of hoppy bitterness on the back end.

Parting words: Keweenaw rarely disappoints, and November Gale is no disappointment. It doesn’t do a lot to distinguish itself from its heavy competition other than coming in a can. The citrus notes and slight grassiness make it a great summertime pale ale; more of a summer zephyr than a November Gale. Like most standard Pale Ales, it is also food friendly. November Gale Pale Ale is recommended.

Oak Aged Hatter

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Maker: New Holland, Holland, Michigan, USA

Style: Barrel-aged IPA

Vintage: 2011

ABV: 5.1%

Appearance: Burnt orange with a creamy head.

Nose: Vanilla whipped topping, hops, bergamot, hops.

On the palate: Medium-bodied and creamy. Orange toffee, key lime pie, lemon chiffon pie, lemon thyme.

Finish: Vanilla, bitter hops, sweetness balanced with pleasant hoppy bitterness.

Parting Words: In another sign of how out of touch I am with my own generation, I’m not a huge IPA fan. In general, I find adding metric tons of hops to beer to be obnoxious. Some of the hop bombs that garner praise these days, I find undrinkable. I do like Mad Hatter, though, so I had high expectations for this beer.

It did not disappoint. The time in “Kentucky Oak” (not a bourbon or rye barrel, apparently. Corn or wheat whiskey maybe?) has turned a very good IPA into a symphonic masterpiece. The barrel notes are a sweet, creamy counterpoint to the citric, bitter hops. No matter how many times I have gone back to this one, I taste something else. Something good. Oak-Aged Hatter is highly recommended.