tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519Tue, 10 Sep 2024 22:15:02 +0000homebrewingIPAArbor Brewing Co.Michigan BeerStoutWolverine Brewing Co.beer tastingBell's BreweryBrown AleShort's Brewing Co.Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.Ann Arbor breweryCraft Beer Examinerall-grainbeer festivalshared tableArcadia Brewing Co.Father's DayGreat Lakes Brewing Co.LagerMagic Hat BrewingMichigan hopsOberonPale AleRed AleTrappistaffordable luxuryamber alebeer cellarbeer dinnerbeer eventbockbrewing bookscoffee stoutcraft beer industryfamilyfriendshiphefeweizenhopsimperial stoutkidsmalt extractorganicreviewseasonalsteam beertaproomwheat beerCraft Beer and Roving Mentationhttp://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)Blogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-8103282601273561478Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:14:00 +00002011-04-29T16:14:00.587-04:00Arbor Brewing Co.beer festivalWolverine Brewing Co.I've been swamped at work, dealing with appeals, jury trials, and generally seeking justice in a crazy system. So, while some exciting things have been happening in this wonderful beer town called Ann Arbor, I haven't been writing about it. But today, I can finally catch a little time to mention a few items of interest. First of all, I'm writing this post right at Arbor Brewing, where Old Tjikkohttp://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2011/04/brews-news.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-4387340036620860430Sat, 09 Apr 2011 15:23:00 +00002011-04-09T21:24:00.883-04:00beer dinnershared tableWolverine Brewing Co.People driving by 2019 West Stadium on Ann Arbor's west side might not suspect that a whole lot of great beer is being brewed in that former warehouse tucked behind Comerica Bank, Great Lakes Cycling and Fitness, Advantage Sports, and Big Georges. Those people might not know that if they just turn into the driveway and pull to the back, they'll be greeted by a large, inviting tap room decked out http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2011/04/wolverine-state-brewing-co-comes-fully.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-6343423450796785506Thu, 10 Mar 2011 02:31:00 +00002011-03-09T21:31:30.653-05:00Arbor Brewing Co.beer tastingStoutAnn Arborites, do you need some rich and delicious beer to sustain you in the chilly March weather? At Arbor Brewing Co. on Thursday night (March 10), big, roasty, dark-as-night beers will be on offer at the Stout Beer Tasting. ABC is at 114 E. Washington Street in downtown Ann Arbor, right between Fourth Ave. and Main St. Beer tastings are at 7:00-9:00 the second Thursday of the month, and theyhttp://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2011/03/arbor-brewing-beer-tasting-stouts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-8583728944276077512Wed, 09 Mar 2011 02:03:00 +00002011-03-09T17:10:52.841-05:00brewing bookshomebrewingimperial stoutIPARay Daniels, wherever you are right now, thank you! I should've read your terrific book, Designing Great Beers, sooner. It's an amazing book, and while other beloved books got me off to a great start with homebrewing, I think Designing Great Beers is the book that can take my homebrewing to the next level. With detailed information on every aspect of brewing, from water treatment to grain bills http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2011/03/thanks-ray-or-dude-you-saved-my.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-2603211031452415282Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:14:00 +00002011-03-04T19:28:37.882-05:00beer festivalMichigan hopsOn February 26, Arbor Brewing Co. ran a beer bus to the Winter Beer Festival in Grand Rapids for those of us who wouldn't or couldn't stay overnight and were sane about the prospect of driving, and I had the pleasure of being on it. It was a nice bus, with reclining seats, DVD player, bathroom - number ONE only! said our friendly driver, and a cardinal rule: no pukers, again announced by ourhttp://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2011/03/winter-beer-festival-2011.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-1466372884761578175Sun, 27 Feb 2011 20:40:00 +00002011-02-27T15:40:40.772-05:00beer tastinghomebrewingOh goodness, has it really been about 3 months since my last post? Those dang timestamps don't lie. Despite the fact that one can't help but feel a certain affection for one's blog, I haven't been keeping up with mine. In an effort to change that, I've decided to stop writing for Examiner.com. There are lots of reasons, but a major one is that I want to write for my blog more often, and Examiner http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2011/02/back-in-saddle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-8845669928963586966Fri, 12 Nov 2010 21:05:00 +00002010-11-12T16:14:22.159-05:00Ann Arbor brewerytaproomWolverine Brewing Co. Courtesy of Wolverine State Brewing Co. As I wrote in my Examiner.com column, Wolverine State Brewing Co. is now open right on Ann Arbor's west side.  Folks, this is a nice walk or a quick bike ride from my house, and I gotta admit, I'm excited. But I'm not just excited about the proximity of this spacious and inviting taproom and brewery.  I'm excited about the people, the http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/11/wolverine-state-brewing-co-opens-in-ann.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-3415543264329889584Sat, 16 Oct 2010 21:25:00 +00002010-10-16T17:25:03.280-04:00all-grainBrown Alehomebrewing So much potential, just waiting... There is a certain magic in starting with a bunch of malted grain and ending up with beer. Magic, and a fair amount of chemistry, attention to detail, and several hours of rather joyful work. There is also a lot of pleasure. My first all-grain batch was something that I have been contemplating for quite some time; I even wrote a post about picking up thehttp://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/10/first-all-grain-batch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-8116371826231633051Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:26:00 +00002010-07-15T17:26:49.228-04:00homebrewingThe sound goes something like this: *pop!*... tinkle ... drip drip drip. It's a bad sound any time. It's worse at 4:18 a.m. I have joined the bottle-bomb club. Beer everywhere. Glass shrapnel. You get the picture, and it wasn't pretty. The first bottle exploded in the beer cellar, as I discovered when I went down to grab a beer. My nose told me first. My basement and beer cellar tend to be mustyhttp://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/07/things-that-go-pop-in-night.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-2870152225318445553Sun, 20 Jun 2010 01:37:00 +00002010-06-19T22:05:27.752-04:00familyFather's DayhomebrewingkidsAs I've noted several times, my wife is more than supportive of my homebrewing - thank goodness, since it's pretty time-consuming. She's a craft beer lover more generally as well. The other day, when I called as I was leaving work and found that she was home already, she asked what beer I'd like her to grab from the cellar to chill down a bit before I got home. That is love! [As an aside, we http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/06/craft-beer-as-family-affair.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-1319395444301960010Mon, 31 May 2010 01:36:00 +00002010-05-31T07:51:57.852-04:00all-grainhomebrewinghopsmalt extractI've got brewing on my mind. In fact, I find that's the case much of the time. I've caught the bug, bad, and it isn't letting go. I see that as a good thing. After all, the result is delicious homebrew. Most recently, I brewed two batches about two weeks apart. The first was an organic Belgian-style golden strong ale based on the extract version of the recipe that won the organic brewing http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/05/growth-by-leaps-and-bounds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-7106393085805652468Sun, 16 May 2010 21:35:00 +00002010-05-16T17:35:50.098-04:00Arbor Brewing Co.beer tastingbockTrappistPerhaps you can have too much of a good thing. I attended the bock and Belgian Trappist beer tasting at Arbor Brewing this past Thursday. I had a great time, but my goodness, it's tough to sample quite so many huge beers. It wasn't the alcohol. It was the richness! I was walking around feeling stuffed, grossly stuffed, too full to enjoy the nice buffet they always put out at these tastings, http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/05/trappist-and-bock-tasting-at-arbor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-2060484315325323862Sun, 16 May 2010 14:35:00 +00002010-05-16T10:36:46.299-04:00coffee stoutreviewShort's Brewing Co.Though there is a tradition of drinking beer at breakfast, I've not been one to indulge. Til today. Out of coffee filters and desperate for a cup of joe, I had a Short's Cup a Joe coffee stout. Brewed with fair trade, organic coffee from Higher Grounds Trading Co., the beer pours an oily, thick, dark brown with a substantial, persistent, tan head that, as you can see in the picture, got away fromhttp://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/05/quick-review-shorts-cup-joe-coffee.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-8613870998164078887Thu, 06 May 2010 20:00:00 +00002010-05-06T16:05:00.619-04:00homebrewingIPAI love the moment when I get to crack open the first bottle of a new batch of homebrew. From listening for the sharp "hsssst" that indicates good carbonation to seeing the head, color, clarity (or lack thereof), taking in the aroma, and having that first taste, it's a total sensory experience. It's a moment full of suspense. Sure, I could see how things were going while I boiled the stuff, and Ihttp://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/05/suspense-surprise-satisfaction.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-7905817559645823647Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:24:00 +00002010-04-25T13:24:11.840-04:00friendshipshared tableBeer-related tweets often include #beerpeopleRgoodpeople, a hash-tagged statement of truth. There are a lot of remarkably generous, kind, fun, smart, and creative people in the beer-loving and beer-brewing world. From craft beer devotees to homebrewers and commercial brewers, the beer world attracts terrific folks. And these folks gather in pubs, at tastings, in homebrew clubs, at festivals largehttp://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/04/beer-friendship-and-shared-table.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-1736676658622149457Sat, 10 Apr 2010 02:20:00 +00002010-04-09T22:26:51.888-04:00Arbor Brewing Co.beer tastingIPASpice, lemon, pine, flowers, grapefruit, caramel, orange, herbs, apricot, hops forward, malty, balanced, bitter, huge, subtle, dry. Just a few flavors and descriptions for the brews poured at Arbor Brewing Co.'s fabulous, sold-out IPA tasting last night. Call this blog entry a thank you note. The folks at ABC know how to put on an event. There were enough tickets to provide for a great crowd, http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/04/ipa-tasting-at-arbor-brewing-co.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-6022126369081488495Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:20:00 +00002010-04-07T21:32:33.379-04:00homebrewingIPAorganicIt was brewing day here in the House of Fermentation this past Saturday. I put together an amply hopped IPA that, I hope, will have just as ample a malt foundation to balance and support the hops. Time will tell, as it always does in brewing. Two days after brew day, my five year old woke up super early because he had to go to the bathroom, which just happens to be the room with the easiest to http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/04/maybe-third-time-really-is-charm.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-3602898350940596952Tue, 30 Mar 2010 23:56:00 +00002010-03-30T20:09:48.516-04:00Bell's Brewerycraft beer industryOberonseasonalwheat beerYesterday was Oberon Day, an official state holiday in Michigan. Lines were out the door at some pubs, and beer stores have artful displays of colorful six-packs with that inviting sun logo. Bell's Brewery has released our beloved spring/summer brew! But why do we celebrate the release of Oberon? Is it the gorgeous golden-orange color that virtually luminesces? Is it the http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/03/why-we-celebrate-oberon-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-7897251047918040193Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:59:00 +00002010-03-28T17:04:51.183-04:00Red AleShort's Brewing Co.Some things are worth the wait. Short's Brewing released the Magician a few days ago, which the brewery describes as a dark London-style red ale.  I picked up a single 12-oz. bottle, and now I want six more. To me, it felt almost like a welcome new take on a brown ale, like a cousin to the oh-so-tasty Short's Bellaire Brown.  But the Magician is quite different, too, and there's more http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/03/more-magic-from-shorts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-5542531136243149824Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:21:00 +00002010-02-11T20:06:25.355-05:00Michigan BeerStoutMichigan is the stout state.  No, I'm not referring to a public health issue.  Rather, we're blessed with a superb stout selection made by our very own Michigan brewers.  I haven't had a chance to explore them all, by any means, but so far I've reviewed several here and in Examiner.com, and I'm always amazed at how good Michigan stouts are.  I want to recap some of those http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/02/michigan-stout-state.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-6391058877200653554Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:40:00 +00002010-02-07T16:46:20.630-05:00affordable luxurybeer cellarSierra Nevada Brewing Co.At least in Michigan, and probably nationwide, "affordable luxury" is a frequently-used phrase to describe what craft brewers offer and to explain why the craft beer industry is so successful, even during the "Great Recession."  (As a quick aside, we're hardly seeing the recovery here in Michigan, though we hear about it from the news media - we appear to be the "first in, last out" state http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/01/affordable-luxury.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-3997153709168059359Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:03:00 +00002010-01-25T06:03:47.831-05:00amber alehomebrewingsteam beerMy favorite homebrew supply shop is Adventures in Homebrewing in Taylor, just beyond the Detroit airport.  It's not that I can't get supplies in Ann Arbor, but there's no dedicated homebrew shop here, and the selection is limited.  Besides, Adventures is a terrific shop staffed by great people who really know their stuff. But this isn't about the store.  It's about the fact that http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/01/adventures-in-homebrewing-indeed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-7354280969266663239Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:28:00 +00002010-01-21T20:28:32.093-05:00IPALet me start with this: I have a thing for beers from Dogfish Head.  It's a new thing, but it's strong, a head-over-heels kind of thing.  I admit that I was late to this bandwagon.  Sure, Sam Calagione is Mr. Extreme Beer, a darling and demigod of the craft brew movement, but somehow, I just didn't get around to drinking his beers much.  I was - and still am - focused on the http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/01/you-could-ship-me-to-india-and-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-3504758714090052463Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:25:00 +00002010-08-28T13:26:42.058-04:00Ann Arbor breweryLagerWolverine Brewing Co.Thank you to my friend and fellow craft beer lover Shannan for sending me this link from Ann Arbor.com.  Wolverine Brewing Co., a microbrewer of lager beer that until now contracted out its brewing to Michigan Brewing Co. in Webberville, is opening up its own brewery on West Stadium Blvd., right in Ann Arbor.  They'll have a taproom but no restaurant, and they will encourage folks to http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2010/01/wolverine-brewing-co-opening-brewery.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324867701923734519.post-6512306234648018230Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:01:00 +00002009-12-19T17:01:37.472-05:00homebrewingIt's brewing day in the House of Fermentation.  I've been dying to brew up my second batch o' homebrew, this time a steam style (aka California common) beer as a nod to one of my first true beer loves, Anchor Steam.  And, since the style involves using lager yeast fermented at ale temps, it should work well in our house, which we keep cool in the winter. I've had a lot of time off http://greatlakesgreatbeer.blogspot.com/2009/12/brewing-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joshua Kay)0