Founder's Breakfast Stout

Founder's highly acclaimed Breakfast Stout that holds an "A" rating from over 2000 reviews on beeradvocate.com and a world class rating of "A+" from the websites founders, is the subject of our tasting today. Boasting heavy doses of coffee and chocolate it is a Michigan Beer lovers must and legendary fall beer from one of our great brewing companies.

It pours black as night with a thick caramel or cappuccino colored head that dissipates slowly with good lacing that seems to linger the entire way through the beer even after 30 minutes of savoring every sip.


Attacking my nose immediately are the roasted and toasted aromas of burnt chocolate and toffee with a rich espresso aroma. There is definitely a presence of the hops at 60 ibu's adding to the bitterness already present in the baker's chocolate like smell of the dark malts and imported chocolate. In the end the most dominant trait is still the chocolate espresso that comes trough above all others. 


My first taste is all bitter espresso up front, with a dark roasted almost burnt chocolate after taste. Letting the next sip swish around and sit on the tongue, I get the sweetness from the chocolate and a slight dark nuttiness like roasted walnuts or chestnuts. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy and coats the taste-buds. Very earthy on the back of the tongue but really very powerful chocolate and coffee throughout. The high alcohol is there but not all that noticeable as it is balanced very well for a beer of 8.3% abv.


Aptly named as it reminds me of morning coffee, like a shot in the dark (cup of coffee with a shot of espresso added) and a big bowl of coco-wheat's. This beer is so rich and satisfying that a few minutes after finishing it's hard to determine whether i just downed a beer or a frothy cup of real hot chocolate.


An iconic beer that has helped to make Founder's the name it is today. Delicious and in high demand so I say go get yours now!




For more information on this and the many other offerings by Founder's Brewing Company of Grand Rapids, MI please check out their WEBSITE!

MBC Screaming Pumpkin

It must be fall as I have now been approached by all 6 of my distributors with all of their Oktoberfest and Pumpkin beers. There are a lot of them out there and last year I think we poured at least 8 of them and it looks like we will have somewhere around 12 in the next 2 months this year.

Above all other Michigan beers, Michigan Brewing Company's Screaming Pumpkin sold the most and seems to be the most popular of the spiced ales that our state brews.

It pours a slightly cloudy copper color but is mostly translucent. Little to no head with very minimal lacing if any at all. Aroma is that all-spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves you come to expect from this style and immediately brings pumpkin pie to mind as intended.

I actually find this pour slightly under carbonated and the mouthfeel is quite thin. The refreshing quality is there but I prefer a little more body in my ales, but then again, I'm not a real fan of spiced ales to begin with. There is a smooth malt character to it before the spices take over your taste buds and those flavors back what you get in the aroma.

Of all the pumpkin/spiced ales I have had I think this one may have the most pronounced flavors and spices and if that is what you are looking for this is top of the line. As I said before it is our number one spiced ale we sell in the fall and only second to Sam Adam's Octoberfest for over all fall beer sales.

Michigan Brewing Company is a longstanding presence in the Michigan craft beer scene and also a great spot to pick up home brew materials. For more information on them visit their site at http://www.michiganbrewing.com/

Flying Dog Raging Bitch

Flying Dog Raging Bitch is a Belgian Style IPA that has been the source of a lot of controversy in Michigan. Up until very recently it was banned for sale in Michigan due to "vulgar" label art. I won't get into my thoughts on this but know that the laws have no changed in favor of freedom of speech and expression and hurray for us cause we now can enjoy this tasty brew!


Pours very translucent coppery color, good thick head with tight bubbles that dissipates rather quickly but not too quick and leaves decent lacing.

The aroma is very bright citrus and floral hops with that very faint funk from the Belgian yeast. The Belgian characteristics are barely there unlike the Cali-Belgique but are present in the slightly earthy smell behind the hops.

It is actually quite drinkable, not too heavy as I was expecting and the only hint of the Belgian side of it is a slight sweetness on the finish. Over all its an excellently balanced IPA but the depth is lacking a bit. The citrus of the hops is cut by the dry finish and the very small hint of banana is there but fades quickly. Almost too bitter as I wait a good minute before taking the next sip but for a hop head like me that is all good.

Medium mouthfeel that lingers well on the sides of my tongue as a little honey and clove do manage to make their mark but over all if I wasn't told this was a Belgian style I might miss it. That ultra dry grapefruit really grips my taste buds still even after 2-3 minutes since the beer was empty.

A very good brew and one of my favorites but I still enjoy Cali-Belgique from Stone, Farmhouse Hatter and Short's Belgian IPA better in this category. It drinks more like an Imperial IPA than a Belgian and that is OK in my book!

Find out more about this beer @ flyingdogales.com


Find out more about the political side of this story @ http://flyingdogales.com/victory-for-raging-bitch-but-our-first-amendment-fight-with-michigan-rages-on/

A Beer Geek Interview with Joe Short

Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire, MI is constantly pushing the envelope. Bringing us cutting edge flavors and variations on classic styles, Shorts is always quick to the conversation when talking about people’s favorite beers and breweries from the state. This summer they took a step further towards being one of the of the first suggestion towards the some of the countries favorite names as they hook up with Sam Calagione and the gang from Dogfish in Delaware and Three Floyds of Indiana to make a tri-state collaboration that celebrated three unique flavors from each region.

The beer they came up with “Cornholio”, a dark lager reminiscent of a Baltic Porter with the Beach Plums of Delaware, Red Popcorn of Indiana and Horehound of Michigan.  I personally tried the Cornholio collaboration at the Brew Pub and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The very faint tartness of the Beach Plum coupled with the unique herbal characteristics of the Horehound compliment the already rich maltiness of the Baltic Porter and its inherent notes of stone fruits, molasses and anise. The 10% abv is present but not overpowering and definitely warmed my cheeks as my first beer of the day. This is a truly delicious brew worthy of the Shorts, Dogfish and Three Floyds name.

I got the opportunity to travel up to Acme, MI and meet up with Joe Short and Sam at their public reception for the collaboration at the Grand Traverse Resort Hotel and Spa. Eager to get their beer into the hands of some of their biggest fans, Joe and Sam happily shook hands, signed autographs, posed for photos and mingled with everyone who came. The event was fantastic and proved once again that the icons of the brewing industry are some of the most passionate, approachable and enjoyable people in the public eye.

It was too busy to take up too much of his time but Joe agreed to answer a few questions by email and here is that correspondence.

Besides what was mentioned in the article posted on your website, http://www.shortsbrewing.com/2011/06/dogfish-head-and-shorts-to-release-their-first-collaboration-brew/ what else can you tell me about how this collaboration came about, how you chose a Baltic Porter and what inspired you to use those particular local ingredients?

This was a midwest collaboration and we wanted to use an ingredient from each breweries state. We chose the dark lager base as it seemed to fit the beach plum and horehound components. the popcorn we just had to make work

Sam Calagione has been an inspiration in the brewing industry. With his TV shows, books, seminars and his success as a brewer and entrepreneur, how did he inspire not only you as a start up, but to this day? What do you think you and your people will take away from this experience and what impact do you think, if any, it had or will have on your business?

When I met Sam he inspired Leah and I to keep going. We we're in a place in our life when we wanted to know whether or not it would be worth continuing the brewery. Sam's story was very much like our own as we were just getting going. He told us we were on the right track, so we stuck with it. I think that a collaboration with DFH has a lot of marketing potential for us as DFH essentially endorsed us and made us more of a credible brewery. 

This collaboration was just as delicious as the one with Half Acre. What other brewers are you planning to work with and if you could pick a dream collaboration besides what you have already done, who would it be with?

I'm thinking we're going to tone down the collaborations. We'll probably continue our relationship with Half Acre and work with them again in the future. Our most recent one with H.A. is a Hopped up saison with Pear

(The latest collaboration with Half-Acre was called Captain Fantasy and was tart and hoppy, a must try if you can get some! I was lucky to grab a few samples at the MBG Summer Beer Festival.)

Your passion for Michigan is inspiring. It may or may not be common knowledge but you only sell your brews in Michigan. I have heard it called "Joe's Michigan Stimulus Plan". Can you explain what your philosophy is in regards to this?

Basically we want to distribute our beer in Michigan only. We want to retain the mom and pop ideology with our business model and that means keeping it small and manageable and meaningful. When people come to Michigan just to get our beer it means something to them and to us. So yeah, it's kind of a stimulus. We want you to come to us and experience our beer and the great state of Michigan.   

With Michigan relaxing its ban on "vulgar" labels and beer names such as Flying Dog's Raging Bitch and Dogfish Head's Bitches Brew, does Shorts have any plans to add some "explicit" beer to the market?

Not at all. We do our best to avoid such headaches. 

You shared a story with me about an Imperial Stout that you had made before founding Shorts and called it, to this day, the best Stout you have ever made. I would love for you to share that with me again if you don't mind so I can share it with the other enthusiasts.

The short story is I had made one of the best imperial stouts I have ever tasted during my final months at Jackson Brewing/Zigs Kettle and Brew. It was hand bottled in fancy 1/2 liter and 1 liter flip top bottles. My goal was to show the establishment we could make some money on the beer. Before we could really launch the bottle sales, Zigs decided they we're going to close. They left all of that beer behind and sold it for ridiculously cheap. We'll some of the regulars knew about this and bought it all up. The day after our first anniversary party in 2005 I was in the pub that morning cleaning up and readying the pub for another day. A gentleman who I knew from Jackson stopped in and told me he had a bottle of that stout I had made. He brought one in and gave it to me. I shared it with 4 or 5 people at the bar and we all agreed, not only was it an appropriate way to close out our first year at Short's, but the beer was amazing. 

(what a great testament to the passion and reverence the enthusiasts of this industry show for the beer our brewers sweat to make and share with us.)

I had a fantastic trip on my 20 hour road trip from Ann Arbor and Back and though it was only a brief moment spent at the collaboration party, getting to interact with guys like Joe and Sam was worth every moment in that car. It was an experience I wouldn’t trade and a memory that will stay with me through the years.

--

Jonathan Cole

Supreme Beer Geek

Here is a link to the Flicker Page where you can find more photos! 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shortsbrewing/sets/72157627138665636/

New Holland el Mole Ocho

As I venture into one of the odder beers in the state, we hit the unique el Mole Ocho from New Holland Brewing Company. New Holland describes it as "Our exploration into the flavors of mole, the legendary sauce of central Mexico. Malty aroma and rich, cocoa-laden body laced with an invigorating tinge of dried chilies and coffee." 


It pours a murky, copper color with a moderate head that lingers for the first few minutes than settles to a thin layer with light lacing. It looks rich and inviting and my mouth is salivating as it approach my lips and I start getting the first few whiffs of aroma off the beer.

I am blasted with ancho and red chili pepper aromas up front with hints of roasted coffee beans followed by very faint hop notes. I don't sense the chocolate in the nose and the longer I take in the scent of this beer the more the spices saturate my sinuses.

The first sip hits my sweetness buds as toffee and dark chocolate come straight through. After swishing it around my mouth the spices took hold of the sides of my tongue and the coffee beans stuck to the back of the throat as I swallowed. The slightly burnt flavor invoked Mexican dining just as promised and the sweet, spicy, bitter flavors mix well and bring a lot of complexity to this beer. The high alcohol level is present but not over powering as it adds a slight warmth to the already spicy peppers.

A delightful beer that grows on me each time I try it. Well done to the brewers at New Holland for thinking outside the box on this one. I highly recommend it!

For more information on New Holland visit their website at:

www.newhollandbrew.com

Special Thanks to Rick Wilson for comparing tasting notes

Mt. Pleasant Gruit / Kuhnhenn Heather Ale

I thought we would switch it up off my hop obsession and go after a few of the stranger options out there. We tried an ancient style of beer called Gruit and here is what we thought!

Gruit is an old-fashioned herb mixture used for bittering and flavoring beer, popular before the extensive use of hops.

Today we tasted Kuhnhenn’s  Heather Ale side by side with Mt. Pleasant Gruit.

Kuhnhenn’s beer poured a very light amber color and mostly translucent, reminding me visually of a glass of iced tea.  Mt. Pleasant Gruit had a similar color but a bit cloudy. Not much head to either and both faded quickly with minimal lacing.

Aromas match the tea color with scents of black tea and a slight lemon or other citrus lingering. The Mt. Pleasant version had a distinct diacetyl scent of buttered popcorn. I didn’t think it completely over powered the tea and citrus but it was definitely present and am not sure whether it was intentional or not.

With no hops the bitterness I am accustomed to is lacking and in the Heather Ale an almost floral taste mixes with the herbal heather flavors and the malty caramel tones are accompanied with a touch of honey crisp apple. The Mt. Pleasant one brings more of the honey, less of the caramel and almost a cinnamon or nutmeg spiced apples instead of the honey crisp.

Both are fairly light bodied with good carbonation, the Heather Ale being lighter and more refreshing as the Mt. Pleasant Gruit was a touch creamy and leaning towards the medium bodied spectrum.

Over all I thought this style of beer was surprisingly refreshing and drinkable and as my first venture into Gruit’s I left satisfied and would definitely order another next time I need a break from my IPA’s. 

Special Thanks to Rick Wilson for comparing notes with me!

visit the brewery webpages for more information

www.kbrewery.com/ 

www.mtpleasantbrew.com/

Witch's Hat Holy Confusion Barley Wine

The Witch’s Hat Brewing Company is small microbrewery located in South Lyon, Michigan.  They have yet to open officially but I have been blessed to receive an advanced bottle of their beer to review. Ryan Cottongim was kind enough to bring me a 22oz bottle of their Holy Confusion Barley Wine and I happily indulged while relaxing the other day.


The bottle art is excellent on this one and the batch number was hand written as "1" so perhaps I will hold on to this in hopes they become world famous one day and I will have a collectors item.

I poured its contents into a large 18oz wine goblet as to get the best view with the limited glass selection I have at home. It poured a rich creamy ivory color as the beer itself was dancing between Amber and Crimson notes with a very thick clouding of yeast as it was bottle conditions with a healthy amount of sediment left in the bottom of the bottle. The head dissipated slowly and left thik lacing around my glass and had a very fine creamy texture.

The first scents were all hop citrus and dryness as this beer boasts 100 IBU's and reminds me of Stone's Arrogant Bastard Series as once you get past the massive hop aroma you start getting the earthy malts and bread or biscuit like smells from the yeast. As it warms up a bit I catch whiffs of white peppercorn and other spices maybe coriander, it doesnt linger long and is hard to peg down with the hops and sweet malts dominating the nose.

My first sip hits me as I would expect from a 100 IBU beer and i get that delicious pucker I get from my first Imperial IPA of the day. This is where I think the name comes from because I could certainly confuse this easily as an American Strong Double or Imperial IPA. The Barley Wine starts to assert itself on the mouth feel as the dry hops give way to the richness and sweet malts I would expect in a strong barley wine such as this. The finish is fantastically complex as the blend of styles wash the back of my palate. I taste every component I have described so far with that slight spiciness I picked up in the nose a bit more prevalent on the end and the 10% abv adding a bit of a bite and slight warmness as it goes down.


Barley Wines are not typically my cup of tea when it comes to beer but this one with its hops not hidden away in sweet syrupy maltiness has really impressed me. I would be happy to put this on tap and challenge my Stone drinkers to try this side by side with their strong ales and i would guess even they would find that it stands up to them just fine. If the rest of their portfolio is as good as this I say we are gonna have some great beer coming out of our back yards over here.


Special Thanks to Ryan Cottongim for the sample and for my lovely Fiance Katee for helping me taste this excellent beer.

For more information on Witch's Hat and to stay up to date on their progress visit their website or email Ryan

Ryan@WitchsHatBrewing.com

http://www.WitchsHatBrewing.com