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Posted on Wed, Jul 21, 2010 : 4:33 p.m.

These are a few of my favorite beers: an ode to the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Fest

By Patti Smith

I don't have a huge family Thanksgiving every year. I don't celebrate Christmas. My birthday is on St. Patrick's Day, which makes having a big party difficult.

So for me, the annual Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Fest is about as close as a big family party that I go to all year. I get to see my beer family and lots of friends and enjoy beers from all over our lovely state.

In honor of this awesome event, and for my own amusement, I tweaked a familiar Christmas song. (When looking at the lyrics of the original though, I don't know why it is a Christmas song. On that note, why is that song about the guy meeting his ex-girlfriend in the grocery store played on the Christmas radio channels?) I offer my sincere and humble apologies to Rodgers, Hammerstein, Julie Andrews and everyone else involved in the "Sound of Music." I hope they don't haunt me for this.

Anyway! Wanna hear it? Here I go:

Founders Red’s Rye and New Holland’s Full Circle

Grizzly’s Sheerwater and Frankenmuth Dunkel

Arbor’s Crye Baby won’t bring me to tears

These are a few of my favorite beers

Frog Island Cream Ale, Beer Todd’s apple strudel

Bell’s Oberon, Woodward Avenue Brewers

Wild beers that get all their yeast from the air

I love these beers with a love that’s quite rare

OG’s Pepper Smoker and Wolverine Lager

Love all these beers oh so hoppy and malted

Liberty Street’s yummy Liberty One

Drinking these beers is so so very fun

Jolly Pumpkin

And the Dark Horse

All these beers are rad

I always remember favorite beers

So I never feel so bad

Arcadia Sky High and Black Lotus pale

Blue Tractor brewery’s smoked silly red ale

Raise up your glass, to our state give big cheers

These are a few of my favorite beers

When the keg blows

When the beer’s gone

When the wort is sad

I simply remember my favorite beers

And then I don’t feel so bad!

See you at the beer fest on Friday!

Patti Smith, in just five minutes, once wrote a sorority rush song to the theme of "The Flintstones." If you give her a token at the beer fest, she might even sing it for you.