Quick quaff: Stone's 13th Anniversary Ale at Ashley's

I feel like I need to apologize to Ashley's. When thinking of a place to drink, my brain tends to immediately go like this "I want beer"-->brewpub-->Ann Arbor or Ypsi?-->ooh! Something shiny! Lookit! And thus, I overlook Ashley's. I humbly offer my apology and want to state that I am trying to mend my ways.

To this end, I took a trip to Ashley's today. It was early afternoon, and I was the "driver", so I really couldn't imbibe too much, but I did have a bit of Stone 13th Anniversary Ale. The beer is a lovely dark, dark red (ladies, remember Vamp nail polish from the 90s? Kind of like that) and I foolishly thought it would be a heavy beer. Its "mouth feel" is much lighter than I thought it would be. The initial taste that I got was citrus + hops. Then it kind of melted into a malty + light carmelly type flavor and ended with a hit of bitterness. This beer wasn't too hoppy or too malty or too anything--like the Little Bear's porridge, it was just right.

Check it out while it lasts and until next time, keep your seat on the stool and keep reaching for the taps.

Patti Smith, aka "TeacherPatti", is an avid craft beer drinker and brewer.