The Week in Beer: Drinking away the doldrums

Thursday, January 14 Just a reminder that tonight is the porters and brown ales beer tasting at Arbor Brewing, 114 E. Washington, from 7-9pm. Call 734-213-1393 to order tickets ($30) or show up and hope there are some left.

Friday, January 15 Whole Foods Cranbrook, 990 W. Eisenhower, hosts its biweekly Michigan beer tasting from 5-7pm; this time beers from Detroit’s Atwater Block are featured. Come out to meet the brewer and enjoy $3 pints of Atwater beer or $1 sample pours. Bottled beers are also available at various prices.

Sunday, January 17 At high noon at Jolly Pumpkin Café & Brewery, 311 S. Main, another rare beer will go on sale: the fifth batch of Perseguidor Ale. Perseguidor is a blend of aged La Roja, Luciernaga, and Bam Biere further matured in oak barrels and then bottles. Like the recent Lambicus Dexterius release, this beer is very limited and will sell quickly—the brewery is limiting sales to 4 bottles per customer.

Are you a Jolly Pumpkin Mug Club member? Then you are eligible to join the Perseguidor beer dinner. For $40, you get a 3-course meal paired with, you guessed it, the rare and interesting Perseguidor. Drinks and appetizers begin at 4pm upstairs. If you aren’t a Mug Club member, you can join for half off ($20) when you sign up for this event. Mug Club membership includes two pint glasses and a t-shirt, so this is a good value. Call 734-913-2730 to reserve your space.

Monday, January 18 Ashley's, 338 S. State, is hosting a welcome party for Left Hand Brewing of Longmont, Colo., whose beers are now available in our area. Beginning at 6pm, casks of Black Jack Porter and Jackman's American Pale Ale will be pouring as well as draft pints of Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine, Milk Stout (nitro), Polestar Pilsner, Sawtooth ESB, and 400 Lb. Monkey IPA.

Notes on the Napkin

• Representatives of local outfit Wolverine Beer—you've seen six-packs in supermarkets like Busch's—has officially signed a lease to convert the former Big George's warehouse at 2019 W. Stadium into a microbrewery and tasting room. More details and pictures are on their blog. Read the full story from AnnArbor.com's Paula Gardner.
• As reported in the Chelsea Standard, homebrewer Chris Martinson has formed a new Chelsea homebrewing club. He hopes to eventually start a brewpub, but for now, if you’re interested in craft and home-brewing in Chelsea, you can hit him up at chelseahomebrew@gmail.com.
• What’s new on tap around town? Grizzly Peak, 120 W. Washington, is now serving Final Repose Barley Wine, Uber-Marzen, and Fouch Hill Mild Ale. Blue Tractor, 207 E. Washington, is offering McFly's Rye P.A., a 4.7% ABV pale ale brewed with, surprise, rye, caramel malts, and Palisade hops.
• Ypsilanti's Corner Brewery, 720 Norris, now joins its sister brewery, Arbor, in offering happy hour prices all day every Monday—and stone grilled pizza is now also on the menu! Mmmm, beer and pizza.

• The world of beer is a fast-paced world, as fast as last call, so to keep up with breaking beer news and events, your correspondent has created an All the Brews Fit to Pint Facebook page. Become a fan, interact, be in the know, and all of that. It'll make you a better person or your money back. I swear.

David Bardallis is a freelance writer and editor, blogger, bon vivant, and man about town. Visit his Web site, DavidBardallis.com, to engage his services or read his latest. Email your beer-related thoughts to annarborbeer@gmail.com or follow @dbardallis on Twitter.