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Posted on Thu, Feb 24, 2011 : 12:04 p.m.

The Week in Beer: Craft brews can beat the winter blues

By David Bardallis

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Celebrating 25 years of Bell's beer at Ashley's, 338 S. State.

David Bardallis | Contributor

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All the Brews Fit to Pint

Beer news, views, and events
from Ann Arbor and beyond

It's spring! Wait, no, it's not! Oh, yes, it is! No, no, it's not! I give up. Whether it's 50 degrees outside or another ice storm is around the corner, your best course of action involves craft beer. It's the best way to celebrate the impending end of winter — or endure its depressing continuation. How and where can you get your fix? Read on for your latest Week in Beer.

Friday, Feb. 25
» At noon when it opens, the Wolverine State Brewing Tap Room, 2019 W. Stadium, will be awash in the last of the many new beers Wolverine has released this month, Pastoral Winter Wheat Lager. Brewer wunderkind Oliver Roberts describes it as “a deep amber malt-forward lager, with a subtle noble hops aroma. We incorporated English barley, dark Munich malt, dark German wheat malt, American caramel malts, and a special roasted barley for flavor and to create a unique, sourdough bread aroma.” I’m sold!

» At Whole Foods Cranbrook, 990 W. Eisenhower, join resident beer guru Jimmy for a class on Michigan dark beers. From 6-7 p.m., learn about browns, porters, stouts and more brewed right here in the Great Beer State. Cost is $6; call the store at 734-997-7500 to reserve your spot.

Saturday, Feb. 26
» The Sixth Annual Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival is taking place 1-6 p.m. in Grand Rapids. Come out to Arbor Brewing, 114 E. Washington, at 9:30 a.m. to wave goodbye to me as I board Arbor’s bus to GR. If you’re reading this and don’t already have tickets, you’re out of luck — it’s sold out! But mark July 22-23 on your calendar for the Michigan Summer Beer Festival in Ypsilanti.

Monday, Feb. 28
» Be afraid. Be very afraid. It’s… Attack of the Hops! at Ashley's, 338 S. State, beginning today and going through March 6. Wait, it’s not some horrible B-movie featuring a gigantic green monster with hop vines for tentacles. It’s a dream come true for hopheads: draft after draft of super extreme bitter beers, including Arbor Brewing’s Ryeclops Rye PA, Founders Double Trouble Double IPA, New Holland Imperial Hatter, Arcadia Hopmouth Double IPA, Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA, Southern Tier Iniquity Imperial Black Ale and more. Eek.

Tuesday, March 1
» Another month, another first Tuesday, another Brewer’s Night at Grizzly Peak, 120 W. Washington. Come out from 6-9 p.m. for a personal, gold-plated luxury tour of the brewery conducted by the illustrious Duncan Williams, Esq., beer specials, and a hand-drawn mug of dry-hopped Amarillo Shamrock Irish Amber Ale to get you in the mood for a certain upcoming holiday. And OK, I may be overselling the brewery tour a little bit.

» If you really want to get in the mood for that certain upcoming holiday, head down the street to Arbor Brewing for a release party for not one, not two, not three — well, maybe it is three, if it’s not four — special stouts that Arbor brews every year for St. Patty’s Day. From 6-8 p.m. get a preview of March 17 as well as light appetizers and discounts on growler fills. As always, it’s free for Mug Club members and $10 for heathens.

Notes on the Napkin

  • Those Wolverine Premium Lager bottles you’ve been buying by the caseload at your local supermarket and party store? For the last several years, they’ve been brewed and bottled not in Ann Arbor, but in Webberville, as part of a contract deal with Michigan Brewing Co. All that may soon be changing as the Wolverine crew anticipates receiving its own bottling line and label machine in the next week or so. Read all about it on the Beer Wench's blog.
  • Beginning Feb. 27, you can vote for your favorite Washtenaw County brewery as part of the ongoing "Best Of" contest sponsored by my august publishers here at AnnArbor.com. Go here to cast your vote and to check out the other categories and when the votes are scheduled.
  • Amidst all the economic carnage, the Michigan craft beer industry continues to grow, as documented by John Liberty of the Kalamazoo Gazette. Read his expose on Mlive here.
  • And speaking of the craft beer biz, congratulations to Arbor Brewing, which made the list of Michigan’s top 10 beer producers (at #10) with an annual output of 4,057 barrels. Number one? Bell’s, of course, with 153,973 barrels. See the full list here.

David Bardallis is a freelance writer and editor, blogger, bon vivant and man about town. Visit “All the Brews Fit to Pint” at AnnArborBeer.com, follow @allthebrews on Twitter, or join the "All the Brews Fit to Pint" Facebook page. Email your beer-related thoughts to annarborbeer@gmail.com.

Comments

stunhsif

Fri, Feb 25, 2011 : 3:30 a.m.

I love The Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. Their Jackhammer beer is the best and there is a good reason it carry's that name.

bobr

Thu, Feb 24, 2011 : 9:56 p.m.

Dave, great info. While we're leaving town for most of the time period, it's good to see that Ashley's HOP fest will still be here March 6 when we get back.

Bertha Venation

Thu, Feb 24, 2011 : 8:05 p.m.

Hmmmm. Sounds like it's time for me to do a few 12oz curls.

Patti Smith

Thu, Feb 24, 2011 : 7:47 p.m.

Hey Ignatz, come up and say hi! Would love to meet you :)

Ignatz

Thu, Feb 24, 2011 : 8:06 p.m.

Patti, I'll do that. You may recognize me from the Corner!

Ignatz

Thu, Feb 24, 2011 : 5:48 p.m.

David, I'm sure I'll see you in Comstock Park Saturday afternoon. I scoped out the list of available brews on The Mash. I easily came up with 22 I want to try.