The Week in Beer: Summertime, and the drinking is easy

Arbor Brewing's Kevin "Monkey" Bradner pours some cask ale as owner Matt Greff looks on approvingly.

David Bardallis | Contributor

Now that the dog days of… May? are behind us, we can look forward to a bountiful June packed with all manner of excellent local beer events to wet your whistle. This is entirely appropriate, as June is the best month of the year, what with your correspondent's birthday and the official start of summer falling within its warm, sunny embrace. So without further ado, I present your latest and greatest Week in Beer, after the jump.

Friday The biweekly Michigan Beer Tasting at Whole Foods Market Cranbrook, 990 W. Eisenhower, brings brewer Ray Sherwood of Sherwood Brewing Co. to Ann Arbor from his usual Shelby Township haunt. As always, there will be $3 happy hour glasses and $1 sample pours. If you don’t get over to Macomb County much, this is your chance to try good beers from the area in our own backyard.

Saturday It’s Velvet Hammer Day at the Corner Brewery, 720 Norris, Ypsilanti. Velvet Hammer, n. 1. Corner Brewery owner Rene Greff. 2. A great barrel-aged Belgian sour produced by Arbor Brewing that you should definitely try. Keg of this year’s batch (the fourth) will be tapped at noon and served until it’s all gone. A limited number of 750 ml collector’s edition bottles (from both the fourth and third batches) will also be available for $15 each. A great way to celebrate Corner’s fourth anniversary!

Sunday Space is still available for Rene Greff’s latest course in beer education, “The Beers of Germany” A mere $49 enables you to receive a top-notch education in the history of brewing and various beer styles from one of the most beery countries on earth. Tuition includes many tasty beer samples. Class runs from 6-9 p.m. in the Tap Room at Arbor Brewing, 114 E. Washington, and advance registration is required through Washtnenaw Community College’s Lifelong Learning Program. Prosit!

Don't forget Arbor's beer tent outside on Washington Street during the annual Taste of Ann Arbor. Several ABC beers on tap, food from the kitchen, and live music. The suds start pouring at noon.

June 10 Mad Hatter Day comes to Ashley’s, 338 S. State, with representatives from New Holland Brewing on hand to help you get your Hatter on, any way you like it. Several versions of this deservedly popular IPA will be available on tap, including the original Mad Hatter along with Rye Hatter, Black Hatter, Imperial Hatter, and more. The fun kicks off beginning at 6 p.m., with giveaways and a prize awarded later in the evening for best Alice in Wonderland themed costume, so dress to impress!

If you can’t remember what you did with your Queen of Hearts or White Rabbit costume, perhaps the Fruit Beer Tasting at Arbor Brewing is more to your taste. From 7-9 p.m., enjoy a couple dozen beers and ciders, everything from Blueberry Stouts to Cherry Alts to Strawberry Blondes. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 the day of and include access to an appetizer buffet as well as groovy door prize drawings, sadly conducted no more by longtime tasting diva Joanna Hollyday, who has passed her duties on to the capable Barry Aherne. Call 734-213-1393 or stop by the pub to get tickets.

Notes on the Napkin

Just in time for summer, Wheatwhacker Ale is now on tap at Original Gravity, 440 County, Milan. It's a light, refreshing American wheat brew perfect for the lazy, hazy, crazy days of soda, pretzels, and beer ahead of us.

Speaking of summer, don’t forget to snag your tickets to the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival, July 23-24 at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti. You can pick them up at most any local brewery. For an up-to-date list, visit the Michigan Brewers Guild's "The Mash" blog.

I finally had a chance to drink beer on the roof — at the Jolly Pumpkin Café, 311 S. Main. The rooftop patio is open and I can heartily recommend it as a place to enjoy a cold beer on a sunny day.

Congratulations to Jim Satin of Saline, who took the Best in Show Award at the Ann Arbor Brewers Guild Brews Crews Homebrew Competition recently conducted at the Corner Brewery. Jim’s Bobcat Lager, a Vienna style beer, beat out more than 200 other entries for the honor. Other brewers from such far-flung locales as Toledo, Kalamazoo, Big Rapids and Paw Paw also received recognition for their submissions in such categories as American Ale, English Pale Ale, Scotch and Irish Ale, and Belgian and French and Sour Ale. Takumi Sato of East Lansing took Best of Show in the separate Mead and Cider category for his Apple Bottoms Cider. See the full list of winners at the Ann Arbor Brewers Guild website.

That’s all the brews fit to pint this time around. Until next we meet, stay cool with a frosty brew. You'll wish that summer could always be here!

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, follow @dbardallis on Twitter, or join the "All the Brews Fit to Pint" Facebook page.