Barrel + Beam | Precocious Barrel-Aged Sour

Barrel + Beam is a brewery located just outside of Marquette in the rustic landscape of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Co-founders Nick VanCourt and Marina Dupler carved out a niche for farmhouse ales and ciders. Barrel + Beam Precocious Barrel-Aged Sour with Apricot showcases the place and the taste of their northern home. Read More

City Built Brewing | Prague Underground Czech Pilsner

We were recently able to try a Czech Pilsner from City Built Brewing out of Grand Rapids, MI called Prague Underground. We think this beer is brewed true to style and well worth trying out if you enjoy great tasting beer.

The Pilsner is a Lager beer that was originally brewed in 1842 by Bavarian brewer Josef Groll in the town of Pilsen in Bohemia which is now the Czech Republic. Legend has it that beer was brewed in this part of the country as far back as 1307, but the quality of the beer brewed up until the late 1800’s was so inconsistent the locals had dumped barrels of beer to show their disgust! They brought in Josef Groll to implement a new style of beer that focused on local ingredients and paler malts, and as the old saying goes “the rest is history”.

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Ultimate 6er | Light Beers for Social Distancing

Growing up in Michigan, March was always a month of excitement and anticipation for me. After a long, cold winter, I always found myself eager to spend time outdoors on the first day of sunshine, and my spirits were lifted along with the slowly rising temperatures. In addition to the excitement that the spring season brings, the beginning of another one of my favorite “seasons” was filling me with anticipation this time of year: March Madness! However, as we all know, everything that we had planned on has abruptly been halted by COVID-19. School has been closed, spring break plans have been canceled and March Madness has taken on a new meaning. However, instead of complaining about how this has inconvenienced our lives, why not look at this opportunity as a chance to slow down?

I originally wrote this article with the intention of reaching for one of these light beers while cheering on my favorite basketball team. Instead, I’ll offer you six recommendations on light beers that you can enjoy while binge-watching Netflix, working on projects around the house or otherwise entertaining yourself during this unique time of social distancing.

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HOMES Brewery | Cat Person & Peaked

Over the past three years, HOMES Brewery out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, has quickly become one of the most buzzed-about breweries in the country. Two shining examples of their proficiency with hoppy beers can be found in Cat Person and Peaked.

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Brewery Vivant | Lost Minds Tart IPA

If you read my Ultimate 6er | Snowed-In in Michigan, you would remember that, “from November through March, I have learned to always be prepared by stocking our home with the essentials: a space heater, frozen pizzas and, of course, a few beers to keep us warm and cozy on this snowy day,” so when Polar Vortex 2019 hit, my husband and I were ready to face it. One of the craft beers we picked up along the way to try was Lost Minds (7% ABV), a tart IPA from Brewery Vivant in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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Haymarket Brewing | Pink Sock Monkey Raspberry Wheat

Haymarket Brewing in Chicago (and now also in Michigan) owes its name to one of the most notable moments in labor history: The Haymarket Affair. But, this is no time for a history lesson, this is a time to get to know a brewery renowned for creating beer intended for drinking, not sipping; for enjoying after a hard day’s work, not kept in cellars. And Pink Sock Monkey Raspberry Wheat Ale is one of those beers.

Haymarket commits itself to workers — no matter the color of the collar — and Pink Sock Monkey Raspberry Wheat reminds us all that artisans and craftspeople enjoy a long legacy of cherished American professions, from blacksmith to brewer. Haymarket deftly weaves its way through the craft beer world by creating beers that simultaneously exude refinement and also approachability. Yes, those are often overused buzz words, but in this case they are perfect descriptors.

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Founders Pop-Up & KBS release April 3 | Tribes Beer Co. (Chicago)

Founders Brewing is bringing its freshly-released KBS and the entire Grand Rapids experience to Tribes Beer Co., located in Chicago’s southern suburb of Tinley Park, on April 3. Along with the 2018 KBS, there will be a special menu, live music and a host of highly regarded beers such as ’17 KBS, CBS, Doom, Backwoods Bastard and Frootwood.

The event starts 5 p.m! All you need is an appetite and a thirst for good beer.

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Founders Brewing | KBS 2017 Release

The continued meteoric rise of craft breweries affords beer drinkers an opportunity to enjoy special releases with unfathomable regularity. But, once in a while, a classic “gotta have it,” beer rolls around; be it Pliny the Younger, Utopias, or in this case — KBS.

Since 2002, Founders Brewing has been putting its coffee-chocolate-malty stout in whiskey barrels and then storing them below its Grand Rapids home for a year. Each spring, just as tulips emerge from the soil, KBS escapes the caves so it can be enjoyed by throngs of fans. Welcome to spring; welcome to KBS season.

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Founders Brewing Co. | Frootwood Barrel-Aged Cherry Ale

ABV: 8%

You won’t find the best beer from Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, Michigan — you’ll find it below Grand Rapids, where barrels of goodness hibernate in caves. For example, each April, the famous Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) arises from its slumber and seeks to conquer the palates of beer geeks everywhere. And this year, for Founders Brewing’s 20th Anniversary, several special beers are emerging from those caves, too. So, let us talk about the first release, a barrel-aged cherry ale from Founders named Frootwood.

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A Beer and BBQ Lover’s Destination, Fitzgerald’s Hotel & Restaurant (Eagle River, MI)

We’re going to take you away from our usual Brewery Showcase feature to fill you in on a little secret, something just as good, if not better than your neighborhood brewery. If you want craft beer in Michigan, look no further than Fitzgerald’s Hotel & Restaurant.

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