DRAFT News » Jennifer McClellan

Holiday Beers: Made in Michigan

Jennifer McClellan — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:29:46 +0000

This winter, it seems Michigan breweries decided Ol’ St. Nick needed a little help getting presents to all the grown-up boys and girls. So, they decided to regale us with a veritable Santa’s Bag worth of craft-brews. The breweries may be well stocked with gifts of beer, but they’re still low on magical flying reindeer, so if you can get your car through the snow, get out and treat yourself to one — or two — of the fine brews made in Michigan.

Arbor Brewing:
- Phat Abbot Belgian-Style Dubbel
- Phat Abbot Belgian-Style Tripel
- Espresso Love Breakfast Stout

Beers are available now, or will be coming soon.
www.arborbrewing.com

Atwater Brewing:
- Winter Bock
- Single Batch Teufel (Devil in German)
- Cherry Stout

Beers now available.
www.atwaterbeer.com

Copper Canyon:
- Rye PA
- Apple Streudel Tripel
- Detroit Dunkelweizen
- Inauguration Ale
- ReSession Ale

Beers are available now, or will be coming soon.
www.coppercanyonbrewing.com

Dark Horse Brewery:
- One Oatmeal Stout Ale
- Too Cream Stout
- Tres Blueberry Stout
- Number Tres
- Fore Smoked Stout
- Plead the 5th Imperial Stout

Beers now available.
www.darkhorsebrewery.com

Detroit Beer Co.:
- Black Magic
- Red Rocket Rye
- Busted Nut Brown Ale

Beers now available.
www.detroitbeerco.com

Dragonmead:
- Excalibur Barley Wine
- Copper Shield Bitter Harvest Barley Wine
- Jul Ol Norwegian Spiced Christmas Ale

Beers now available.
www.dragonmead.com

Fletcher Street Brewing:
- Buck-n-Fur Brown Ale
- Pioneer Maple Porter

Beers now available.
www.fletcherstreetbrewing.com

Founders Brewing:
- Porter
- Imperial Stout
- Double Trouble Imperial IPA

Porter is available until the end of the year, stout and IPA will be released in January.
www.foundersbrewing.com

Grand Rapids Brewing:
- Oatmeal Stout
- Tiramisu Stout
- Imperial Stout
- Vanilla Cream Stout
- Hazelnut Stout
- Windmill Cookie Stout
- Coffee & Cream Stout

Beers now available.
www.michiganmenu.com/grbrewing.html

Grizzly Peak:
- White Christmas White Ale
- Strang Wullie
- Yakima Biere
- Uber-Marzen
- Hopfenkopf Altbier
- Edwyn’s Warm-up Ale
- Draconus

Beers now available.
www.grizzlypeak.net

The Livery:
- Telewhacker
- Special C-A Czech style Dunkel
- Liverator Grand Reserve
- 5th Dimension
- Carvana

Beers now available.
www.liverybrew.com

Motor City Brewing:
- Holiday Hand-Crafted Beer Sampler Tool Box (12 different beers)

Now available.
www.motorcitybeer.com

Mountain Town Station:
- Belgian Trippel
- Winter Warmer

Beers now available.
www.mountaintown.com

New Holland Brewing:
- Cabin Fever Brown Ale
- Pilgrim’s Dole Wheatwine
- The Poet Oatmeal Stout
- Seasonal 12 pack

Beers now available.
www.newhollandbrew.com

Rochster Mills:
- Brown Ale
- Bourbon-Barrel aged Barley Wine

Beers now available.
www.beercos.com

Royal Oak Brewery:
- 90 Shillings Scotch Ale

Now available.
www.royaloakbrewery.com

Shorts Brewing Co.:
- Cup A Joe
- Uber Goober
- S’more Stout
- Mystery Stout
- Uncle Steve’s Irish Stout

Beers now available.
www.shortsbrewing.com

Bell’s:
- Expedition Stout
- Cherry Stout
- Winter White Ale

Beers now available.
www.bellsbeer.com

Jolly Pumpkin:
- Noel de Calabaza

Beers now available.
www.jollypumpkin.com

Beer and popcorn at the movies

Jennifer McClellan — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:54:58 +0000

Movie-goers in Toronto can now enjoy a beer with their popcorn, and for a reasonable price. Patrons of Varsity cinema who are over 19 — the legal drinking age in Ontario — can watch the latest blockbuster and be served beer or wine in their seat. They must purchase a premium ticket to one of the special VIP theaters, but their beer will only set them back around four dollars — less than a bag of popcorn and only a penny more than a large soda.

Varsity cinemas have had licensed bars in their lobbies for some time now, but only recently have customers been able to bring alcohol from the lobby to the theater. There have been mixed reactions to the change, with some people excited to be able to throw back a couple of beers with their flick (there is a two beer maximum), and others worried about raucous guests disturbing the golden silence of the movies. Overall though, there seems to be widespread support of the beer at the movies experiment, and we at DRAFT commend our friends up north for their innovative beer thinking.

Holiday-ish Beers, Round 7: New Meets Old

Jennifer McClellan — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:04:21 +0000

The Holidays are a time for nostalgia. When people take a moment, preferably with a beer in hand, to reflect on days of old and traditions of the past. Magic Hat Brewing Co. has done just that with the brewery’s newest release from its Odd Notion beer series, Old Ale. Magic Hat says the inspiration for the 8%-ABV English-style ale was the “stock ales” of yesteryear, beers with a long aging process inside a vat that typically have full and warming flavors. Old Ale is a well-balanced brew made from Cascade hops and four different malts. This winter brew is a complex, dark beer that will leave you with hints of caramelized nuts and chocolate dancing on your palate.

Look for Magic Hat’s Old Ale on tap during December — it’s only available this month — at select establishments. Visit the brewery’s Web site for more information.

Drinking all at once

Jennifer McClellan — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:19:45 +0000

There’s nothing like beer and teamwork to build camaraderie and ensure a good time for all. But, a word of caution, beer games can be excessively long and dangerous. Just think of how many times you’ve waited patiently for your turn at beer pong, just to miss your chance because you went to the bathroom after drinking four beers during the other player’s two-hour game? And, can you imagine how many eyes have been mutilated by stray quarters or runaway bottle caps by a drunken flicker during a friendly game of caps or moose?

Well, now there is a new — safer — drinking game on the market called SHOTSTICKS. Durable and dishwasher safe sticks are linked together, then special shot or beer glasses are screwed into slots along each segment. Fit as many people as can stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the space provided and simultaneously take a shot or drink a beer together — the one who comes out dry is the winner. Retailing on-line for $29.95, the SHOTSTICKS Pack includes one stick with room for three drinks, three acrylic shot and beer glasses, two end caps and one connector clip so you can unite with other SHOTSTICKS.

If you’re prone to accidents or are impatient to get your drink on, check out SHOTSTICKS’ Web site, because drinking games should be fun, not lead to tragedies.

Longing for Lagunitas

Jennifer McClellan — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:25:55 +0000

Sheffield’s is probably best known for its mouthwatering barbecue and extensive micro-brew list, but now the Chicago hotspot is getting attention for hosting regular beer dinners — about once a month — that tantalize the taste buds and spotlight different beers. The latest installment in the dinner series will be on Wednesday Dec. 10. and will feature a four-course meal with each course paired with a Lagunitas brew. Arrive to the dinner party at 7:30 p.m. and be ready to eat by 8 p.m. Make sure to RSVP, and do it fast as seating runs out for this culinary experience fast.

Menu:
Vichyssoise, A Purple All-American Cold Potato Soup paired with Lagunitas Czech Pilsner
Grilled Endive Salad paired with Lagunitas Lucky 13
Seared Duck & Mash Boniato paired with Lagunitas Brown Shugga
Butter Rum Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake paired with Lagunitas Gnarly Wine

To RSVP:
Call Phil at 773.318.5676 or email to: beerschoolbar [at] gmail [dot] com

Cost is $50/person

Tailgating Done Right

Jennifer McClellan — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:41:02 +0000

The Tailgate Guy, Jay DiEugenio, drives his 43-foot long Ultimate Tailgate Machine — complete with four flat-screen TVs, 2 full-size kitchens and an exterior grill — to blacktops around the country finding good food and fun people and washing it all down with great beer… and we thought we had the best job in the world.

DiEugenio has tailgated in every NFL stadium parking lot and has done the usual and the unusual. Case in point: At Lambeau, instead of brats, he ate raccoon. The Tailgate Guy is constantly in search of the best blacktop recipes to add to his “I Got Your Tailgate Party Right Here” books, which feature “real recipes from real fans,” as well as helpful tailgating tips from the Master himself. His books sales are helping to raise $50,000 for the Arthritis Foundation, and he will be giving away the beloved Ultimate Tailgating Machine for cancer prevention research.

The Tailgate Guy and his Ultimate Tailgate Machine will be stopping at NFL stadiums across the West Coast before rolling into Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII. Check here for his tailgating schedule to see if you’ll be lucky enough to party with The Man.

Smoked, but not inhaled

Jennifer McClellan — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:27:56 +0000

Introduced back in May 2003, each installment of Harpoon Brewery’s 100 Barrel Series showcases a beer-lovechild created by a different Harpoon brewer who oversees the process from concept conception through brew-delivery. The special beers are brewed in single, 100-barrel batches — hence the name — then distributed throughout the Northeast.

The latest version is a copper-colored German-style smoked ale, conceived by brewer Charlie Cummings. The Rauchfetzen, meaning “wisp of smoke” in German, combines beechwood smoked malt from Bamberg and Hallertau hops (German Noble hops) to create a medium-bodied brew that won’t weigh down your palate like most smoked beers. We think it sounds like a perfect beer to grab while munching on some smoked sausage and cheese beside a fire.

The Rauchfetzen is now available in 22 oz. bottles and on draft with limited availability. For more information, visit www.harpoonbrewery.com

Holiday-ish beers, Round 2: 2° Below

Jennifer McClellan — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:35:55 +0000

For some parts of the country, freezing temperatures and falling snow arrive before winter officially begins. So New Belgium, the brewery known for taking cues from nature, has released a warming winter brew a month before December, and named it for the chilly temperature, 2° Below, at which only a beer can satisfy you. The rich Belgian-style brew is dry-hopped using Sterling and Liberty hops and tawny-roasted malts, which combine to create a floral nose with spicy undertones. Available now through the New Year, 2° Below is everything you’d want in a winter brew: sweetness and spice and everything nice.

For more information, visit www.newbelgium.com.

A prohibition parade

Jennifer McClellan — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:43:15 +0000

San Francisco-based 21st Amendment brewery seeks for one local who turns 21 on Dec. 5 and another who turns 75 that day to help the city celebrate the 75th anniversary of the 21st Amendment (the repeal of Prohibition — duh!) at the We Want Beer! March.

The two lucky birthday-ers will drink in plenty of attention as dual grand marshals of the parade and even earn themselves a little beer money from the brewery. The parade starts in Justin Herman Plaza at 4 p.m. and ends at the 21st Amendment Brewery, where you can continue to celebrate your right to drink the constitutionally protected brew in your hand. Venture up to the pub’s mezzanine that will be transformed into a speakeasy — make sure you’re armed with the password required to enter — and be sure to drink a few brews for those unfortunate enough to have lived during Prohibition.

Local residents who turn 21 or 75 on Dec. 5, or who know someone who does should contact 21st Amendment Brewery at prohibitionbirthday [at] gmail [dot] com to apply for grand marshal. Password information for the speakeasy will be distributed Dec. 1 on http://21st-amendment.blogspot.com. For more information, visit http://www.21st-amendment.com.

Winter wonderland brews, part 1

Jennifer McClellan — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:31:36 +0000

Traditionally, the only Holiday beer tradition everyone can agree on is that seasonal ales have to be special. Brewers use whatever they want to concoct the brews, as long as the end result is worth waiting for an entire year. In the coming weeks, DRAFTMag.com will bring you beers that are absolutely worth the wait.

Stevens Point’s St. Benedict’s Winter Ale is an abbey-style beer brewed with dark-roasted malts and noble hops featuring a warm, malty flavor. The Holiday ale was so popular last winter, the Wisconsin-based brewery doubled production, made the beers available in a 12-pack and expanded distribution to five additional states.

Wychwood’s Bah Humbug is a 6%-ABV beer full of special seasonal spices and features a label with an original rendering of everyone’s favorite Holiday-hater, Old Scrooge. Eurobrew imports the festively feisty brew to the States from its English homeland.

These winter warmers are only available as long as there’s a chill in the air, so try some soon and make sure you don’t miss out on the Holiday-beer cheer.

Visit www.pointbeer.com or www.eurobrews.com for more information.