Odd Side Ales

Hailed as one of the "smallest breweries in the country", Odd Side Ales in Grand Haven, MI is one to visit. This passionate brewery creates unique beer recipes including the Fig Brewton, Beet It, Grapefruit Wheat and Peanut Butter Stout. 

Located in the nondescript old Story & Clark Piano Factory building, Odd Side Ales features an atmosphere as unique as their brews. They offer the feel of an intimate coffee shop with a funky and fun vibe. They do not serve food, but welcome their guests bringing in food from area restaurants.

During my visit I decided to order a flight to sample several of their brews. The beers included (clockwise from top left) Peanut Butter Stout, Grapefruit Wheat, Double Pineapple IPA, CITRA Pale Ale, Jackalope, and Charles Brown. Not a huge fan of peanut butter in beer as it can easily overpower, but this one was good - the peanut butter flavor was a good compliment to the stout. In fact it was my favorite of the flight, but I'm not sure I could handle more than a pint. I also really enjoyed the Grapefruit Wheat and Charles Brown.

If you find yourself in the Grand Haven area, stop it - according to their website they have five new brews on tap each week.

http://www.oddsideales.com/main/

Bell's Brewery

 

Recently I was lucky to get an opportunity to visit Kalamazoo's Bell's Brewery and go on a tour of the facility.

What started as a modest brewing operation by Larry Bell, Bell's Brewery has grown into one of Michigan's famous craft beer empires. Bell's is famous for (among others) their Oberon and Two Hearted brews, but what was interesting about visiting in person was the number of beers that are ONLY served in their Kalamazoo pub. When ordering off their beer menu, the beers noted with the yellow Bell's logo are pub exclusives.

 

I was not feeling well the morning I visited, so I played it safe and ordered the Lager of the Lakes. I now know that I detest any type of lager; this one was good for a lager but overall light and not memorable (also pictured is the Winter White Ale). If I could do Bell's again I would order a flight of their stouts, as I'm kicking myself for not trying the Smoked Stout and the Milk Stout.

Bell's production, which was once done on the Kalamazoo grounds with the pub, has been moved to a larger facility in Comstock, MI. Lucky weekend visitors are able to tour the old production facility at the top of the hour beginning at noon. I believe the old facility is still used to brew small, experimental batches.  I was able to snag some pictures while on the tour of conicle fermenters and oak barrels, which are used to make sour beers.

Our tour guide was passionate about Bell's and the brewing process, and mentioned that Bell's uses their own special yeast in the brewing process. This Bell's exclusive yeast is used in the brewing process for every Bell's beer. For those not familiar with the brewing process, the yeast plays a role in fermentation. Yeast is a living organism that consumes the carbs/sugar in the beer, producing the alcohol. Yeast also plays a role in the flavor and aroma of beer.

If you happen to visit Kalamazoo, be sure to stop in at Bell's - it is a truly a divine place.

http://www.bellsbeer.com/

Rochester Mills Craft Beer/Dining Experience

I don't typically write on weekends, but the Rochester Mills Groupon is too good to not pass on to readers. For $48, you buy a craft beer and dining experience. The sessions will be held on Sunday or Tuesday nights from 7-8pm, and lucky buyers get:

     * 15-minute tour of the Rochester Mills Beer Co. brewhouse
     * 15-minute craft beer 101 session with a brewer
     * 30-minute food and beer pairing with a brewer and a chef
     * Full growler with a free refill when patrons return
     * Souvenir brewery pint glass

This is a $96 value! The deal runs through the next 5 days, but a limited number are available and when they are sold out you're SOL.

The Rochester Mills is located in downtown Rochester at 400 Water Street in the historic Western Knitting Mill building. One of the great things about the Mills is they kept the integrity of the building, featuring original hardwood floors, columns, beams and exposed brick walls.
 
The Mills serves 11 signature beers including Cornerstone IPA, Milkshake Stout, and Rochester Red Ale. I highly recommend the Milkshake Stout.

http://www.groupon.com/deals/gx-rochester-mills-beer-co?utm_medium=email&utm_source=channel_grouponicus-deals&sid=11035309&user=fd7d449f9f0e8fec321ed2b2ad78d44dfb9ae292d389890e4c7a2911660f9feb&utm_campaign=11035309&s=body&d=gx-rochester-mills-beer-co&p=2&c=deal_button

Olde Peninsula

While on my biercation, I visited Olde Peninsula in downtown Kalamazoo. We decided to stop for dinner based on a recommendation of the food.

 Serving a smaller craft beer selection, I would say Olde Peninsula is more of a nice restaurant than brewery. Their food was delicious, our recommendation was right on. I ordered a burger, and decided on a flight of beer.

My flight contained four beers - a Pumpkin Ale on nitro, the Jack-O-Lantern, the Midnight Stout, and the Haymarket Cream Ale. I really wanted to try their Stout Chocula, but they were out of it. The Pumpkin Ale was delicious, very smooth and creamy. My favorite pumpkin ale is Screamin' Pumpkin by Michigan Brewing Company, OP's Pumpkin Ale came close. The Midnight Stout was a dark beer with hints of chocolate and coffee, and the Jack-O-Lantern was a hybrid beer mix of the Pumpkin Ale and the Midnight Stout. The Haymarket Cream Ale was good, too - very light. Cream Ale's are a bit too light for me, but this one had good flavor. (Note: pictured flight is OP IPA, Midnight Stout, Jack-O-Lantern, and Pumpkin Ale; my flight came in small glasses as they ran out of flight glasses).

Similar to their Jack-O-Lantern hybrid, Olde Peninsula serves a selection of four additional mix-n-match brews, where they serve combinations such as the Midnight Stout combined with the Raspberry Wheat. They also serve several bottled domestics.

http://oldepenkazoo.com/

Arcadia Brewing Company

On the beer tour of west Michigan, we stopped at Arcadia Brewing Company in Battle Creek, MI. Opened in 1996 and producing beer in small batches, this brewery features "British-style" ales.

The brewery was rather large, with a large bar in the back, a restaurant in the front, merchandise sold to the right, and the brewery was located behind that. Each area had a different feel, from an English pub to a Renaissance Festival to a warehouse with a bit of tie-dye thrown in.

A fan of coffee and a dark beer drinker, I ordered the Starboard Stout (5.6% ABV), an Irish style oat malt stout which boasted a toasty malt flavor. It was good, but seemed a little dry to me - I like my stouts a bit sweeter. It's pictured with a water and an Angler's Ale (5.4% ABV), which is their English pale ale. We also ordered a side of their ale cheese and crackers, which were pretty good.

If you find yourself near Battle Creek, I recommend stopping in - I'm glad I did.

http://www.arcadiaales.com/

Dark Horse

If you find yourself near Marshall, MI I highly recommend making a trip to Dark Horse. Located in a nondescript building, my mouth was agape as soon as I entered - mugs from their mug club decorate every wall and the ceiling. It appeared as if there wasn't a single piece of real estate available for more members (apparently there is). Boasting nearly 3200 members in the mug club, it was awesome to see and should be experienced in person.

For those who frequent the Michigan Brewers Guild beer festivals, Dark Horse has an impressive showing. They had their regular beers on tap (Crooked Tree IPA, Amber Ale, Raspberry Ale, Reserve Special Black Bier Ale, and Boffo Brown Ale) as well as seasonals brews which included Scotty Karate Scotch Ale, One Oatmeal Stout, Thirsty Trout Porter, Smells Like Weed IPA, and Perkulator Coffee Doppelbock. I was disappointed that they were not yet serving their Tres Blueberry Stout, as this seasonal beer isn't available until December.

I ordered a One Oatmeat Stout (7.0% ABV), which was full bodied with hints of chocolate and coffee with a smooth, creamy head (pictured with Smells Like Weed IPA). Be prepared if you visit Dark Horse, many of their beers feature a higher ABV (alcohol by volume), as the weakest beer is 5.5%. 

Dark Horse beer is available in bottles (sold in cases or 6-packs) at many stores, and is on draught in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Denmark.

Readers - which is your favorite brew from Dark Horse?

http://www.darkhorsebrewery.com/

Sherwood Brewing Company

If you find yourself near Shelby Township, Michigan, you must stop by Sherwood Brewing Company. Located in a nondescript strip mall off Hayes just west of Hall Road, Sherwood has THE best beer and food in the area.

During my first visit at Sherwood I knew this brewery was special. There is a funky attitude to Sherwood, the brewery is a blast and the people here are like a big family. Everything I have ordered off the menu is delicious, I highly recommend the pizza with spicy beer sauce and the S'n'M burger with season fries. I try to get to Sherwood once a week.

As a coffee lover, I am a huge fan of the dark beers (porters and stouts). Sherwood is where I fell in love with beer, their Hazelnut Coffee Stout is amazing. Ray and Lisa are the owners, and they are always doing something new and different; for the Detroit Beer Festival they had their Jamocha Cocoa Coffee Stout, which was also delicious. Pictured above is their beer released on October 28, the Smoked Pumpkin Porter (along with favorite 1492 IPA). I really enjoyed the Smoked Pumpkin Porter, sometimes smoked flavor can overwhelm beer but this one has just enough. And it was balanced perfectly with the Pumpkin.

Sherwood is always hosting fun activities and daily specials, from Mugless Club Mondays, Trivia Tuesdays, Blues 'n Brews Wednesdays, and Ladies Nights on Thursdays. Fan them on facebook to know what their happenings are, and be sure to check out their website for the latest brewery news.


http://www.sherwoodbrewing.com/