Sip of Michigan Event

The Michigan Beer Blog is, by definition, a specialized blog. We talk about Michigan Beer, a topic about which we are passionate, but one that doesn't tell the whole story of Michigan's great products. It doesn't even tell the whole story of Michigan's great alcohol selection. For that, you'll want to check out Drink Michigan. They cover the news and exploits of all of the state's greatest exports: beer, wine, and liquor. On Saturday, March 27th, Drink Michigan, in concert with Nicky's Willows Grill and the Brass Mug Liquor, hosted a sampling of local Michigan flair. In addition to an excellent selection of Michigan beer, several...

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Arbor Brewing's Espresso Love Bomb Cupcakes

In case you haven't already figured it out, these cupcakes are fashioned after the popular “Irish Car Bomb” cocktail that is so popular around this time of year.  The way the drink is made is that a shot glass with a mix of Baileys Irish Cream and Jameson’s Irish whiskey is dropped into a three-quarters full pint of Guinness, and then you chug the entire foaming, delicious mess -- before it curdles.  If you've somehow never tried this, it may sound utterly disgusting, but trust me, if you get it down before it curdles, it's smooth, delicious, and almost tastes like a milkshake. How exactly this cocktail came to pass in baked good...

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Sundog Amber Creole Barbecue Shrimp

About a month ago, Seth and I dined at the Blue House Bistro in Holland, just a few blocks west of New Holland Brewing Co. It's small, unassuming, and definitely off the beaten path, but this culinary pearl (in a bit of a rough outer shell) is surely a place you should check out next time you're around downtown Holland. The outside The West Eighth Street restaurant, which opened last Spring, exquisitely blends two culinary styles: French-inspired Creole city fare and spicy Cajun peasant food, and just so happens to be the inspiration for this recipe I created for Fat Tuesday. Yes, it's a little late now, but it's great for any other...

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Brew Ski Festival at Boyne Highlands

“I hate winter.” As a Michigander, I hear that sentence a lot. I’m guilty of saying it on more than one occasion. It’s pretty easy to understand that living in a land where winter arrives early to ruin Halloween, and stays late to ruin Easter (let alone St Patrick’s Day) would breed some contempt for the cold wind, icy roads, and long, dark nights. Well guess what. It’s coming again next year, and you have three choices: run away, continue to complain, or come to grips with the fact that the price for living in a place without earthquakes, volcanoes, sharks, droughts, or hurricanes is a few chilly months and a tornado...

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Bottled Michigan: Founder's Double Trouble Imperial IPA

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } It's March in Michigan, and as the more fortunate venture south to throw necklaces of cheap, plastic beads toward people as part of a primitive bartering system to see exposed breasts, the rest of Michigan eats their Pączki and begin to really, really hate winter. Cozy winters around the fireplace be damned; we want our birdsongs, buttercups, and baseball to start. So even as the local weatherman calls for one or two more lazy snowfalls, and ducks spitballs shot at him from the anchors, I eschew the browns and stouts that kept me warm during the winter and treat myself to a preview of summer. The Founder's...

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6th Annual Winter Beer Fest

Science has two terms for a huge group of people who patiently and cheerfully stand in line for the chance to spend five hours outside at the end of February in Michigan, making friends and idle chit chat as huge flakes of snow fall on their often bearded faces. The first term is “crazy people.” The second is the “Winter Beer Fest Attendees,” and given their dedication to and love for Michigan craft beer, one could say they are still crazy people. Crazy for beer. Behold the amazing spectacle that is the 6th annual Winter Beer Fest, sponsored by our friends at the Michigan Brewers’ Guild. Six thousand people descended upon the parking...

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