Cooking With Michigan Beer: Fourth of July Edition

The Fourth of July weekend is coming up, which means it's time to gather up a group of friends, light the barbecue, and bust out those grilling tongs!  Here are a few recipes I developed for your cook-out, picnic, or wherever you'll be chowing down and waving that flag this weekend. First up: Kalamazoo Stout Stuffed Burgers A delicious burger really is a classic American summer food.  Adding a bit of beer to the ground beef is the secret to making these burgers super tender and juicy.  So, what could be better than a nice juicy burger hot off the grill on the Fourth of July?  How about a burger stuffed with sautéed Kalamazoo...

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Odd Side Ales Off Beer Tasting

Chris Michner, brewmaster and co-owner of Odd Side Ales, recently gave the Michigan Beer Blog the opportunity to attend one of his exclusive beer tasting events. Typically, this would involve a lengthy, 3-6 course meal in which specific beers crafted by Michner would be paired with food from a participating restaurant. This was not to be the case; instead, Chris had prepared for us a very complex and educational tour of the hurdles faced by home brewers and commercial brewers alike. He took his Jackalope amber ale and “spiked” it with different flavors meant to represent the different ways an abundance of given chemicals could affect the flavor...

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Weekend Beer Events - June 30-July 3rd

No plans yet for the upcoming holiday weekend?  Well, look no further because there are plenty of Michigan Beer events going on throughout the state: Cask conditioned ale tapping at Fort Street Brewery Time:  8:00 pm to 2:00 am Cost:  Varies depending on the beer Venue:  Fort Street Brewery Address:  1660 Fort St., Lincoln Park, MI  Details:  A new cask is tapped every Thursday.  For more information, call 313-389-9620 Friday, July 1st: (The first day of Michigan Craft Beer Month!) New Holland Brewing Co. Backyard Beer-B-Q Time:  5:00 pm to 8:00 pm Cost:  No cover charge Venue:  New Holland Brewing Co. Address:  66 East 8th St., Holland, MI Details: "Our Backyard Beer-B-Q Series 2011 has begun! Every Friday we’ll be grillin’ on...

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Weekend Beer Events - June 23-26, 2011

It's Wednesday.  For the observant ones out there, you may have noticed a pattern over the last three weeks.  So without further ado, here are the fun Michigan beer-related events going on throughout the state this weekend!  Thursday, June 23rd: Cask conditioned ale tapping at Fort Street Brewery Time:  8:00 pm to 2:00 am Cost:  Varies depending on the beer Venue:  Fort Street Brewery Address:  1660 Fort St., Lincoln Park, MI Details:  A new cask is tapped every Thursday.  For more information, call 313-389-9620 Short's Beer Dinner at the Boathouse Restaurant Time:  6:30 pm Cost:  $49 per person Venue:  The Boathouse Address:  14039 Peninsula Drive, Traverse City, MI 49686 Details:  "Hey Traverse City Short's fans!...

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Bastone Brewing

 I've written before concerning the trend in Michigan breweries regarding beer and food. Among those that offer both, there's typically two types of establishments: breweries that serve food, and restaurants that make beer. Many times, Michigan breweries seem to focus more on one or the other portions of the food/beer equation, and that's not entirely a bad thing. If every Michigan brewery was the same, there wouldn't be a point to visiting them all, and I'd be out of a hobby. Rarely, however, you will find a place that really combines delicious, original food preparation with the delicate task of making great beer. Bastone is one of those...

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BRU Fest 2011

How do you turn this: The Royal Oak Farmers' Market the morning of June 18th. into this: The Royal Oak Farmers' Market during BRU Fest on June 18th. in less than six hours?  Take about 1,000 people, a whole lot of beer, burgers, and chicken wings, and bring them together in the center of the Royal Oak Farmers' Market.  But this wasn't your average beer festival; BRU was designed to bring people together with great food and quality craft beer to share their good fortune for the benefit of children and adults affected by leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood related cancers throughout the state of Michigan. The brainchild...

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Weekend Beer Events - June 16-19, 2011

All right, folks!  Here are this weekend's beer events you need to know about.  Once again, there are a lot of them, so budget your time wisely, my friends.  If you know of an event I didn't mention here, please let me know so I can add it to the list!  Thursday, June 16: Saginaw's Brew at the Zoo Time: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Cost: $40 in advance; $45 at the gate Venue: Children's Zoo at Celebration Square Address: 1730 S. Washington, Saginaw, MI Details: Annual fundraiser where attendees will taste samples of Michigan-made beers and wines; enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and music by Marty Viers and the Music Doctors.  For more info, visit the link above. Short's Beer Dinner at Andiamo Time:  7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Cost: ? Venue: Andiamo Address: 6676 Telegraph Rd., Bloomfield...

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Mad Hatter Birthday Bash

  It doesn't take much for New Holland Brewing Company to find an excuse to throw a party, and believe it or not, Seth and I are okay with that. The IPA that has been a flagship for the brewery since it opened celebrated its birthday in style last night with an Alice in Wonderland-themed bash at their pub in downtown Holland.  Outfitted from head-to-toe in Wonderland attire, the staff at New Holland welcomed its guests to celebrate the “Mad Hatter” IPA and sample some special, single-batch variations of the well-known beer, such as Black Hatter (brewed with dark malts), Rye Hatter (with Rye), Farmhouse Hatter (Belgian-style IPA), and...

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