Cabin Fever French Onion Butternut Squash Soup

  French onion soup gets not one, but two special twists in this recipe with the addition of roasted butternut squash and beer instead of red wine (and of course lots of stringy, Swiss Gruyere cheese broiled on top). I love the way the rich, sweet flavor of the caramelized onions and the roasty brown ale pair with the mildly sweet butternut squash and the way their sweet and savory notes play off each other. The best part is poking your spoon through the molten layer of Swiss cheese to the thick soup below and breaking off the crackly pieces of cheese that melt down the sides of the bowl. For this recipe, you will need: 4 tablespoons...

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Bell's Best Brown Tarte Flambée

In French, it’s known as tarte flambée; in Alsatian it’s flammekueche; in German: flammkuchen. Whatever you call it, it’s mouthwateringly good. It's like a pizza, but made with lardons (strips of pork fat or bacon), onion, cream, and fromage blanc. In this twist on the classic version, I throw beer into the mix. Because beer makes everything better. Fromage blanc is usually pretty difficult to find in America, but ricotta cheese works as a great alternative. So, if you're tired of always preparing the same side dishes and you're ready to mix up your traditional Thanksgiving meal a little bit this year, I would highly recommend adding...

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Motor City Brew Tours Trip to Ohio

Let’s face it, there's a lot of breweries in Michigan. We’ve been visiting them for years and, at best, have made it to a little over half of them. At this point, too, the beer culture in Michigan has become such a phenomenon that I would classify it as a tourist-worthy destination; not just for beer geeks but for people interested in local Michigan destinations. The problem becomes, then, one of logistics and quantity. You can’t visit all of them, and many of us may not have the fortitude required to plan a proper multi-stop brewery trip. Remember that visiting more than one brewery includes planning places generally close to each geographically,...

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Oval Beach Blonde Marshmallows

If you haven't ever tried making homemade marshmallows, it is a food DIY project that you simply must attempt.  Nothing compares to the sweet, vanilla scented airiness of homemade marshmallows. You will find that once you start making your own, there is no going back. In this recipe, adapted from How Sweet It Is, I used beer instead of water to add just a hint of yeast and hops.  I then dipped every square-shaped little marshmallow into dark chocolate and rolled them in crushed pretzels for a perfectly sweet and salty little snack.  Heaven?  I think so, too. For this recipe, you will need: 3 1/2 envelopes unflavored...

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4th Annual Detroit Beer Week to Span 11 Days

Showcasing the Craft Beer Scene in Metro-DetroitThursday, October 18 – Sunday, October 28, 2012 www.facebook.com/detroitbeerweek  /  www.detbeerweek.com In the Motor City, the fall season has become synonymous with Detroit Beer Week. In its fourth year, this multi-day beer event has grown beyond its original concept, spanning 11 days and featuring a full spectrum of craft beer-centric happenings throughout the City of Detroit and the immediate surrounding suburbs. The 2012 edition of Detroit Beer Week will feature individual events to showcase breweries from all over Michigan, plus out-of-state brewers from around the...

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Boyne Mountain’s 4th Annual Skitoberfest Offers Festive Fun for All Ages

Boyne Mountain Resort is hosting the 4th annual Skitoberfest on Saturday, October 6.  The event kicks off the coming snow sports season with a summit featuring four-time Olympian, two-time U.S. National Downhill Champion, and World Cup winner, A.J. Kitt, and includes an on-snow rail jam, new Burton Riglet Park for the kids, and a ski swap.  Skitoberfest also celebrates the best of fall in an Oktoberfest style setting.  Highlights include great food, Michigan beer, wine, and spirits plus live music and performances, free scenic chairlift rides, parade, dancing in the streets, art, drama, and a party atmosphere making this day...

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Jolly Pumpkin’s De Viento Brew to Benefit Dexter Relief Fund and Victims of Spring Tornadoes

On March 15, 2012, a devastating tornado touched down in the small southeastern community of Dexter, Michigan – the hometown of one of the nation’s most noted craft breweries: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. While the brewery itself was not damaged in the storm, the compassionate owners and staff felt the immediate need to help out their neighbors who were affected by doing what they do best – make beer.“Teaming up with co-conspirators Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company, Schera’s Algerian Restaurant and The Abu Nawas Beverage Company, we’ve come up with a beer like none other,” says Brewer Ron Jeffries.This dark and smoky-sour Saison is full of...

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Fourth Annual Summer Microbrew and Music Festival

Last winter, the Michigan Beer Blog had the opportunity to cover the third annual Traverse City Microbrew and Music Festival.  This celebration, held on one of the few bitterly cold days of last winter's overall mildness, combined coats and hats with beer, food, music, and more for a delightful February event.  Last weekend, August 24th and 25th, Porterhouse Productions put on a similar event, and swapped out the frozen toes and falling snow for dazzling sunshine and sweaty tank tops for the Fourth Annual Summer Microbrew and Music Festival. Admittedly, I have heard some rumors that Michiganders are beginning to feel the onset of...

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Inaugural Toast on the Coast Beer Festival

Toast on the Coast takes over Fishbone’s in St. Clair Shores for a lakeside summer fete filled with brews, fish boils and bands. Inaugural Toast on the Coast takes over Fishbone's (23722 Jefferson Avenue) in St. Clair Shores on Saturday, August 25, 2012.  The event, sponsored by Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace and powered by ShowClix, runs from 4 p.m. until midnight and features over 75 beers, with special emphasis on Michigan craft brews.  Tickets are only $25 with proceeds benefiting Camp Casey, a Michigan-based horseback riding program for kids with cancer.  “We have been scouting the perfect...

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Rockford Brewing Company: Sneak Preview!

While we get excited about news of any new Michigan brewery opening, the Michigan Beer Blog is especially excited about the work being done in Rockford. Between the location overlooking the Rogue River dam/waterfall in Rockford, the experience of the brewer, and the vision the owners are pursuing, it's a place with a lot of potential. Downtown Rockford can compete with many of Michigan's coastal towns for picturesque tranquility. Just a few city blocks of tiny shops close to the Rogue river and the White Pine trail, Rockford brings the shopping fun of small tourist towns right up to the outdoor lifestyle. One of the cornerstones to...

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Michigan Brewers Guild Celebrates 15 Years With Annual Summer Beer Festival, “15th Anniversary Ale” Collaborative Brew, and Craft Beer Month Designation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July, 2012 is a big month for craft brewers in the Great Beer State as the Michigan Brewers Guild celebrates its 15th anniversary with its annual Summer Beer Festival, the release of a “15th Anniversary Ale” Collaborative Brew, and the official designation of Michigan Craft Beer Month.  The Proclamation Earlier this month, Senator Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) introduced Senate Resolution No. 160 while 18 Michigan Representatives including Representative Peter MacGregor (R-Rockford) introduced House Resolution No. 102, both of which declare July as Craft Beer Month in the state of Michigan. Details of the joint...

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Grand Rapids Area Breweries Create "Beer City Pale Ale"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kate Wiltzer, Experience Grand Rapids 616.233.3558 / KWiltzer@ExperienceGR.com Grand Rapids has yet another reason to toast the town. Ten area breweries have teamed to create Beer City Pale Ale, a new craft beer produced in celebration of both the city’s newest title and Craft Beer Month beginning July 1.  “The breweries came together in a fun and fitting way to honor Grand Rapids’ newest claim to fame as ‘Beer City USA’ and July’s month‐long celebration of craft beer. Cheers to each of them for such a creative and collaborative approach to making the most of these well‐deserved accolades,”...

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