Bottled Michigan: Atwater Brewery Vanilla Java Porter

You probably know many people who want to get into the craft beer frenzy. They want to support Michigan beer, but every time you give them a sip of your pale ale or IPA, they make that face you used to make when you did shots at a crowded college party because someone dared you to do straight El Toro because no one could find any Patron and hell, it's basically the same stuff, right? And you have plenty of brain cells and I bet that nice person laughing at you will totally hold the hair out of your mouth in about an hour when El Toro starts to buck. Eventually, it will grab YOU by the horns. Yeah you know that bitter alcohol face. The...

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Liquid Table Announces Inaugural GR Beer Week

With a cold bite in the air and a cold pint in hand, beer lovers from all over Michigan and surrounding states will descend on Fifth Third Ballpark just north of Grand Rapids on February 25 for the Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival. This year, craft beer fans will have an even better reason to spend an entire week in Grand Rapids. GR Beer Week makes its debut this year, during the week leading up to the Winter Beer Festival. Events will take place over the course of 5 days at locations in and around Grand Rapids. Beer dinners, rare beer tastings, tap takeovers and other unique events are being planned. While the focus is...

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Frankenmuth Pilsener Fondue

By the numbers, Super Bowl Sunday is second only to Thanksgiving in American food consumption (I read it on Wikipedia, so it must be true). I love chips, dips, wings, and chili as much as the next red-blooded American, but when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday, beer blitzes everything else on the menu.  So, why sideline the stuff as a mere beverage?  Beer adds an extra layer of depth and flavor to this simple cheese fondue recipe, bringing your Super Bowl party to it's A-game in no time flat. Goes great with brats from Sobie! It's only a little over a week away, so start planning your menu now!  For this recipe, you will need: 2...

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Third Annual Traverse City Winter Microbrew & Music Festival

Porterhouse Productions will host a “winter wonderland” celebration of craft beer, live music and local food at the third annual Traverse City Winter Microbrew & Music Festival on Saturday, February 11 at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons. The weekend of festivities will kick off with a special concert featuring Blues Traveler at the City Opera House in downtown Traverse City the night before the festival on Friday, February 10.   The festival will take place on February 11 from 4-10 p.m. on the Historic Front Lawn of the Village in multiple heated tents on-site. In addition to the three main heated music and microbrewery...

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Bell's Amber Braised Steaks with Leeks and Gorgonzola

I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  You don't need to buy the most expensive steaks you can find to get the "cut it with a butter knife" tenderness of filet mignon.  Don't get me wrong -- I love filet mignon as much as the next person, but I don't always want to pay for it.  With this little trick, you can practically turn a choice cut of meat into a prime one.  And yes, you can still enjoy a great steak even in the middle of winter.  The delectable flavor and simplicity of the amber beer sauce, tender leeks, and creamy Gorgonzola topping are all just icing on the  cake  steak. **No, you don't...

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