Spinnaker Lounge + Schmohz Beer Pairing Dinner

The Michigan Beer Blog had the privilege of attending a beer and food pairing dinner graciously hosted by the Spinnaker Lounge. It was a tour of the best Spinnaker’s head chef Bill Read and Schmohz Brewing’s Chas Thompson made available! Both Spinnaker and Schmohz have featured events and products at this week's Grand Rapids Wine, Beer, and Food Festival; If you’re on the fence about either of these places, read on. FIRST COURSE: Forget dessert for dessert.  We’re eating that now.  A chocolate and cheddar waffle made with Schmohz’ excellent Zingiberene ale sat underneath a mound of sweet, BBQ pulled turkey.  The dish is...

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Guest Post: Craft Beer Infographic!

Today, we highlight the hard work of our friends at the Kendall College Hospitality School!  They designed this infographic.  Text by Matthew Zajechowski. The craft beer industry has seen a lot of growth in the last decade in the great beer state, the Midwest and beyond.  Recent craft beer expansion can be seen all over Michigan, from the Kuhnhenns expansions to the growth of Greenbush.  New breweries are popping up throughout the state and the brewers build festivals continue to see growth each year.  The growth of craft beer can be felt not only throughout the Midwest but also throughout the entire country. Over...

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Detroit Fall Beer Festival

It’s a chilly, crisp day on the east side of the state; the type of day where the sun has yet to lose its battle against the clouds, and insists on sending welcoming rays of light through the bleak sky.  The landscape is a stark contrast to our last adventure, with barely tamed natural wonders giving way to miles of asphalt, a horizon of sparkling blue water replaced by tall storefronts advertising meat and fish and appliances and other downtown items.  It’s the Michigan Fall Beer Fest, definitely; but six weeks after Marquette and a 450 mile trip south.  Welcome to the Detroit Fall Beer Fest! The Fall Beer Fest housed at...

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Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Kalamazoo Announces Extensive Tap Wall Line-Up

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is excited to announce the opening tap list at its new Kalamazoo, MI location that will be opening in November at 180 Portage Street in downtown Kalamazoo. The Alamo is committed to highlighting local and regional beer in every market. The list in Kalamazoo features a wide selection of beer from Michigan producers, including selections from Bell’s Brewery, Founders Brewing Company, and Short’s Brewing Company. In creating this menu, George Yarbenet, General Manager of Alamo Kalamazoo, tried to balance classic beers with other beer selections that may be new to Kalamazoo residents. The Alamo Cinema Drafthouse...

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Tahquamenon Falls Brewing Company

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula sports many state parks.  These areas showcase swaths of virgin forest, unsullied wildlife, and majestic waterfalls.  One of these state parks, the Tahquamenon Falls State Park, also hosts the third most voluminous waterfall east of the Mississippi; rust brown torrents of water scream down at 50,000 gallons per second. Near the middle of the park – a few miles from either campground (there’s camping areas near both the lower falls and upper falls) – one finds a kitschy area that sports what looks like eight different gift shops stocked full of the type of souvenirs one expects from Upper Peninsula...

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BRU Fest Grand Rapids Ticket Giveaway!

One of our favorite craft beer events is heading to Grand Rapids with beers from Bell's Brewery, burgers from Bagger Dave's Legendary Burger Tavern, wings from Buffalo Wild Wings, live music, and more on November 9th at the Delta Plex!   Admission to BRU Fest includes tokens for beer & food, live music, a gift bag & more, including:  Access to Bell’s Brewery premium craft beers, including everyday favorites, rare out-of-season brews, exclusive specialty brews not offered to the public 10 beer tokens 4 food tickets for burgers and wings Souvenir BRU Fest 2013 mug and tons of free giveaways for every guest Live entertainment...

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Rockford Brewing Company Harvest Beer Festival

Rockford Brewing Company has just announced their fall beer tent, which will take place Saturday, September 28, from 1-11pm, during Rockford’s first Harvest Festival weekend. This is also the same day as their group bike event with Brewery Vivant (Coq to the Fly) for those looking to have a day full of activities! Bikers are expected to arrive at RBC starting around 2pm, just in time to enjoy the beer tent and free live music! The beer tent will also mark the release of Rockford Brewing’s Harvest Ale Series – Three different Harvest Ales (Centennial, Cascade, and Chinook). On this day all three Harvest Ales will be available (two inside...

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5th Annual Fall Upper Peninsula Beer Fest

The Michigan Brewer’s Guild hosts four official events a year. The winter and summer beer fests, in Grand Rapids and Ypsilanti, respectively, receive by far the most media buzz and attendance.  Part of this stems from their attachments to large urban areas, and part of it comes from their relative ease to attend; both are just short drives from major Interstate highways, making them easy destinations from Chicago or Detroit. The Upper Peninsula Fall Beer Fest, however, does not have that option.  Marquette, MI does not have a population or a media presence the size of Grand rapids or Ypsi/Ann Arbor, and it certainly doesn’t...

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Grilled Flank Steak with Liberty Street Steamy Windows Chimichurri

  Have you ever made a chimichurri sauce? It’s an Argentinean sauce or condiment, similar to pesto, that is popular throughout South America. A basic version uses fresh parsley, oregano, garlic, oil, vinegar, and a little bit of chili pepper, though the variations on this theme are endless (the addition of beer, for example). What I love about this version (inspired by Special Fork) is that it makes use of the parsley and cilantro that are growing like crazy in our garden, and everything else we are either growing or have in our pantry. In Argentina it is used both as a marinade and a sauce for grilled steak, but you could also...

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Preview: 2013 WGRD Summer Craft Beer Fest

The Michigan summer festival scene is nothing if not expansive.  Summer only gives Michigan 12 weekends (cue jokes about how it's more like 6 weekends) a year, and local communities do a fantastic job filling them with a plethora of choices to slake one's thirst on Michigan and craft beer. One such option is coming up on August 17th; for the past few years now, local Grand Rapids radio station WGRD (97.9, home of Free Beer and Hot Wings morning show) has hosted a beer festival on the Northwest side of Grand Rapids at the John Ball Zoo.  While this is not a guild sponsored event (remember: there's only four official guild...

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CEO Stout Beeramisu

What’s better than tiramisu? Beeramisu! Also known as a beer-lover’s take on a classic tiramisu. You’re welcome. This version, inspired by A Table For Two, strays pretty far from the traditional. It calls for beer and Amaretto instead of Marsala or cognac, but the requisite creamy, soft layers will surely please anyone crazy for this Italian dessert. The stout adds a hint of bitterness to balance the sweetness, and its malty, chocolatey, coffee notes are the perfect pair with sweet Amaretto and smooth mascarpone. The amounts in this recipe allow a lot of flexibility for your serving vessel. so get creative! I used standard drinking...

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