Beer Sampling - Greenbush Brewing Co. Brother Benjamin

I alluded to my capture of a 4-pack of Greenbush Brewing Co.'s Brother Benjamin in a brewery review from a couple weeks back. The Sawyer, MI brewery's Imperial IPA offering checks in at 10.1%abv and 114 IBUs...pretty serious business for a heady imperial. I had hoped to hang on to this beer for a bit but am now two-deep into the four-pack. It's probably not going to make it to Xmas, but at this point...who cares!? 'They' say you shouldn't store and save your IPAs anyway...

So here are my tasting notes:

Brother Benjamin - 10.1%abv; 114 IBUs; imperial IPA; poured in to my non-traditional tulip pint, the color up front is caramel or deep amber; heading-wise, there is some solid beige froth; consistent lacing that stays sip after sip; the beer is very rich in citrus aromas with a touch of dry floral; there are some additional notes of grapefruit and cake-bread; the hops used in this beer 'feel' really bite-y, with a lot of pine-forward and semi-bitter finishes; you can taste the booze in this, although that doesn't make it un-balanced; it's also full of grapefruit notes on the back-end. This is a pretty big beer from such a small brewery, but I love having a taste of MI back here in CO and I'll buy this again when I head back.

Greenbush Brewing Co's Imperial IPA: Brother Benjamin. 'Prepare to be mystified!'

Beer Sampling - Paradox Bandeau Artiste

I caught wind of this new brewery in Woodland Park while checking out what was on tap at the 2nd closest brewery to home, Pikes Peak Brewing. Paradox Beer Company apparently just opened up in Woodland Park. Their website is pretty scant, but some additional and worthwhile information about their beer and the brewery itself can be found on their Facebook page.

According to this post on the Focus on the Beer website, last Friday was Paradox's grand release party. I believe the party took place at Pike's. Perhaps needless to say, I opened up my Project Bandeau Artiste Trip on Friday night, albeit at home in the comfort of my office leather chair.

According to the brewery's website, the Artiste Trip is all of the following: a Belgian Style Golden Ale, a Peche Lambic, and a Farmhouse Style Saison. I stopped in at Monument's Cork and Bottle and picked up bottle # 622 of 720. Here are my tasting notes:

Paradox Bandeau Artiste Trip, #622 of 720

Paradox Bandeau Artiste Trip - American-Belgo Blond Ale; 7.9%abv; ale aged in wine barrles; bottle conditioned; golden in color; carbonation is active; very minimal heading; lacing that is light and subsides quickly; Belgian yeast all over the nose; fruity on the nose as well, with some malt-forward aroma; faint hints of peach or apple; taste-wise, the Belgian yeast shines through with additional hints of peach; a little champagne in the mouthfeel; perhaps Chardonnay barrels were used in the aging...overall, a pretty decent beer that begs additional investigation with new releases from the brewery.

HopCat, Grand Rapids, MI

HopCat, visited on 10/10  (http://www.hopcatgr.com/main/About.aspx)

HopCat, essentially a beer-bar that also brews some of its own beers, was rated as the #3 such thing (a beer-bar, duh) by Beer Advocate. That's some seriously lofty praise, but we were intrigued. While attempts were made to actually try HopCat's beer, the tap list is pretty amazing and enough so to return the next time we're in Michigan. The location appears to be an old and restored street corner in downtown GR...it's a great location with ample street parking available and cobblestone streets in all directions.

The decor in HopCat is pretty neat, with a stamped reference to the building being used for transporting ghosts or something...I can't quite recall and I didn't take notes...I was having a fun day instead. HopCat is only about three blocks from Founders, so one could theoretically hoof it to two of GR's finest beer drinking establishments. The rustic-chic feel inside the bar is comfortable without being stuffy, although I can't say the same for the wait staff...we both got that 'too cool for school' vibe from our female attendee. There is lots of cool wood and art work inside, including the montage of band and actor wall-paper in the bathrooms. I could drink here all day...there were multiple students in here posted up for prolonged periods of time.

Here's what we tried:

Kwintel - 8.5%abv; imperial brown ale with Michigan maple syrup; heavy brown in color; solid head; moderate to heavy lacing that remind generally consistent; slightly sweet on the nose; boozy too; moderate sweet on the tongue; passive maple flavor; solid and well-balanced brown; not overly nuanced but certainly a solid take on a brown with local flavors instilled.

Hoppopotomous IPA - 6.3%abv; clear copper; light head; strong lacing throughout consumption; solid citrus on the nose; perfect up-front flavor balance; moderately hoppy; very solid sessionable beer all-in-all; slightly bitter on the back end.

We are intrigued enough to come back, and will at some point in the future. It may require an overnight stay in GR however.

Not only is she my beer-drinking buddy, but she's also my wife. Hairclub for Mike! 

Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, MI

Founders Brewing Company, visited on 10/10  (http://foundersbrewing.com/)

Our second stop of the day of MI brewery visits included Founders in Grand Rapids. Founders is extremely well-known for their Breakfast Stout of which I've dragged two four-packs back home to CO with me. Their Breakfast Stout includes a 99/100 rating on Beer Advocate...pretty impressive work. That said, I didn't try one at the brewery and have regretted it since. We still had two more stops on the day!

The brewery is just off the highway and tucked in to what looks like a recently rejuvenated downtown part of Grand Rapids, to include a lot of brick cobblestone streets and new builds. There appears to be a pretty legit sammich/snack menu, but we didn't indulge and instead spent $15 on a screwed-in bottle opener. Here's a shot of the brewery from the front:

I get the impression I could spend several days poking around beer haunts in Grand Rapids...unfortunately, we only had a few hours. Thankfully, HopCat (review to come!) was walkable from Founders. Here's what we drank, in pint form no less:

Licorice Whip - 5.4%abv; light looking, almost clear golden in color; minimal head, consistent and solid lacing; smells like liquid pizzelle; slightly black licorice on the nose; consistently rising bubbles and strong carbonation; instantly licorice up front; plenty of bitter notes that both instantly whet the palate AND make it kinda dry; the beer gives me a slight dizzying feel because of the strange and unique flavor. Well-balanced for such a different taste.

Centennial IPA - 7%abv; pleasant copper in color; light head; nice orange-smelling tones on the nose; robust lacing; lacing lasts through the entire beer; good balance of malt and hop; definitely hop-driven however; slightly minty but mostly hoppy...and clearly Centennial-hop forward; leaves a lot on the tongue after it's gone; kinda busy; a 'blue collar' IPA to me. Solid overall.

Our beers and my wife...

Bell's Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI

Bell's Brewery, visited on 10/10 (http://bellsbeer.com/eccentric-cafe/)

As a continuance of our honeymoon/Michigan beer tour, Holly and I headed out on a four-stop trip through Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids (rated #22 among 'beer cities' in the world), and Holland, hitting up some of the state's finest craft beer establishments. I'm going to review Bell's, perhaps my favorite stop of the day.

Bell's Eccentric Cafe is located in a cool somewhat industrial/but downtown part of Kalamazoo. It seems to be near the main drag of the city and adjacent to railroad tracks, adding elements of blue collar nostalgia. The bar is neat with an interesting take on service: you head to the bar to give beer and food orders, and pick up both when they're ready. We enjoyed the pretzel plate which was just ho-hum. There is also a sweet beer store with a ton of beer-making items and ingredients to go along with Bell's shwag.

Entrance to Eccentric Cafe

Here's what we tried, and keep in mind that while I realize 'real' taste-tests need to come in the form of a pint, this was our first stop of the day. I didn't want to blow my beer load but did instantly desire a return visit the moment I walked out the door to get my hands on some fuller pint-tastings:

Draft list

EXP Hop 2012-4 - 4.8%abv; penned a Hefeweizen with 998 hops; nice copper color, much darker than typical hefies; lil head; consistent lacing; airy smell; lil fruity with fruity pebbles up front; solid and interesting as a hoppy-hefe.

Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout - 10.9%abv; let's be honest, we got right after it here...if a beer on the draft list seemed 'big', I ordered it up: no wonder I left here well on my way; the color here is deep mahogany; light red at the top; no head; minimal lacing; boozy on the nose, slightly sweet; very bourbon-y in flavor; very faint smell/taste of cherry; delicious and extremely well balanced...dank!

Bourbon Barrel Batch 9000 - 14.9%abv; um, yeah...this is a f'n wine; it's hardcore with booze and a pint of this would put you on your ass; it's an aged imperial stout; looks dark brown, almost black and tan; minimal head; hints of vanilla and clove; light lacing; really boozy, really bourbon-y (again); this is heady and will get you drunk. 

This One Goes to 11 - 11%abv; imperial red ale; reddish copper; moderate head; grapefruit and citrus strong on the nose; wow, this beer is awesome...delicious pine and citrus balance; one of the best beers I've ever tried; perfect balance! Top notch beer! (note: I somehow found a 6er of this at a farmer's market in Sawyer...I brought it back in full and will review further in a future post. No I will not share).

Rye Stout - 6%abv; 'earthy, dark chocolate aroma'; significant head; strong lacing; deep brown in color; malty on the nose; chocolate malt in flavor; one of the lightest stouts I've tried; easy and sessionable, but slightly bitter.

Double Cream Stout - 6%abv; 'made with 10 specialty malts'; darkest of the beers we tried, and that's saying a lot; medium head; minimal lacing; cocoa and malty nose; slightly bitter; faint hints of hops; easy-drinking stout with a creamy aftertaste, easy mouthfeel; solid overall.

Build your own sampler...and I did! 

Thanks Bell's...we'll be back...and I already can't wait to get in to the sixer of TOGT11 when I get the chance. Jackpot!

Greenbush Brewing Company, Sawyer, MI

Greenbush Brewing Company, visited 10/9 (and 10/11 and 10/13!) (http://www.greenbushbrewing.com/)

I mentioned Greenbush back in my early September post about summer travels and brewery visits. We were back in MI for our honeymoon and Greenbush is about 10 miles from the lake house. Needless to say, we went to GB three times last week. They rock a killer pulled pork sammich with delicious sauces, really tasty pub cheese, and other good eats. They also rock outstanding beer, including seasonals and in-house specialties. Here are some tasting notes:

Unicorn Killer Pumpkin Ale - 7.4%abv; copper color; great frothy head; slightly sweet on the nose; consistent lacing down the glass; well-balanced up front; malt-forward; good, soft and subtle pumpkin flavor; sessionable fall beer; a little 'bitey' on the back end.

Unicorn Killer

P. Tenera Brown Ale - 7.6%abv; made with nori and shitake mushrooms; ordered up by a Japanese chef in Chicago; dark in color; very small head; minimal lacing; bitter brown in the nose; slightly sweet in the nose too; smooth, almost sweet in flavor...which is odd for a beer made with mushrooms; tastes like it'd go great with sushi actually...mild and complimenting.

P. Tenera Brown Ale

Felt Board Messiah Belgian Trippel - 9.9%abv; made with Vignole Grapes from Domaine Berrien Winery; golden in hue; real sweet in smell; described as a beer with Welches grape juice; tastes wine-sweet in flavor; well-defined sweet/grape up front; hidden ABV which makes this dangerously delicious and accessible to traditional wine-drinkers averse to beer.

Mr. Hyde Sumatran Coffee Cream Stout - 7.8%abv; light head; solid lacing; dark brown in color; coffee bitter on the nose; slightly caramel too; really solid coffee flavor; malty, bitter, all about the dark roast/Sumatran coffee blend flavorwise; I believe this is GB's answer to the ever-popular Founders Breakfast Stout, if only unintentionally.

WIPA - 7.8%abv; wheat IPA; light gold in color; frothy head; strong lacing; light, fruity hop nose;  hoppy wheat or wheaty IPA...can't say which trumps the other, but this fact at least makes it a well-balanced beer; tasty sessionable with a solid ABV punch. 

1825 Belgian Strong Ale - 9.3%abv; considered a Belgian golden ale; the beer is absolutely a nice golden hue; the lacing is solid, with a minor head; the beer smells fruity but still very strong and boozy; it's easy to taste the sugars in this beer; at 9.3%, it's serious business when it comes to consumption, and I think our waiter at the time (while totally overwhelmed w/ other patrons on a very busy Saturday) mistakenly poured me a pint of this when I had asked for a 4 ozer...no worries! This is a VERY strong offering in both flavor and alcohol.

I also picked up a four-pack of Brother Benjamin, GB's Imperial IPA. According to their site, here are the following specs. I tried one of these singularly at the house in MI and picked up a four-pack for home in CO:

Prepare to be Mystified

Be prepared, be prepared I say, to receive the mighty powerful taste of this truly heavenly Imperial India Pale Ale! It is a true force of nature my children! It's a mystification!

Grain: Maris Otter Pale, Belgian Munich, Belgian Aromatic, Caramel Malt 60, Honey Malt, Honey

Hops: Columbus and Cascade

Yeast: House yeast

Extras: Clover Honey and Beet Sugar

Specs:

114 ibu

alc. 10.1% by vol.

15º Lovibond

I ALSO grabbed a six-pack of Memento Mori, GB's Oktoberfest Ale, to share with friends and family. Here's the description, and I'll update the blog with tastings notes of both bottled beers in the coming weeks:

A perfect way to pass the time

Ahhh, Fall. Time for contemplation, time for relaxing, time for… a Greenbush Oktoberfest ale. German noble hops linger like summer days past before the end of yet another season. Enjoy one now before it's too late.

Grain:Maris Otter, Munich, Crystal 40L, Honey Malt, Chocolate Malt

Hops: Hallertau

Yeast: house yeast

Specs:

alc. 6.3% by vol.

27 ibu

Cheers! And thanks Greenbush for all the good food, great beer, and time well-spent in SW MI. We'll absolutely be back!