craft ipa

New Beer Blog Deschutes Pinedrops IPA

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In this beer blog,we are going to get into a new brew from Deschutes Brewery.  It is their Pinedrops IPA.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this west coast craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this craft brewery.  Let us get into this IPA.

It has a clear golden color with a white constant head. The smell has a piney to earthly notes. The taste has a piney notes with a smooth dry aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.deschutesbrewery.com):

Available Year-Round. This lively IPA delivers a crisp and light malt body with ample citrus and pine notes from Chinook and Equinox hops. Inspired by the aromas and silence we experience when exploring the scenic pine forests just up the road from our brewhouse.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.deschutesbrewery.com

Twitter:  @deschutesbeer

Closing, I was happy to hear that Deschutes was coming to the State of Michigan.  I do not know how they are doing in this state.  This state is a little different from other states about the drink the local beer.  I get it but there are some really good craft breweries outside of this state.  I believe this market is slowly turning.  I could be totally wrong on that thought.  I love this beer. This is better IPA than most Michigan IPA’s.  I highly recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Deschutes Armory XPA

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Deschutes.  It is their Armory XPA and you can only get this beer from their sampler pack.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this west coast craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this brewery located in the northwest part of the United States.  Let us get into this pale ale.

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The smell has a nice floral like notes. The taste has a nice floral and tropical notes. The aftertaste has a tropical fruit like finish. It is extremely drinkable beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.deschutesbrewery.com

Twitter:  @DeschutesBeer

Closing, I was happy to see this brewery finally make it to the Chicago market.  I had to move back home so I loss the chance to really enjoyed their beers.  Every time, I travel to the west coast.  I always try to bring some beer back home.  I happy that they followed me to Michigan.  Since i have not had their beers for a while, I brought a sampler pack and this beer was part of it.  I like it. It seems a little bit more bitter than Goose Island IPA. This is a great pale ale.  It is not as bitter as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.  I recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser15@gamail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Batch Brewing Visit

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In this beer blog, we are going to talk about my visit to Batch Brewing.  This brewery started up early in 2015 in the Corktown area of Detroit.  Corktown is up and coming part of Detroit.  It is a nice size brewpub. They do service food.  They have a nice beer selection.  Let us get into their food.

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The photo above is their food menu.  Their food is just normal bar food with a high-end look from a professional chief.  I had their pretzels with cheese and mustard.  It was really good.  It went well with their version of the Oktoberfest.  They have sandwiches and fish tacos.  It is not a big menu but it gets to the point.  Let us get into the beer.

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The photo bottom is the current list of their beers on September 27th, 2015.  They are always changing the beer menu and selection.  They also let you know what is the next set of beers that will be coming on tap.  I was a huge fan of Oktoberfest. Their Oktoberfest is called Festbier.  I also tried their Empire Pale Ale.  It was a little different.  This beer is above average brew.  I also had their milk stout that is called Sweetums.  This was by far the best beer that I had from them in my first visit.  They do not do beer flights.

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Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.batchbrewingcompany.com

Twitter:  @batchbrewing

Closing, I was pretty happy to get into this brewpub to check out their beers.  I love how they have parking and how the outside of their brewpub stands out. There is a nice outside sitting area.  Unlike other brewpubs, you feel like you are sitting in the brewing itself.  The other brewpubs, you see brewing room in another room.  This is one of the better new and upcoming craft brewery.  They know what they are doing and make good beer.  I am happy to see a good brewery not the ones that I have visit in last few weeks.  I highly recommend this brewpub.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Dearborn Brewery Visit

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In this special beer blog, we are going to get into a new brewpub that just had their soft opening.  It is Dearborn Brewery.  This brewery was started in 2014.  They are in the heart of the business district of Dearborn, Michigan.  It is right off Michigan Ave and right by legendary Les Stafford car dealership.  They do not have a solid Grand Opening date.  Talking to the owners, the City of Dearborn is pretty excited to have them around.  Let us get into the beer.

They are like all the little brewpubs that I have visited in the last few weeks.  I loved what they did in the space.  They put chalk boards throughout the place.  It is a pretty smart idea so you are not printing up something new every week.  They do not service any food.  Please, eat or order from the restaurants in the area.  Most restaurants will delivery to the brewpub and some will delivery up to your table.  Let us be honest, you are here for the beer.  You are not coming here to order food and eat it here.  They had a Creamshandy.  I have to be honest.  It is almost like someone just dropped a ton of Lemonade in the cream ale batch.  It is very tart.  I really did not like it but I can see someone liking it.  They also have an American Amber Ale.  It has a nice malty note.  This is by far second best beer in their line up.  There is also Honey Brown Ale.  I do not know what they did but it taste like burn honey.  This is second worse beer right before their Shandy.  Finally, there is their IPA.  I do know what they did to it.  There is a weird aftertaste and it is not welcoming.  It has a nice malty backbone.  This is by far their best beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.dearbornbrewing.com

Twitter:  @DearbornBrew

Closing, this brewery is a great example of what is going wrong in the craft beer world.  I hope there is no new craft beer drinkers coming into this brewpub.  I love the brewpub on the inside but it is hard to find parking and to get to because where they are located in Dearborn.  I am happy that they are doing what they want to do.  I have to be honest with my readers.  Their beers are not good at all.  I was really disappointed.  I really wished that the brewmaster’s friends would have been honest about their beers.  I just hope new craft beer drinkers do not think this is how craft beer taste.  It is not the case.  There best beers are their IPA and Amber Ale.  They are below average beers.  I know I saw my friend almost vomit from the Cream Ale.  I almost did too.  It is kind of scary that I would rather drink Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy.  I am sorry Dearborn Brewing that I am not a fan.  I wish you the best of luck.  At least, you are better than Granite City.  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Knee Deep Brewing Breaking Bud

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into Knee Deep Brewing.  This is the first time that this brewery and their beer is being feature on this blog.  The beer is their Breaking Bud IPA.  Jeremy Warren founded Knee Deep Brewing in 2010.  They are known for their IPA’s. There is not much history on this brewery. They just added Michigan to their distribution map.  Let us get into this IPA.

It has a clear golden color with a white constant head. The aroma has a heavy earthly to floral like notes. The taste has an earthly to grass like notes with a pine cone aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.kneedeepbrewing.com):

Old school meets new school in this fresh approach to the classic IPA. At 50 IBU’s and 6.7% ABV, Breaking Bud features the restrained bitterness and alcohol of a classic IPA with newer tropical fruit hop flavors and aromas of Mosaic. Also in the hop mix are Simcoe and CTZ, creating layers of mango, passion fruit, pine and dank. A malt bill with a pinch of crystal malt and a hefty dose of flaked wheat keeps the beer crisp while adding flavor complexity.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.kneedeepbrewing.com

Twitter:  @kneedeepbrewing

Closing my tab, I just happen to walk into one of liquor stores by my house.  I was pretty stun to see these brews from Knee Deep Brewing.  I never heard of them and of course, I pulled out my phone right away and did a little research from this craft brewery.  I have to say I am not disappointed.  I just wished that it came in as six pack bottles or cans.  I am not a huge fan of 22oz bottles.  I will say most markets are like this now.  If it is a limited run beer, I am fine with it being in 22oz bottles.  I like it. It is nice to get a different version of an English style IPA.  I will pick up this beer once in a while.  It is just the 22oz that throws me off.  Once it is open.  You have to drink it all.  I recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Fort Street Brewery Visit

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into the second brewery that I visited last weekend with friends.  It is Fort Street Brewery.  This brewery was started in 2005 in my hometown of Lincoln Park.  I grew up there for 18 years.  They offer a new Firkin every week.  This brewery has been around for 10 years and Congrats to that.  Let us get into the beer.

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They cover just about every beer style.  I did not see a normal IPA or Double IPA.  There was a session IPA and it was pretty good.  The Lincoln Lager is gone and was replace with a good Cream Ale.  There is a nice English Style ESB.  This brew was my favorite.  They also had a great Imperial Pilsner.  Their White Ale was pretty average but I am not a wheat beer fan.  I can see beer drinkers liking this brew.  Black Hole was another great beer that I loved.  They had a Root Beer on tap.  It was pretty interesting.  It came out as a golden ale and root beer notes were slight.  It was not overpowering the brew.  Overall, I will make the trip downriver to visit this brewpub again.

I did not order any food but I did look through their menus.  It did look good and prices were just right for anyone’s budge.  My friend order some food and his food did look good.  This is a great place also to watch some sports games.  I would say this brewpub is the whole package.  Great beer and food while watching some of the local sports teams on TV.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.fortstreetbeer.com

Twitter:  @fortstreetbeer

Ending, I have to say that I was pretty impressed.  I know I heard mix thoughts on this place.  Most of those thoughts were wrong.  This brewery is making some good beers.  They are making beers that fit their neighborhood.  The place is pretty busy with regulars in the area.  I love their beers and they have some nice balance from each of the styles. There is a nice selection of beer. I also love environment in this brewpub.   I will come back.  I recommend this place if you are in the downriver area.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:   djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog North Center Brewing Visit

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In this special beer blog, I finally had a chance to get by one of the newer craft brewery in the State of Michigan.  I will get into the history and then the beer.  This brewery opened in April 2015 in Northville, Michigan.  This brewery founded by Kevin DeGrood and a few other individuals. Let us get into the place.

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This small and upcoming craft brewery has a nice place just off busy 8 mile.  The place is welcoming and has a nice modern look.  I love the wood work.  They took some time to think about where to put everything in this brewpub.  I love the lay out of this brewpub.  It has a better layout than Farmington Brewery and Canton Brew Works.  North Center Brewing does not service food, however, they will let you bring food in or order from the two restaurants nearby them.  There will be a Kroger opening soon across the street from them.  They have some awesome cheese and salsa, which I recommend you trying both of them.  Let us get into the beer.

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You are coming here for the beer and I will say they will not let you down.  I recommend the flight.  You will sample all of them but one.  Kevin and his crew are making some great and awesome beers.  You can see that they worked on their craft before opening up this brewery.  They know what they are doing and it is showing. I am not a wheat beer fan but they have a solid American Wheat Ale.  What I love about their Cherry Saison, the cherry is not in your face and that was by design.  They have awesome blueberry ale that is heavy on the blueberries.  This is one of the best fruit beers that I had from Michigan craft brewery.  There Imperial Stout is off the charts good.  The Triple is still making me trip on how clear it was.  There is not too many clear triples on the market.  You can correct me if I am wrong unless they are filtering it.  They are not doing that here.  Their pale ale is really good.  The IPA is good but I just wished it was more bitter and hopper.  It is nice Midwest IPA.  What I love about this brewpub and their beers, they are all different and they do not taste the same unlike some breweries.  There is several breweries where all their beers taste the same.  Most cases, it is because they are using the same yeast strain.  This brewery does not do that.  

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Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.northcenterbrewing.com

Twitter:  @northcenterbrew

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Closing, I have been too many brewpubs and new ones too.  Craft beer machine keeps on going with new breweries opening up all the time.  There is some you can see people just jumping in to make a quick dollar.  There are several of them opening up in Michigan.  North Center Brewing is not like that.  They are here for the love of making and enjoying beer.  They fine their art and brought their A game.  The staff that they hired or brought in are super nice and willing to talk beer with you.  They will help you pick the beer to fit your taste profile.  This craft brewery is here to stay and I am looking forward to my next visit.  I will make sure I eat next time.  I had to cut it short because of that.  I highly recommend this brewery.  I cannot say it enough.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Schlafly APA

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Schlafly Brewery.  It is their American Pale Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Midwest craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this St Louis craft brewery.  Let us get into this pale ale.

It has a clear golden color with a white constant head on this dry hopped American Pale Ale. The aroma has a light citrus notes. The taste has a light citrus notes with a dry bitter aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from beer bottle:

Schlafly Dry Hopped APA is charged with American hops to create a bold aromatic ale.  Assertive hop flavor joins the pine/citrus aroma characteristic of American hops to balance the full body provided by North American malts.  Available year round.

Here is a description from their website (www.schlafly.com):

Dry Hopped APA

Available year round

ABV: 5.9% | IBU: 50

  • Appearance: Golden amber, slightly hazy
  • Process: Dry hopped, unfiltered
  • Hops: Cascade, Chinook (US)
  • Grains : Pale, Caramel
  • Yeast: American Ale
  • SRM: 10

Our Dry Hopped American Pale Ale (APA) is charged with American hops to create a bold, aromatic ale. Assertive hop flavor joins the pine/citrus aroma characteristic of American hops to balance the full body provided by North American malts. After fermentation, the beer circulates through a bed of Cascade and Chinook hops, boosting the distinctive hop aroma of this satisfying ale.

In the long view of the history of beer, American Pale Ale is a newcomer. Based on English Pale Ale, American brewers adapted this style into something new. Born out of the reverence English Pale Ales during the 1980’s American beer scene, APA is the bold, hoppier cousin of Pale Ale. With an emphasis on American hops, APA is gaining popularity with breweries racing to make these ales with such great hop characters.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.schlafly.com

Twitter:  @schlafly

Closing, I am a pretty big fan of this craft brewery when I moved to Chicago market.  I had friends bring up beer and my sister moved to St Louis.  I had honor of checking out their brewpubs and brewery.  I had a blasted.  I still say to this day their Pumpkin Ale and Christmas Ale are one of the best beers to me in market.  There is a nice balance and a great malty backbone.  I love both the hops that they used in this brew.  It uses both Cascade and Chinook.  I love this beer and I wished they would make it to Michigan market.  I love that they are finally in the Chicago market.  I highly recommend this beer.  Go get some!!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog The Brew Kettle White Rajak India Pale Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into a brew from The Brew Kettle Brewery.  This is the first time that this craft brewery is being featured on this beer blog.  The beer is White Rajak India Pale Ale.  This Ohio base craft brewery was founded in 1995 under the name of Ringneck Brewing.  They later changed their name to Brew Kettle.  They have distribution throughout Ohio and Kentucky.  Let us get into this IPA.

It has a clear golden color with a white constant head. The smell has a heavy grapefruit notes. The taste has a heavy grapefruit notes with a dry bitter aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.thebrewkettle.com):

An India Pale Ale

A West Coast style IPA full of citrus-like and tropical fruit like hop flavor and aroma with an assertive yet smooth bitter finish….malt, take a back seat please

6.8% Alc/ Vol. 70 IBUs

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.thebrewkettle.com

Twitter:  @brewkettle

In the end, I have been looking for a great Ohio beer outside of Great Lakes Brewery from Ohio base craft brewery.  I was happy to find this great IPA from Ohio.  I also love Hoppin Frog Brewery.  I believe Brew Kettle might be my favorite Ohio Brewery.  I will need to try some of their other beers asides this IPA.  I only had this brew.  This is by far the best everyday Ohio made IPA. I love it. I am really impressed. There is a nice well-built malty backbone and they picked the right mix of hops.  This is a really good IPA and being a hophead.  I cannot wait to get more of this brew on my next trip to Ohio next month.  I will be looking for their Fall Seasonal when I am down there.  I highly recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13