Here are a few 2003 era reviews. I don't think as of 2010 Traverse Brewing is still around. Hair Of
The Frog now long gone has been replaced with The Hideout a great little brewery far better than Hair of the Frog could have ever have dreamed of. Dark Horse is still making great products!
Traverse
Brewing
While in
Michigan I stopped by Traverse Brewing. I tried their Stout, and their Porter.
Both were excellent. I purchased a six pack of the stout. It has an almost bock
taste from the malt they use. I chatted with the owner and former brewmaster
while I was there. Michigan people are some of the friendliest folks around,
everyone at the brewery chatted with me despite the fact they were busy
bottling that day. They also gave me two free shandy glasses. The realbeer and
craft brewing movments have done a lot for beer in the US. Traverse Brewing is
just another example of a great domestic brewery, who makes great beers.
Arcadia
Brewing Company
Located
in Battle Creek Michigan, Arcadia Brewing Company is home to a number of good
beers. I sampled their Starboard Stout, London Porter, Lake Superior ESB,
Angler's Ale, and IPA.. Their Stout in an Irish Oat Malt Stout, their Porter
was a smoke beer. Excellent if you like smoke beers, their IPA was very hoppy
but very watery. Personally I am not a big smoke beer fan so my favorite was
the ESB. It was excellent, deep copper in color, it has a full-bodied,
caramelly character reminiscent of many German beers. It had the most
complicated flavor of any ESB I have had. The Angler's Ale was a good English
Pale Ale great for converting the American Beer drinker to Real Beer, much like
Brooklyn Brewery's Lager.
Dark
Horse
Crooked
Tree IPA
Today I
sampled Dark Horse Brewery's Cooked Tree IPA. Of all the IPA's I've ever drank
this is in the top tree. No.1 is of course Brooklyn, followed by Overland
Express. Crooked Tree holds it's own in the world of IPA's that are loved by
hopheads. Crooked tree is dryhopped and has a great boquet and hop bitterness.
Not for the faint of heart.
Chimay
Last
evening I had the privledge of enjoying a Chimay. Which of course is from
Belgium and is a Trappist ale brewed by monks. It is an excellent beer. But
frankly being the porter stout fan that I am I would rather have a Brooklyn
Black Chocolate Stout or Anchor Porter. Sorry Belgium. Right now I am drinking
a Jamaican Bud, known as Red Stripe. Ok so it's a little better than Bud Lite
but not by much. Enough for my beer dissing I must go now. More on the Homebrew
next week.
North
Peak Brewery
This
weekend I was able to try four brews from North Peak Brewery in Traverse City
MI. They were all very excellent. I enjoyed their "Hop Head" Cask
Conditioned Ale, an IPA with some Cascade hops thrown in the bunch, served at
room temperature. Their Mission Point Porter, a medium bodied porter with a
hint of maltiness, although not as sweet as most porters was a great brew. It
tasted much like something I would brew up myself. Their North Peak Pale Ale is
also worthy of note. I sampled their Helles Pilsner which was good for a
Pilsner. Their staff, including manager were very helpful, their food was
excellent, and reasonable priced. (Their Manager was a little confused about
beer styles, but seemed to try his best). Their pints were only two dollars.
Great prices if you ask me. If you're in Traverse City stop at the North Peak
Brewery!
Kona
Brewing Co
While in
Maui I sampled Kona Brewing Company's Big Wave Golden Ale. The waitress said it
was a heavier bodied beer. Evidently she drinks natural light or something. It
was basically Bud Lite. Although for a very light bodied beer it was ok, no off
flavors. They have over 14 brews including a porter. I was hoping to sample
some of this but no where we went had them on tap. All was not lost however.
Everywhere I went I found Anchor Steam Beer On Tap. This of course was much to
my liking as Anchor is one of my favorite breweries. That is about it for my
beer experiences in Maui. Next time maybe we'll stop over to the Big Island and
visit the Kona Brewery.
Hubba Pubba
Hair Of
The Frog (Since Closed)
Yesterday
I found myself stopping in at a little Brewery off I-96. Although closed the
Brewmaster Shawn was around and serving up some of his brew. I was able to
sample his Oatmeal Stout, and Imperial Stout, both good brews. I had a pint of
the Railway Porter a slightly sweet light bodied porter. I was very impressed
by the Batch 12 IPA. A very hoppy brew made with Centennial hops. It's one of
those places worth checking out if you can find it.
Return to
'Pubba'
One thing's
for sure, there has to be something said for a brewery where the Brewmaster
remembers you by name. It must be small you say, yes that it is. It is however,
big on atmosphere, big on personality, and big on great beer. The little Hair
of the Frog Brewery, also know as 'Pubba' since it's next to Hubba Tubba hot
tub rentals, is a great place to sit back and nurse a pint of ale.
My last
stop in I sampled their 'copper'. Sean the Brewmaster tells me that people tell
them they need to work on names for their brews. And frankly with names like
'batch 12' and 'copper' maybe they have a point. I'd much rather sit back with
a pint of 'copper' that choke down 'the king of beers' no matter how great the
advertising campaign may be however. None the less 'copper', Sean's version of
a California Common (Steam Beer) is a good brew. Fermented at around 46 degrees
Fahrenheit it seems a bit more of a lager than a steam beer.
My next
brew was the Imperial Oatmeal Stout. A little sweet almost a Porter in taste,
yet with that bitterness that one expects in a Stout. A conflict of descriptive
terms you say? We'll you'll just have to stop in and try a pint. Located at
3113 Plaza Drive Northeast, Grand Rapids, MI, you'll find it. It almost looks
abandon except for all those, cars of loyal patrons parked out front.