Schramm's Mead

Back on the meads. Something that seems to have made a quick entrance but still sits on the benches as a sought after alcoholic beverage. Don't get me wrong, some breweries who dabble in mead have bottles that trade on the beerwaves like liquid gold. It just isn't in as many stores or as talked about as craft beer. If ever there were a person or place to refer to when speaking of mead, it is Schramm's. Ken Schramm literally wrote the book on making mead. Here it is. Unfortunately you probably won't see this stuff too many places but should you ever, I implore you to give your tastebuds what they deserve. Only the best of the best ingredients here. Supreme Michigan honey and fruits and the finest spices go into these amazing meads. The best way to describe his flavors is to say they're very pure. Minimal ingredients are required to make mead which means the only flavors you get out are the ones you put in. I'm sure if you absolutely wanted to try some and were not a Michigan native, some google searching could put you in contact with a store willing to ship bottles. Good luck and Cheers!

Check out Schramm's!

Kiuchi Brewery - Hitachino Nest Extra High

Ji bīru or, "local beer" has only been a thing to Japan since 1994 when tax laws were relaxed and breweries could produce fewer than 16,000 gallons. There are now over 200 microbreweries in Japan. The kiuchi brewery makes some of my favorite Japanese craft beers with the hitachino nest series. one in particular being aged in shochu barrels. shochu is sort of like sake but typically more diluted and weaker in alcohol, in addition to being more commonly brewed with barley instead of rice. Hitachino XH is considered a belgian dark strong ale because of its high alcohol percent and larger malt bill. its a pretty boozy tasting beer but also bready and sweet. even notes of brandy are there because of the shochu barrels. this brewery makes incredible beers and it was hard to pick which one to talk about. i recommend picking up a few of their brews as most places wont just carry one style. Cheers!

My Score - 95

rate beer - 96

beer advocate - 85

Dogfish Head - Festina Peche Berliner Weisse

Considered a bit of a neo-berliner, Dogfish Head's Festina Peche is one of my favorite summer seasonals. This year seems to be a bit more on the tart-side which, for my money, is great. Peach sugars are included in the fermentation process so the yeast is farting all that nice peachy flavor right into the brew. It's a light peach too so this isn't really that overly sweet type of brew. Extremely drinkable and refreshing. Perfect for this time of year. It almost has a pinot grigio essence to it and would pair great with the same things a white wine would pair with: fish, chicken and salads. A hazy straw color with a fluffy white head, the nose upon first pouring reminds me of what your sock would smell like after cutting the grass. I mean that in the best way possible. It's a little sweet on the nose but the funk is there. Berliners are meant to be drinkable and this one rings in at 4.5%abv so you can have more and more. A nice alternative to the overly sweet shandy beers that tend to find their way around this time of year. Cheers!

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My Score_80

Rate Beer_60

Beer Advocate_83

The Bruery - Tart of Darkness - oak aged sour stout

I was at a bar last night where some older gentlemen next to me were experiencing their first sour beer. One guy said it tasted like a fruity bandaid. He's not wrong. Most people assume a beer with a sour taste has gone bad and cannot find the appreciation behind the talent it takes to make a truly good sour. It's certainly an acquired taste, but when you get it there will never be enough. One brewery who certainly understands the delicate art of funkifying beers is the Bruery out of California. Tart of darkness has all the great chocolately-roasty qualities of a stout but this ponys trick is an amped up carbonation(lessens when aged, highly recommended) and a HUGE sour bite. Even thinking about this beer makes the back of my jaw water. It's definitely overwhelming if it's your first dive into the sour world, but such a giant treat once you're addicted to them. A low 5.6%abv to so drink away. Honestly, buy a bottle and forget about it in your cool basement for a couple years. Thank me later. Cheers!

Insta - Twitter

My score: 100

Rate beer: 99

beer advocate: 94

Green Flash - Silva Stout

Ever since trying my first Green Flash brew when I had met their marketing team, I knew these guys had a penchant for big flavors. Just one sip of that west coast IPA and they had a fan for life. Now, I've had their double stout, and while it is delicious, it is not what I expected out of the Silva. Silky and creamy, and this amazing butterscotch flavor I have never tasted from a barrel-aged stout. Even on the nose you get that burnt sugar smell, like a crème brûlée. As far as I've read this is a blended stout. They first age the double stout for 17 months(!) in bourbon barrels, then blend in fresh stout as to not overwhelm the palate with whatever happened in those barrels. Sure there's the usual roasty-chocolatey niceness that comes with stouts, but this one has that little something else that I've just never come across in an aged beer. Which makes for a very unique and desirable brew. Cheers!

my score: 100

rate beer: 100

beer advocate: 96

Flying Monkeys Brewery: The Matador version 2.0 - El Toro Bravo

Have you ever been inside of a humidor? It's a very distinct smell. Ever wonder what it would be like to burn one down and then use the ashes to make a beer that tasted just like it? Wonder no more. This version of Flying Monkeys The Matador dark rye ale is aged on a bed of Spanish Cedar. This process marries the beer with the flavors of the wood and, with the spiciness of the rye malt, leaves this beer with an amazing flavor and mouth-feel. A little on the beefier side in the mouth, along with a huge 10.10% abv Flying Monkeys is no stranger to gigantic flavors and huge beers. This beer is no exception. I can only imagine chewing the perfect medium-rare steak and sipping this in unison. The flavors were almost meant to be. Drink it now or cellar this beast for up to 2 years and see where it goes. Cheers!

My Score: 97

Rate Beer: 95

Beer Advocate: 87

Stillwater Artisanal_Contemporary Works - Surround

When first seeing Stillwater come into the state it seemed as if they were sort of a one trick pony. Everything I saw was a saison, or a take on a saison. I'm not a huge saison fan but they seemed to have an allure to them that made me try every single beer of theirs. Then some other stuff started to trickle in with an eye-catching packing and style descriptions that begged to be sampled. Specifically the new Contemporary Works series that has just been released. The Surround is... wait for it, an oak-smoked imperial wheat stout. Oh yeah. Unfortunately this is a one-off brew so you may never see it again but for now it's in abundance. Taken from Stillwater's site: "Like a sound system that fills the room with audibles swarming in every direction. This massive stout overtakes your senses with aromas & flavor of dark chocolate, caramel, roast, smoke, earth & wood, It's heavy I know, but you have to drop that bass every once in a while if you really wanna get down." Fuckin' A Stillwater. I'm always tryin' to get down. Pair with all of the bbq. Especially a fat Delmonico steak. Cheers!

My Score_95

Rate Beer_97

Beer Advocate_90

Beer Stuff with David Aaron Reaume of Man Mountain

This weeks portion of Thirsty Thursdays is brought to you by Man Mountain. I sat down (made up some questions last minute and sent them via facebook) with David who (is a meme) plays bass in Man Mountain to chat about beer and music because, those things go great together duhhh.

Me_ What's your favorite song to play out of the new tunes you guys have?

DAR_ Little known fact, we are TERRIBLE at naming songs, our new song "To Be Made As New" was code named "Side Boob" for the longest time. With that being said, we have a new song tentatively called "groovy new" that we are all crazy about, it features lots of melodic tapping and some crazy whale sounds Mike was able to come up with on guitar.

Me_  When can I get my hands on the album?

DAR_ We will be heading back to Minx studio in June so we are expecting to have the full length released late summer.

Me_ When did you first realize beer was more than yellow fizzy water from a cheap can?

DAR_ At age 20 when I had my first Guinness, it changed everything for me. I guess I started at the opposite end of the beer spectrum from most but it was finally a drink I enjoyed and not something you choked down to get drunk at a party.

Me_ What are your 3 most favorite go-to styles?

DAR_ Like a good jacket, my beer has to compliment the weather. IPAs are my go-to summer beer, nut browns for the fall, stouts for the winter and session IPAs for the spring.

Me_ For your money, who is a brewery that can do no wrong?

DAR_For the buck I go with New Belgium, I always have a 12 Pack of Ranger in my fridge and at just a dollar a beer its hard to beat!

Me_ How many beers does it take for you to pick up your bass and want to twist it 'round yo head like a helicopter?

DAR_ Sadly, about 4! I once had 5 beers after a show I played with Tokyo Police Club and got kicked out of the venue for throwing a lemon into someones eye from clear across the bar.

Me_ Based on the relatively recent boom of craft beer, where do you see it in 5 years? Bigger and bigger, or leveled off?

DAR_ Sadly I think in 5 years it will SEEM bigger but most of the small independent breweries will continue to get bought up by big box breweries and sell the same crap beer but with a new label.

Me_ When taking brewery tours is it important to hydrate?

DAR_ I once heard that for every beer you drink you should drink half that much water, do I do that? Not at all. I'm really terrible at drinking water when there is a perfectly good beer right next to it, it also doesn't help that I have a personal vendetta against straws.

Me_ What's a flavor of beer in any style you'd like to see made?

DAR_Grape. Not real grape flavor or even wine but grape Kool-Aid grape.

Me_ I don't think grape is a flavor. Purple however, is a flavor. I think that's what you mean. So, how often would you say you try new beers?

DAR_ About every week. Normally when I go to the bar I'll order at least two drinks, the first will be something I've never tried and the second will be an old friend, if the first one is good I'll just stick with it and see how it mellows on the palate for awhile.

Me_ Since we're here in the Mitten, do you have a favorite Michigan brewery/beer?

DAR_ This is really hard for me because I find myself on a different side of the fence every year, last year it was Founders but this year I have really been blown away by every beer Shorts has released. I'll be heading up to Bellaire for their 11 year anniversary this weekend actually.

Me_ One last question. If Jesus ever brewed a beer, what would hebrew and what would the ABV be?

DAR_ I would hope he would brew a beer called Hoplelujah and bottle it at a cool 7.77 ABV.

Me_ Trick question David. Jesus of Nazareth, even if he were a real person, would probably not have drank or made what we know today as beer. What was "beer" back in 30 AD was more of a fermented barley drink served at room temp or above. Plus, Jesus would have totally made wine. Everybody knows that. Cheers!

Rodenbach - Classic

Sours! All of them, please and thanks. This one happens to be one of my favorites. Not only is it delicious and a near perfect sour, it's also readily available and for an exceptional price. Especially considering the methods used to make a Flemish Ale. Rodenbach has been making beer since the 1800's so the history is all in the sip. It's around 5%abv so it's not here to get you drunk as it is to give you flavor. Dark fruit notes, acidic sour, yet sweet bite, and a very present carbonation but not overwhelming. Flemish ales tend to be nice and vinegary, but in the best way. It's a crazy blend of flavors that just finish so nicely.  You're sure to find this where most imports are found. Cheers!

My Score: 90

Beer Advocate: 90

Rate Beer: 93

Flying Monkeys The Chocolate Manifesto

Chocolate lovers rejoice. I have found for you, the most chocolatey beer around. It may be like drinking boozy chocolate milk. Or a million melted tootsie rolls. With booze in them. Flying Monkey brewery's The Chocolate Manifesto is your Wonka beer. It's huge in everything from a 10%abv, to flavor, and mouth feel. The lactose sugars make this one a milk stout and it is ever so creamy. Roasty, sweet, cocoa, caramel. It's dessert in a glass. The packing is as eye catching as it can be, too. So you're sure not to miss this on the shelves. Try playing around with some hard ciders and making snakebites with this one. I've had this beer mixed with McKenzie's Pumpkin Cider and it was pretty damn good. Had Halloween written all over it. Pair this with an insulin shot. Cheers!

My Score: 89

Rate Beer: 98

Beer Advocate: 93

Founders Backwoods Bastard Scotch Ale

It's here now. Founders Novemberly seasonal Backwoods Bastard. This great big scotch is full of smokey, oaky-goodness. Sort of spiced, molasses notes. The barrels it's aged in impart some vanilla flavors. Huge 10.5% abv makes this one a bit of a sipper, much like a nice scotch. Good now, great later. Save this one in a cool, dark place for a year and you may notice some body added to it. The perfect boozy friend for the chilly nights we're inevitably dealing with now. Pair this with some of that left over halloween candy, because I know you still have some. Cheers!

My Score: 90

Beer Advocate: 97

Rate Beer: 100