New Beer Friday, New Year's Eve Edition (Dec 31)

Luke & Kelly Finchem,
Owners of Dutch Girl Brewing

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

Last Sunday my wife Barb and I had nothing pressing to do around the house, nothing critical to do around Siciliano's and had no more holiday parties to attend so we took advantage of the free time and the snow free roads to visit two of West Michigan’s newest breweries. The first stop on our afternoon excursion to the lakeshore was Dutch Girl Brewery in Spring Lake.

Dutch Girl opened last July in a building directly across from Vander Mill Cider and owners Luke and Kelly Finchem did a fine job of transforming the front section of the former Midwest Motorsports location into a comfortable pub. After sampling a few of head brewer Josh Lentz’s brews we were given a tour of the spacious brew room. Luke informed us that he and Kelly plan on opening a restaurant in the pub in the near future and they hope to be canning a few of their beers by next spring.

Nachos from Righteous Cuisine

Our next stop was Grand Amory Brewing in downtown Grand Haven. Located in the old armory building two blocks away from Odd Side Ales, Grand Armory also opened last July and shares space in the historic location with a restaurant called Righteous Cuisine (order at the window and food will be delivered to your table), a coffee shop and an art center. Owners and brewers Ben Tabor and Ryan Andrews are producing their lineup of solid beers at an offsite production facility.

Grand Armory Brewing

New and Returning Beer

• Brewery Vivant Barrel Weiss, $10.69/500ml (1 per) - "This Barrel-Aged Sour is our loose interpretation of a Berliner Weiss, but brewed with a nod to both our inspiration in Belgium and our home in West Michigan" (source).
• Sierra Nevada Wild Hop IPA Neomexicanus, $5.69/24oz - "A few years back, we caught wind of rogue hop heads in the Southwest who began collecting some of the wild hops they found while scrambling down hillsides near their home in New Mexico. These bizarre, multi-headed, native U.S. cones have a flavor like nothing we’ve tasted, and for the first time, we’re showcasing their unusual melon, apricot and citrus aromas and flavors in our beer. Neomexicanus is the literal wild card in our five-bottle Harvest series which features single hop, fresh hop, wet hop, and wild hop beers" (source).
• Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhat, $18.99/750ml (1 per)  - "Narwhal Imperial Stout is inspired by the mysterious creature that thrives in the deepest fathoms of the frigid Arctic Ocean. Featuring incredible depth of malt flavor, rich with notes of espresso, baker’s cocoa, roasted grain and a light hint of smoke, Narwhal is a massive malt-forward monster. Aggressive but refined with a velvety smooth body and decadent finish, Narwhal will age in the bottle for years to come" (source).
• Atwater Blueberry Cobbler, $2.99/12oz - Ale brewed with blueberries.
• Odd Side Aint No Sunshine When Saison, $1.99/12oz - "Sarah’s Saison" (source).
• Odd Side Joker of Tarts, $9.69/500ml (1 per) - "Sour Blueberry ale" (source).
• Ballast Point Grunion, $2.59/12oz - "Our Grunion Pale Ale wasn’t born on a beach, but in a backyard.  Originating from an employee-only home brew contest, this award-winning hoppy pale ale is named after the tiny local fish known for late night frolics on shore.  A pair of new hop varieties lend strong yet balanced summer melon aromas and herbal flavors, while a soft caramel malt sweetness holds it all together" (source).
• Ballast Point Sea Monster, $8.99/22oz - "Our Sea Monster Imperial Stout explores the darkest reaches of the traditional oatmeal stout. This bold, rich brew first lures you in with roasted coffee notes, then grabs hold with hints of bittersweet chocolate and currant. Backed with a perfect hop balance, you’ll soon discover this is one monster of mythic proportions" (source).
• Avery Raja, $2.99/12oz - "Brazenly bitter. Dashingly dry-hopped. Raja is an audacious addition to our lengthy lineage of intrepid IPAs" (source).
• Evil Twin Hipster Ale, $2.99/12oz - "Perhaps you heard of a worldwide beer-movement that tributes favorite hipster neighbourhoods across the globe. If you feel excluded because you’re hip but your city is not, this cutting-edge, ‘hip without border’ pale ale is an homage to you - the global hipster" (source).
• Evil Twin Mission Gose, $14.99/750ml - "Effortlessly cool, popping up up in a cultish fashion and constantly on a tasty mission. This is mission Gose: our take on a old-fashioned and slightly odd German style beer that is with good reason trending as the tastiest right now. It’s tart, salty, low in alcohol and probably the most refreshing beer you’ll have. Perhaps enjoy this beer in a restaurant with a mission near you. Wherever you are we made it stylishly good and exclusively well balanced just for you" (source).
• Evil Twin MSHIIPAW Lager, $16.59/22oz - "Mosaic Single Hop Imperial India Pale American Wheat Lager " (source).

Video of the Week | Pure Michigan

Ring in the New Year with by raising your glass to Michigan craft beer.

Cheers!