Michigan: Sacred Cow IPA, Arbor Brewing Co., Ann Arbor
The other day I had an alt. The alt by Arbor Brewing and it was so good I didn't post about it, take a note or nuttin'. I simply marveled at the most robust head on a beer I had ever seen. I also planned how I might find myself in a position to buy more
We stopped into Arbor Brewing when we visited last fall. I had their mild and I think we tried the porter as well. It was a bit too full of undergrads on a Friday night, making me feel like the old fart I am - too much of that rackety music they are listening to these days. I fried my ears listening to punk rock on Radio Shack headphones back in the late 70s so I have a hard time in that sort of setting dealing with the fact that my side of the conversation devolves into "Whaa? Whachusay? Huh?", that sort of thing.
But I was impressed with the old school shuffleboard in the back room as well as the beer. On top of that, the next day we realized it was right next to a great chocolate store making perhaps the most perfect retail stretch in terms of congenial marital bliss.
The IPA also pours with a massive off white head, this time over orange amber ale. On the nose, there is plenty of candy cane and bitter greens. In the mouth there are masses of complex bitter salad greens, citrus zest, mineral dryness as well as Seville marmalade. The malt really takes second place to these hops but there are notes of sweet raisin and dried apple.
Great value at a buck sixty-nine at Bello Vino. Plenty of BAer respect.
Other good places for beer in AA, Ashley's (great beer selection, tons of microbrews from all over Michigan, and If I remember right something like 80 different beers on tap) and Red Hawk (much smaller but well varied beer selection but the food is amazing). Both are right on state street between I think williams and north u.
if you go back and want some more ideas, just shoot me an email. ann arbor, has some really really good restaurants.
I loved my years in ann arbor and am more than happy to share some tips.
Michigan overall, is one of the better states for beers, each year they have a beer fest just outside of ann arbor where most of the michigan breweries come, it's a good time and it's kind of surprising how many breweries there are in michigan.
As to the Alt, purists will say that it's not an Alt -- it's too dark and too big. Yes, that's true. But it's still a great beer, somewhere between a brown ale, an alt, and a porter.
The bottled beers are actually produced at the Corner Brewery, in Ypsilanti. The Corner is a microbrewery with a 22-bbl system and a bottling line, while ABC is a brewpub (so can't wholesale beer under Michigan law). ABC is owned by Matt Greff, while the Corner is owned by Rene Greff -- a situation again necessitated by Michigan law, which prohibits an individual from owning companies in different "tiers" of the brewer - distributor - retailer 3-tier system. The brewers rotate between the two breweries, helping to ensure consistency of flavor between the on-tap product and the bottled product.
Punk music? My kids love The Ramones. Blitzkrieg Bop, in particular. One of my few memories of university is drinking iced Mild and listening to the Ramones debut album when I should have been revising for my first year exams.
Myself and a few friends passed through Ann Arbor two weekends ago on our way to Lebowski Fest in Chicago. I picked up a mixer 6 pack of a nice selection of Arbor's brews.
I started off with the IPA..not a bad beer. Nice hop nose and decent finish. I cracked into the Sacred Cow and really like this beer. It's a pretty big beer with a nice bite. Overall, good balance and a beer I would definitely have again.
The third beer worth mentioning was their Stout. I woke up in the morning after a late night and was debating on whether I needed a beer to get back on track. I reached into my cooler and grabbed whatever beer hit my hand. I read the label and it read: Espresso Love Oatmeal Stout. Very fitting. A delicious beer with a nice coffee hint. Somewhat similar to Mill Street's Coffee but thicker and smoother as it's a stout and not a porter.
All in all, Arbor Brewing has a solid brew lineup.
http://www.michiganbrewersguild.org/default.asp