Road Trip

ROAD TRIP! - July, 2013

We decided to take a week-long road trip and travel around Lake Michigan.  We started in Michigan and came home through Wisconsin (and Illinois, of course).

New Holland Brewing - July 21, 2013

It feels like home being back at New Holland!  We love the food, the beer and the atmosphere.

We did a lot of samplers or flights on this trip.  We wanted to taste as many beers as we could.

This beauty consists of Paleooza Pale Ale (front center), Four Witches Black Saison, Farmhouse Hatter, Michigan Hatter, Stephens Best English Style Pub Ale and Imperial Hatter. (moving clockwise).

The Paleooza was a good pale ale but nothing extraordinary.  Describing Four Witches, "I don't love it but I don't mind it." (Tony).  The Farmhouse had a nice aroma and was slightly bitter.  Michigan Hatter was better than the Paleooza as far as pale ales go.  After sampling the Stephens Best English Style Pub Ale Tony said, "I can drink it." and I said, "Maybe I don't want to England."  Of course, the Imperial Hatter received two thumbs up from both of us.

The food was delicious, as always.  We split a salad and the chili.  We started a new tradition of taking my picture on the second level from the first level like we did back in June of 2008.  So we can all watch me age!! Ha!

Our Brewing Company - July 21, 2013

Our Brewing Company is a new spot just a few doors down from New Holland.  We caught them on a Sunday after a busy weekend of tourists visiting Holland so they were pretty well depleted of stock.  But, they did have the 1492 Columbus IPA.

I was concerned at the light color but it was very good.  6.8% and 61 IBUS of grapefruity goodness.

They also had an ESB on tap which was good but the 1492 was much better.  If we hadn't just filled up on food and beer at New Holland, we might have shared a second pint.  Next time!!

Founders Brewing Company - July 21, 2013

We made our way to Founders for a late dinner.  We were pleased to see that they are putting an addition on because the place was packed!  There was a band playing that night so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

From left to right:  The Black IPA was very good but had a very heavy dark flavor like tobacco or burnt something.

Double Trouble Imperial IPA was very good.

Devil Dancer is a triple IPA.  Tony loved it but it was too sweet for me.

Gold Dust Woman must be an experimental or one time beer.  I can't find anything on their website about it. It was brewed with El Dorado Hops which gave it a tropical fruit flavor.  It was very different and we weren't 100% sure about it.

Red's Rye P.A. is dominated by Amarillo hops - less rye but I still didn't care for it.  Tony liked it.

We both had delicious sandwiches... well, we actually had one whole and two half sandwiches in order to taste more - like we do with the beer.  We had the Louis A. Cornelius (corned beef, roasted chicken, cheddar and cream cheeses, sauerkraut and 1000 Island dressing on rye), the Castro (Tender, juicy pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese, sliced pickles, and yellow mustard, all piled on ciabatta bread) and the Godfather (Pepperoni, capicola, mozzarella cheese, baby spinach, tomatoes, green olives, mayo, and Italian dressing on a tomato basil foccacia roll).  We will skip the guacamole next time.  It wasn't great.

Jamesport Brewing Company - July 22, 2013

Speaking of skipping things... We can add Jamesport to the places we can skip from now on.  I mean, the beer isn't horrible but when you've got so many other great places in Michigan, why would you bother?

(L-R) Scottish Strong Ale, Dry Stout, ESB, Blueberry Wheat and IPA.

None were remarkable and the bartender was very snooty.

Shorts Brewing Company - July 22, 2013

Well as disappointed as we were with Jamesport, Shorts sure made up for it!

We were worried that we'd find ourselves in a line for a table with a two-hour wait or something but we walked right in and got a table!  It did start to fill up quickly, though.  But there are two bars which helped.  All ordering is done at the bar so the wait staff only bring out food and clean up tables.

We started with two pints of beers we knew we'd like:  The Huma Lupa Licious IPA (left) and the Pandemonium Pale Ale.  (right)

Both beers were delicious.  We honestly could have stopped right here and still called this the best stop of the trip but, oh no!  We didn't stop.

We ordered a snack because we knew we were going to sample more beers.

We got the Fiesta which is described as a warm enchilada black been dip served with layers of queso fresco, house-made salsa and avocado.  Served with tortilla chips. Much like everything at Shorts - it was awesome.

Our first sampler consisted of Chocolate Wheat which tasted like a lighter version of a stout. The Autumn Ale ESB had a nice spicy scent and hops at the end.  The Soft Parade is a berry infused rye ale.  It was not overly fruity but just enough that you can taste the different flavors throughout.  India Spruce Pilsner - Wow, this was a very different beer.  It didn't taste like a pilsner but you can taste the blue spruce tips!  It was unique but very good... slightly bitter.  Tony said, "Who ever thought I'd like tasting tree in my beer!"   Perhaps the most interesting of all was the Sagejuana.  I can't find it on their web page but according to their Facebook page, it is "an american pale ale with a notable sage and resiny pine aromas. The tastes and aromas of floral hops eventually fade, leaving an undeniable and satisfying aftertaste of fresh sage resonating on your palate."  This may have been my favorite beer of the trip!

The second sampler contained Nectar de la Vida which was very light and tasted mildly like lime and spice.  Tony thought it tasted like Corona with two limes.  Kiwi Destroy Mission is described as an experimental kiwi saison with funky bubblegum Belgian yeast aroma.  Indeed... it did taste like Hubba Bubba for sure.  MMMKay is an India Pale Lager.  Tony liked it better than the Nectar but I didn't care for it so much.  The Village Reserve was very good.  It would be considered a pale ale at most breweries.  Pontius Road Pilsner was Tony's least favorite. I thought it was just okay.

All in all, this was probably our favorite place.  We each ordered 9" pizzas and were very pleased with the food.

Front Porch Restaurant - July 23, 2013

http://www.petoskeynews.com/business/pnr-front-porch-cafe-082310,0,3675861.story

This entry is a small diversion from the brewery entries of this blog.  After our night in Bellaire, MI and a wonderful visit to Shorts, we woke up and hit the road for Petoskey.  As is our custom, I broke out the smart phone and pulled up Yelp.  I looked for something for breakfast and read an interesting review of a place called the Front Porch in Ellsworth, Michigan.

As stated on their website, "The Front Porch is non-profit cafe which provides affordable, home-cooked meals for all who walk through the doors."  The Yelp review explained that the prices on the menu are suggested donations.  If you can afford to pay they ask that you do so.  If you cannot, well... that is okay, too.  There is a wooden box with a slot on top where you deposit your bill and your donation.  There is also a box for donations for the wait staff because they are all volunteers.  Only the cooks are paid at the Front Porch.

There was even a card in the little flip menu on the table that if you  fill out and give to the waitress they will put a meal in a "to go" container for you to take with for later.

The food was very good.  The wait staff were friendly and on top of everything.  But the concept of the restaurant is what just blew us away.  We were totally moved by the experience and have talked about it ever since.  As I wrote in my Yelp review, these people are a true example of the hands and feet of Christ.  I  think we both may have changed our minds about chucking it all some day and opening a brewery... this may be what we would do instead!

Petoskey Brewing - July 23, 2013

Petoskey Brewing - this was a great find.  We sat at the bar and sampled beer.  We also ate chili and the roasted nuts.

Lot of places use a chalkboard for the menu, but Petoskey also had lots of cute drawings to go along with theirs.

We tried the Morning Fog Mocha Java Stout (which was on nitro).  It was smooth but also slightly bitter.  I'm not a huge fan of nitro.  Tuckers Pale Ale was very good and bitter.  Minds Eye P.A. was good.  Tony called it "decent."  Hopsessed Double IPA was very good... probably the best one of the visit.  They did not have it in cans but we did pick up some of the "decent" Minds Eye P.A.

Funny side note - we were talking to the couple to my left and the man said he was from 'the land of beer.'  I said, "Oh, Wisconsin?"  He laughed and said, "No, Germany!"  Too funny.

Beards Brewery - July 23, 2013

Also in Petoskey, we stopped at Beards.  It is a cute little hole in the wall inside of a business district.

Their sampler holders are in the shape of their logo, which is a beard.

We tried the Luna wheat beer.  It had Belgian traits and Tony thought it was "drinkable."  I didn't.  The Red Mist was an Irish Red.  I said, "I wish we could brew a red that tastes like that."  So, it was pretty good.  The Somethin' Somethin' IPA was really not that great.  But the Grizzly Double IPA was by far the best one of the sampler.

Hereford and Hops - July 24, 2013

Escanaba, Michigan - an interesting little town that looked like it might have been a much busier place back in the day.  Hereford and Hops Steakhouse and Brewpub is located in what appeared to be an old hotel building.  We were there in the middle of the day and there seemed to be a group of "usuals"  but the bartender took good care of us.

We only had the IPA which was very good.  We tasted the red and it had a very distinct caramel taste to it.

Titletown Brewing Company - July 24, 2013

We made it to Wisconsin!  And we were greeted at Titletown Brewing Company by an enormous statue of Donald Driver.  Click here to check it out.

Titletown may have been the second best new stop on our trip.  The building was very cool with bars upstairs, downstairs and outside. The IPA was very good and the food was great.

We also tasted the Cromulent Ale but it was hard to switch from the IPA.

We met some great people at the bar and talked beer and baseball, because it was on TV and the whole Ryan Braun PED thing had just broken.  The folks in Green Bay love their Packers but they also identify with the Brewers.

Although I didn't bother to stop and take pictures, we ate nachos and Tony had fish and chips and I had a salad with grilled chicken.

Stone Cellar Brewpub - July 25, 2013

Stone Cellar Brewpub is named quite aptly as the bar appears to be some sort of bat cave or wine cellar.  The walk to the bathroom was down winding hallways and I felt like I needed a trail of breadcrumbs.  Although fairly dark, the room itself was pretty and the beers were good.  We didn't try the food but the menu looked amazing with both vegetarian and gluten free options.  They also have a business philosophy of sustainability and buying local.  (which is extremely cool!)

Our sampler included all ten of the beers on tap plus a sample of their home made root beer (not shown).

Houdini Honey Wheat was good for a honey wheat.  Marquette Pilsner was very light but had a bit of hoppiness to it.  English Style Six Grain was not our kind of beer but was good quality.  Pie Eyed IPA tasted like more of a pale ale but was good.  The Scottish Ale was light for a scottish and not really our style.  Sone Arch Stout was very creamy and had a nice coffee flavor at the end.  Vanishing Vanilla Stout must be named "vanishing" because it was so easy to drink.  It had a good vanilla scent and also a good taste but it was still lighter being a stout not a porter.  The specialty beers on tap were: Red IPA which was probably the best of the bunch, the Pumpernickel Rye which Tony liked and thought tasted like pumpernickel bread but I didn't care for and Blueberry Wheat which as you can see from the picture was fairly cloudy but didn't really taste much like a wheat.  It had both good scent and taste of blueberry.  It was very good.

Tyranena Brewing Company - July 25, 2013

Our last stop of the trip was a brewery that Tony had on his "beer bucket list."  Tyranena Brewing Company, makers of Bitter Woman IPA.

The bar was fairly busy and when we arrived the lone bartender seemed to be struggling to keep up.  After we ordered our sampler she took care of two other people in the midst of filling our glasses.

We asked for water which arrived fresh from the tap but without ice.  Kind of strange.  But, back to the beer.

We were not impressed with Three Beaches Honey Blonde.  It is simply a blonde so if that is your style this may be the beer for you.  Headless Man Amber Alt was decent but probably not our style.  The bartender at Titletown was very into alt beers and thought Tyranena's was good.  Stone Tepee Pale Ale was very good.  Both of us liked it.  Bitter Woman IPA is a good IPA... Good but not fantastic.  Rocky's Revenge Brown Ale was bourbon barrel aged.  It was good with only a slight bourbon taste, which I prefer.  I think sometimes bourbon aging can give too much of a cough syrup taste to beer.  Chief Blackhawk Porter was very tasty.  Scurvy IPA was okay but we both preferred the Bitter Woman.  Fargo Brothers Hefeweizen was a typical Hefeweizen which we don't care for.  The reaction was: Jen - "yuck" and Tony - "We may leave that one."  Prom Date Cherry Saison was all right with not a lot of cherry flavor.

All in all, I was disappointed with the stop.  I think Tony may have felt the same but was still glad we stopped.  One more check off the beer bucket list.