The Week in Beer: Remembering Those Who Serve

Biercamp: now actually serving bier! Photo courtesy Teo Watson-Ahlbrandt.

This Memorial Day weekend, we would all do well to take a moment out of our holiday fun and festivity to remember the heroes among us whose hard work and sacrifice mean so much in our lives. This column is proud to raise a glass in salute to all those who make, sell, and serve great beer. The world would be a much sadder place if you did not do what you do. Thank you, and cheers!

If you’re packing the cooler, loading up the car, and heading to the lakehouse: Don’t worry; things are going to be pretty quiet around here while you’re gone. Here’s your rather sparse Week in Beer to close out the month of May as we head into the sound and fury of  a new summer season.

The Week in Beer: Still Crafty After All of These Beers

Beer dinners, beer dinners, beer dinners. Chef Brandon Johns of Grange Kitchen & Bar is just one of many talented chefs who know what to do with food and brew.

How's your American Craft Beer Week treating you? Good, I hope. Well, it's been a rough week for yours truly, and if you've been stressed out so far this week, too, there are a whole lot of good things coming up for you to look forward to. Beer dinners, tap takeovers, brew specials, tours, whatever you need to take the edge off, it's going on around town.

The Week in Beer: Ann Arbor for BeerCity USA 2013

L to R: Larry Bell toasts 30 years of Ashley's and Bell's with help from Jeff More, Laura Bell, and Roy More. Photo: Erik Smith.

"I've always thought Ann Arbor had a great beer scene."

So one-time Ann Arbor resident Larry Bell (that guy who founded a little brewery in West Michigan) told me in a recent interview for my forthcoming book. "It's been our No. 1 market; we sold more beer in Ann Arbor and Detroit than we were selling in Kalamazoo," he said of the early days.

Why do I bring this up? Because Michigan has three cities in the 2013 BeerCity USA poll — last year's co-winner Grand Rapids plus Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor — and some people seem to think Tree Town is not a worthy contender compared to its western brethren. Maricat Eggenberger helps dispel that notion in a Pure Michigan blog post today (with an assist from yours truly), plus if time and space allowed, I would add another couple dozen reasons why Ann Arbor is a great place for beer, and has been for a long time!

So vote Ann Arbor for BeerCity USA 2013, and then check out just why you made the right choice in your latest Week in Beer.

The Week in Beer: You're Entering a World of Beer

World of Beer co-owner Chad Wilson hopes to attract a more sophisticated kind of beer lover to South U when he and Steve Rossi's 40-tap bar opens in June.

It's a beery world. Everywhere you look there are people enjoying a brew at a sidewalk table, in a blooming beer garden, or on a rooftop patio. And why not? The warm weather finally appears to be here to stay, and it's time to take full advantage. Your Week in Beer is here to help you navigate the marvelous world of beer just outside your doorstep.

The Week in Beer: Turbo Deluxe Supercharged Plus-Sized Information Dump

The Corner Brewery crew collaborated with two Belgian brewers on February 7 to create Mundus Novus Rye Chocolate Dubbel Ale, releasing today at Arbor Brewing. Photo by Frederic Culpepper.

From Belgium to Hollywood, your globe-trotting Week in Beer has the goods. So much of the goods, in fact, that it's hard to keep up. But whenever I think of all my thirsty readers who might miss out on something awesome if I didn't tell them about it, well, I just can't slow down. Are you ready for another turbo deluxe supercharged plus-sized information dump? Let's do it.

The Week in Beer: Something Old, Something New

Buildout of the new Old German bar has commenced in the basement of Grizzly Peak.

This Week in Beer, what's old is new. Or maybe it's the other way around. At any rate, the buildout of the new Old German has commenced in the basement of Grizzly Peak. Old World brewers meet the New World, and vice versa, at Arbor Brewing. And your correspondent is pleased to announce a new Facebook page dedicated to the upcoming book on Tree Town's illustrious beer past and present, "Ann Arbor Beer." Oh, and there's plenty of other stuff going on in and around town, too. Take a look!

The Week in Beer: Drinkin' in the Rain

Wolverine head brewer Oliver Roberts and Grizzly Peak head brewer Duncan Williams judge a previous year's Mug Club Brew-Off. Can your beer impress these guys?

I know April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, but if this keeps up all they're gonna bring is a very large ark with an extensive animal shelter aboard it. Ah well. In other parts of the country (where they're having French Quarter Festivals right about now), they prepare emergency hurricane kits. That's a bit drastic for Washtenaw County, but it still might not be a bad idea to create a good beer plan to see you through spring's stormy season. You wouldn't want to run dry now, would you? Your Week in Beer will get your planning process off to a good start.