Old German to Open New Sidewalk Patio

Adrienne Nickles at work on the new Old German patio.

Some news you can use in the waning days of summer. Sayeth the press release:

The Old German welcomes its patrons to dine in the open air with a brand new biergarten patio opening Monday, Aug. 24.

Located in the lower level of Grizzly Peak in Ann Arbor, this additional seating gives patrons of Old German a chance to enjoy the outdoors for the first time. Old German’s new patio features furniture crafted by local woodworker Adrienne Nickles, the owner and artist behind Michigan Reconstructed, the patio is being constructed along the sidewalk of S. Ashley Street between W. Huron and W. Washington streets.

Working along with Janelle Sterling and Kate Peterson to bring the designs to life, Nickles is building several different styles of seating and tables for the patio, as well as with trellises to support hops plants, which lend themselves to the beer-inspired theme.

Owners of the Old German and Grizzly Peak Brewing Company, Jon Carlson, Greg Lobdell and Chet Czaplicka, shared a vision to give Old German patrons an outdoor space that is both modern and rustic. Once open, visitors can enjoy the fresh air and kick back with one of the Old German’s award-winning craft beers. The owners are avid supporters of the local area and took an interest in Nickles’ dedication to quality craftsmanship, artistry, and sustainability. Nickles’ woodshop is located in downtown Ann Arbor, just a couple blocks from the Old German.

"When I was designing the patio space, I thought, 'Where would I want to go with my friends? Where would I want to take my family?'" Nickles said. "That was the inspiration."

The woodwork on the patio will be constructed primarily from oak lumber, reclaimed from the Ann Arbor area. "My passion is using re-purposed materials to make something beautiful. Most of the material for this project is urban wood, and any other material will be coming from local businesses," said Nickles. "Jon and Greg are so cool about contributing to sustainability."

An important aspect of the business overall, this new addition is expected to add to the overall aesthetic of Old German, as well as its upstairs neighbor, Grizzly Peak Brewing Company.

The Every Two Weeks in Beer: Raise Your Stein to Oktoberfest

Matt and Rene Greff celebrate one of their favorite holidays.

It’s here – that time of year when the temperature drops and people dress funny and dance to tubas. I’m talking, of course, about Oktoberfest, and it’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg when we’re speaking of all the cool beer-type stuff going on in our little burg. Here are some of the highlights.

Thursday, October 2

» What goes great with beer? OK, I’ll accept the answer “everything,” but in this case I was going to say “art.” Get plenty of both – and some tasty food, too – at tonight’s A2 Art & Brew pub crawl fundraiser for the Ann Arbor Art Center, kicking off at 6 p.m.  Visit eight different bars and breweries and sample beers and enjoy sidewalk chalk art along the way. Participating establishments include Arbor Brewing; Kuhnhenn Brewing (featured at Conor O’Neill’s); Jolly Pumpkin Café & Brewery; Blue Tractor Brewing at Mash Bar; Grizzly Peak Brewing at Old German Bar & Bierkeller; Original Gravity partnering with Katherine’s Catering at Bill’s Beer Garden; and Wolverine State Brewing partnering with Laura’s Catering and Alaskan Brewing, a featured brewery of sponsors O&W, Inc., both at the Ann Arbor Art Center. Tickets are $60; purchase online at annarborartcenter.org or call 734-926-4122.

Friday, October 3, and Saturday, October 4

» Munich may have invented it, but Ann Arbor does a pretty mean Oktoberfest tent party, too. From 5 p.m. to midnight, Washington Street will be blocked off in front of both Arbor Brewing and Grizzly Peak for the annual street jam replete with German-style beer and food, as well as live music and dancing, which may or may not be German-style. But this isn’t Bavaria, so we can get away with that. There’s no cover for either party, but you must be 21+ to join the fun.

Tickets On Sale for Second Annual A2 Art & Brew

Mark your calendars for a fun and tasty event returning to downtown Ann Arbor this fall: A2 Art & Brew, a pub crawl-style fundraiser to benefit the Ann Arbor Art Center. The event takes place Thursday, October 2, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. and features beers from area breweries paired with savory (and sweet) snacks. Tickets are $50 if purchased before September 29 and $60 thereafter.

Here are more of the relevant details from the press release:

O&W Inc., a fourth-generation family-owned beer distributor based in Ypsilanti, has generously signed on as this year’s A2 Art & Brew title event sponsor. Again this year microbreweries and tasting locations will be paired with eight local artists, by joining two forms of art, the Art of Brewing and Visual Arts, together in a fun and relaxed atmosphere throughout downtown Ann Arbor in order to encourage new and continued support for the Art Center.

The evening will consist of patrons visiting partner microbreweries and tasting locations throughout downtown Ann Arbor in a “pub crawl” fashion. Participants will sample finely crafted artisan brews and tasty bites, while enjoying fun and original works of sidewalk chalk art along the pub crawl route, each specifically created for the evening’s event and inspired by the microbrewery and its showcased brew.

The evening events include a “text-to-vote” contest for Best Brew, Best Bite, and Best Original Sidewalk Chalk Art. There will be a $500 prize awarded to the artist with the largest number of votes received for “Best Original Sidewalk Chalk Art.”

Participating microbreweries and tasting locations include: Arbor Brewing, Kuhnhenn Brewing featured at Conor O’Neill’s, Jolly Pumpkin Café & Brewery, Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery at Mash Bar, Grizzly Peak at Old German Bar & Bierkeller, Original Gravity partnering with Katherine’s Catering at Bill’s Beer Garden, Wolverine State Brewing partnering with Laura’s Catering at the Ann Arbor Art Center as well as Alaskan Brewing, a featured brewery of O&W, also at the Ann Arbor Art Center.

Participating artists include: Chris Monaghan, Nick Farrell, Brian Little, Jean Spindler, Bonnie Henley, Natalie Gregorarz, Dani Raymond, and Julia Pollington.

The Ann Arbor Art Center is a 100+ year old locally based non-profit organization, whose mission is to support and engage the local art community, while “bringing visual arts to life.” The Art Center operates an exhibition space, a retail gallery store, and delivers art education in a variety of mediums from its downtown Ann Arbor location.

Event: A2 Art & Brew
Date: Thursday, October 2, 2014, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Pricing: $50 before September 29, $60 after

Tickets can be purchased online at www.annarborartcenter.org; in person at the Ann Arbor Art Center, 117 W. Liberty, Ann Arbor 48104, or by calling the Art Center at (734) 926-4122.

The Every Two Weeks in Beer: Keep Warm with Flavorful Brews

The first big beer release of 2014.

Back during the dark days of limited choices of mostly crappy tasting beer, bars and breweries often made a point of advertising how “cold” the brews they sold were. Then beer starting tasting good as the craft revolution took off, and people discovered that serving beer with ice crystals in it was pretty much just a way to mask lousy flavor. Today, during this latest winter cold snap, don’t be afraid to warm up with beers served at higher temperatures. It’s the only way to experience all those porters and stouts, barleywines, and other big, warming seasonal brews out there.