MiCraftBeerCulture October 2014

Mi.Craft.Beer.Culture MAGAZINE

Drink local, Eat local, Create local October 2014

Schuler's Restaurant

105 years of supporting local!

Fall Beer Dinner with Dark Horse Brewing Co.

(nl) Null Taphouse

New Tasting Room in Dexter

Great Lakes Hops Dine Drink Detroit Great American Beer Festival Backwoods Mustard Bad Moon Studios - John Timmer White Flame & the Oskar Blues Crowler

Hops in Michigan

A growing part of Michigan agriculture

Contents 5 Hops in Michigan

Hops are a growing industry in the Michigan agricultural landscape

9

Schuler's Restaurant

Schuler's supports Michigan craft beer and local communities

11 Null Taphouse Patti Smith visits the new (nl) Null

Mi.Craft.Beer.Culture Issue #3 October 2014

Drink local, Eat local, Create local Our mission is to further the Michigan craft beer industry by fostering connections between brewers and their communities, highlighting the thriving craft beer, agricultural, recreational, art, music and food cultures in Michigan. Cheers!

MiCraftBeerCulture reminds you to drink responsibily. Do not drink and drive and do not promote under age drinking.

Tasting Room in Dexter

12 My First Homebrew Jessi Boehme tries her hand at brewing

15 Dine Drink Detroit

Dine Drink Detroit celebrates Detroit's budding restaurant culture

16 Cider Puumpkin Cakes 17 Bitter Tongue Nick Lundberg discusses bitterness 18 White Flame & the Oskar Blues Crowler 19 Michigan by the Bottle

MBTB opening a 2nd store

21 Backwoods Mustard Company Michigan made and winning awards!

22 The Sky is Falling The Sky has Fallen 23 Great Lakes Hops

Great Lakes hops is a hops supplier and breeding program

25 Cyclo-Mashing

“Beermuda Triangle� 2014: Celebrating the Craft of the Group-Ride

28 Bad Moon Studios

John Timmer repurposes whiskey barrels into beautiful functional art

30 Sip and Spin

Mike Ross pairs Beer and Vinyl

33 GABF

Great American Beer Festival 3

Mi.Craft.Beer.Culture MAGAZINE

S TA F F : Jason Osburn - Editor in Chief/Creative Director/ Writer/Marketing/Design Elena Flores - Managing Editor/Writer Patti Smith - Writer Jessica Boeheme - Writer Jane Van Hof - Biking Columnist/Writer HopHead Fred - Writer Dennis Thornton - Writer Michael Ross - Writer/Artist Jocelyne Elyse - Writer/Food Columnist Nick Lundberg - Food Columnist Jered Michael - Biking Columnist Jeff Howitt - Event Consultant/Writer Brian Rozman - Photographer Contact us at: MiCraftBeerCulture 1752 Elmhurst, Canton, MI 48187 info@MiCraftBeerCulture.com MiCraftBeerCulture.com Copyright 2014 Em&O Media.

All Rights Reserved, 'MiCraftBeerCulture and 'Drink local, Eat local, Create Local' are registered trademarks.

Hops in Michigan Overhead view of Top Hops farm

By Jason Osburn

Hops are a growing industry in the Michigan landscape; diversifying our agricultural portfolio, shoring up small farmers and birthing larger operations.

Hops are a growing industry in the Michigan landscape; diversifying our agricultural portfolio, shoring up small farmers and birthing larger operations.

Many are surprised to hear that hops are grown in Michigan. In the mid-1800s, hops was a significant crop in Michigan, grown alongside cherries and apples, but several years of drought and an infestation of a species of aphid called a Hop louse decimated the hop crops. Stone fruit crops picked up the slack and hops faded from the landscape. Modern cultivars with pest and disease resistance, along with rising demands by the burgeoning craft beer industry, have allowed for the re-establishment of hops as an agricultural industry in the state. As climate change has made stone crops increasingly unreliable in northern Michigan, hop yards are helping Michigan farmers diversify. Many farmers are just testing the water with an acre or so but some farms have expanded, up to 118 acres. It is estimated that 2014 saw about 400 acres of hops harvested in the state. If you figure over 1000 lbs of hops per acre, some up to 2000 per acre, that puts total 2014 harvest for the state in the 500,000 – 800,000 lb range.

400 acres doesn’t sound like much when you consider the fact that there are 38,392 acres of Hops grown in the entire country and over 75% of those acres are in Washington State. 400 acres is even more significant when juxtaposed with only about 100-300 acres grown in 2012.

What other crops have experienced 30% growth in 2 years? With a rough estimate of about 40

farms in the state and the half dozen largest probably produce over 90% of the crop. Hops, though, are one of the few crops that can be commercially viable on a plot as small as one acre. Hey Detroit, you have over 20 square miles of vacant land just sitting there. How about some more urban hop yards? In fact, Sean Marshall Murphy of Black Bottom Brew Club is doing just that. In 2012 he and members of the Black Bottom Brew Club started the Detroit Urban Growers CoHop. Their goal is to establish a financially and environmentally sustainable micro-hop-yard built on reclaimed urban Detroit land which will be available for sale to local brew pubs and micro-breweries.

Sean is using these hops in the beers he’s making at Black Bottom including Hard Hustle IPA, Motor City H'optimism IPA and Derailed Gears Detroit Cream Ale. You can try these and check out Black Bottom on October 4th at their Oktoberfest event. More info here: https:// www.facebook.com/blackbottombrewclub/ Continued on next page

Tr a n s p o r t i n g hops from picker to drying facility

5

Hops in Michigan continued from page 5

still available in the following varieties: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Crystal, Columbus, Nugget, and Summit.

They can be contacted at: http://michiganhopalliance. com/

Brian Tennis manages Michigan Hop Alliance in Traverse City.

Michigan Hop Alliance is a grass-roots organization that helps smaller farms get involved in growing hops. As I mentioned, many farmers are looking for new crops to diversify their fields and produce more income and in some cases save their farms.

The Hop Alliance has extensive knowledge, equipment and processing facilities that smaller farmers in the Alliance can access. This allows them to get started without as large of an investment and with the advice and experience of seasoned hop growers. All totaled the Hop Alliance run about 70 acres of hops. This year they started their own breeding program. They are on the National Clean Plant Network for hops and will offer some exciting varieties this coming spring. Michigan Hop Alliance sells both conventional and certified organic hops.

They have some 2014 harvest

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Heibruin Hops in Ravenna was started in 2012 between the husband wife teams of Steve and Samantha Bruin and Matt and Emily Heiden. HeiBruin harvested one acre this year and are expanding to three acres next year. They are growing partners in the Michigan Hops Alliance. Lately they’ve been developing a breeding program, which is still in its infancy, and pursuing genetic testing

Cascade coming off the picker at Top Hops fairly unique in that it has no native hop varietals so if hops are found growing on an old farm or along a road here they had to have been planted by a farmers and immigrants before prohibition so these are heritage breeds. Genetic testing is identifying where

“From the rub to the boil, this hop produced some unique aromatic qualities that I can’t wait to taste in a finished SMaSH brew.” Josh Chilcote on hops collected from old Michigan farms to try and bring back some of those varieties that have not been seen since pre-prohibition. Michigan is

Hop in drying beds before being raked

these varieties originated. Steve recently brewed a batch with Josh Chilcote from Harmony Brewing in Grand Rapids with a variety found on a family farm whose heritage is Irish which is unique in a region where most immigrant farmers were German or Dutch. “The thing is wild! The cones smell like green peppers. When you add it to the pot it smells like fruit juice.” says Steve Bruin.

Be watching for some interesting varieties from them in the next few years.

More info on HeiBruin here: https://www.facebook.com/ HeibruinHops/info Continued on next page

Sean Alan and Mark Trowbridge own a family run hop yard in Goodrich, Michigan called Top Hops. They are 2 years old and saw an impressive harvest this season reaping over 6000 lbs including over 1,700 pounds per acre from their cascade. These numbers sound impressive but it is important to remember how labor intensive hops are as well as the costly initial investment. Starting a hopyard will run well over $10,000 per acre to install irrigation, poles and cables. Plants need to be pruned and trained at the beginning of the growing season and constantly monitored for pests and disease throughout the season. Harvest time is when the work really gets hard.

Each bine (Hops have bines, not vines. Bines climb by growing in a helix around objects, vines climb because of tendrils or suckers found on the stem of the plant.) is removed from the growing supports by hand and transported to a picker machine or the cones need to be removed by hand which can take up to 30 minutes for one plant. When you consider that there are 900-1200 plants per acre and each plant can weigh upwards of 20 lbs you can imagine the work. More common is the practice of farmers scheduling their harvest with a local processing facility that will process, dry and bail/ packaging their harvest, but it

still needs to be cut down by hand and transported quickly.

Smaller farms such as Top Hops, like most of the hop farmers in Michigan who don’t have investors or corporate backing, simply can’t afford to bring on a lot of extra labor to help with harvest so a majority of the work falls on their shoulders. Top hops pre-sold a significant amount of their crop prior to harvest but still have approximately 300 pounds of centennial, 300 pounds of Chinook, and 2000 pounds of cascade available. They can be reached at: http://www.tophops.com

their own yard. This year they directly farm about 30 acres and contract an additional 30 acres. This season they processed nearly 50,000 lbs of hops. Learn more about them at: http://www.hopheadfarms. com/ As the craft beer industry expands so will the need for hops and increased study of other potential uses will only contribute to its expansion.

So far I know of studies of its potential use in combatting hair loss, as a flavoring agent in other food products, as a deodorant and my favorite use for hops, besides beer of course, harvesting hop shoots in early spring for food. Sometimes called “hop asparagus” the shoots have a delicate flavor and a quick saute in butter and garlic make a delicious side dish. In Italy, they are cooked with arborio rice to make risotto di Bruscandoli.

It isn’t likely to replace corn, soybeans, wheat, apples, blueberries or cherries but hops is becoming one of Michigan’s vital agricultural commodities.

In a handful of years it won’t be unusual to pass hop yards when driving Michigan’s highway and byways.

Hop Head Farms is near the other end of the spectrum.

They are one of Michigan’s larger hop yards and one who has partnered with investors to help fund their expansion and state of the art production All photos of Top Hops were facility. The prodigy of Jeff and provided by Sean Alan Bonnie Steinman, in 2012 they partnered with Nunzino Pizza, part owner in Chicago’s Revolution Brewing and an experienced agriculture commodities trader.

Together they came up with a plan for a multimillion facility and found investors as well as Nunzino, who have one of the largest processing facilities in the state as well as helped to expand Jeff Steinman of Hop Head Farms examines a bine 7

Home of 'Country Strong', one of MICHIGAN's best IPAs! - Jason Osburn, MiCraftBeerCulture

By Jason Osburn

Schuler's Restaurant in Marshall has been a Michigan institution for 105 years. They feature only Michigan Craft Beers on tap and October 14th they team up with Dark Horse Brewing Company for their Schuler's Fall Beer Dinner.

When I was young, I remember spreading ‘Win Schuler’s Bar Scheeze’ on crackers. Bar Scheeze (a play on the Schuler name) was that brown crock that lived in the back of the fridge and only came out when ‘company’ came over. I vaguely remember being told a story about an illustrious restaurant in far-off Marshall where this orange horseradish-cheddar deliciousness came from.

For some reason, at that age, I never imagined

actually traveling to that far off place, much less actually eating there. Of course I did end up eating there, in my teens, on a cross-state trip for one thing or another, and we returned, several times, before I graduated high school and moved out of state in 1992. I still stop in, on occasion, when traveling the south-central Michigan corridor to or from some event in Chicago or west Michigan. I will be stopping in again this October 14th for Schuler’s Fall Beer Dinner featuring another local Marshall favorite, the Dark Horse Brewing Company. I can’t wait, but more about that later.

Schuler’s has been welcoming hungry folks in Marshall, Michigan for 105 years. That’s right, a business that has lasted four generations.

Very few enterprises make it to a third, much less a fourth generation, and the Schuler’s philosophy of “taking the best of the past and looking to the future” is largely credited for the restaurant’s longevity and continued success. They are a family of restaurateurs.

In fact, Hans Schuler, the ‘head of the table’ since 1970 when he took over the business from his father, was the inaugural recipient of the “National Restaurateur of the Year” award, present by Independent Restaurateur magazine. He has an eye for evolution and recognizes the important changes (notice I said Continued on next page

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Schuler's cont.from page 9

changes, not trends) in the restaurant and bar industries and surrounding cultures. The same sense of entrepreneurism, respect for thoughtful evolution, the tradition of hospitality, and the restaurant’s investment in the community and its resources has led Schuler’s to begin offering only Michigan craft beers on draft. This is a bold step for a landmark fine dining establishment.

Consider where Schuler’s is located—Marshall, Michigan, the “Crossroads of the Big Ten.” Every fall, the restaurant becomes a layover destination for thousands of Big Ten fans on their way to or returning home from a game. Duffy Daugherty, Pete Elliott, Bo Schembechler, George Perles and Mark Dantonio are just a few of the Big Ten coaches who have dined here over the years.

Do you generally link tailgating and craft beer?

Didn’t think so. But craft beer is an increasingly popular beverage of choice among sports fans and consumers in general. Schuler’s is by no means a ‘sports bar,’ but it’s still a pretty bold move by Schuler’s to emphasize Michigan craft beer. So why? Perhaps the biggest reason is that the Midwest—and Michigan in particular—has become a mecca for craft brewing, and Schuler’s

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14TH 6:00 PM

TASTER’S GUILD MEMBERS $55 NON MEMBERS $60

Call us at 269.781.0600 or visit our new website SchulersRestaurant.com

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Dark Horse Brewery Operations Manager Bryan Wiggs recognized that earlier than most.

So, more about that Schuler’s Fall Beer Dinner… This is not the first and will not be the last. Throughout its history, Schuler’s has always been supportive of regional products, featuring Michigan wines on its wine list and incorporating fresh, locally-sourced ingredients in its menus. Focusing on Michigan-owned craft beer is another logical choice. Several years ago, Schuler’s began adding periodic beer tastings to its repertoire, and last fall, Schuler’s hosted its first full beer dinner—again featuring the Dark Horse—pairing craft brews with creations of the Schuler’s culinary team. Since then, another popular Michigan craft brewery, Shorts, has been featured at a Schuler’s beer dinner, and more are planned. Suffice to say that Schuler’s is likely to make craft beer dinners a regular part of their event line-up.

Lauded for its hospitality all these decades, Schuler’s continues to be a Michigan institution of fine dining and hospitality. They are a source of inspiration to family-owned businesses and an impressive example of how to do things right.

Perhaps most importantly for our audience, with events such as the one on October 14th at 6:00 p.m., Schuler’s can be considered a true partner to the Michigan craft brewing community.

Tickets may be purchased for their Beer Dinner by calling Schuler’s at (269) 781-0600.

Patti Smith visits the new (nl) - Null Tasting Room It pays to have friends in high places. For instance, I have known Cindy Hegenauer for over 7 years now. If you don’t know her, you should–especially if you like beer! Cindy is a driving force behind the Detroit Draft Divas and well-known for her immense knowledge (and love) of stouts.

A few weeks ago, Cindy was a VIP guest at the new Null Tap House and took ME as her very special guest! (So it was like a Very Special Episode featuring Teacher Patti who will throw open the door, make a witty comment about how when life

gives us lemons, make lemon beer, and then flounce out. Sort of like Wilona on Good Times).

Null stands for Northern United Liquid Libations and is brought to you by the nice folks from Jolly Pumpkin, North Peak Brewing, Civilized Spirits, and Old Mission Microdistillery (I hope I got everyone!). This tap house opened in Dexter, and I got to go the very first night!

Because we are awesome, Cindy and I got there first. We walked right in and were greeted by a friendly man with pitchers of beer. Well, alright!

The space is absolutely gorgeous.

I think we can all agree that my picture taking skills are lacking, so I hope the beauty shines through in what I took.

They had a nice buffet that was free for the taking. It included some of the snacks that you can get at the tap room, including a nice honey barbecue snack mix from Germack.

But what about the beer, Patti? Well, there is not only beer but wine, spirits, and cocktails a’poppin. Cindy and I stuck to beer, but you can certainly find anything you like in the beer, wine, or spirits realm. (See what I did there? GENIUS).

We had a sampler, and each beer was fantastic. We had four saisons: Cherry Hibiscus, Dandelion Rhubarb, Not Special K and Saison PDQ. I also threw in one of the North Peak stouts, because I had never had it before. It made for a nice “dessert” beer after the sours.

The tap room is open at 2:00pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and at 12:00 noon on Saturdays and Sundays. Even if you aren’t cool VIPs like us, go on and check them out!

Null is located at the Northern United Brewing Co. Brewing facility in Dexter. They are serving product lines from their breweries and distillery: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, North Peak and Grizzly Peak beers, Civilized and Old Mission spirits and Bonafide wines.

More at www.nulltaphouse.com

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Jessi Boehme is a realtive newcomer to craft beer.

She documents her first brew day, a pumpkin beer.

My First Home Brew It sounds funny to say that I’m, “getting to know beer better.” It makes sense if you don’t think too hard about it. Before I started dating someone who appreciates good beer, staring at a wall of beer selections meant looking at pretty labels, fancy names, colors and things that sounded good.

I always picked wrong. I didn’t understand what stouts were, what an IPA verses a wheat beer was, or even why I liked a flavor in one beer and hated it in another. When I say I didn’t know much, I mean it. Now, I’m becoming an expert! No literally I’m going to try and become a certified cicerone.

In my opinion though, this doesn’t just make someone an expert. You can pass tests and frame certificates to hang on a wall, but the only way to become an

12

expert at something is to do it over and over again.

Hence why my significant other is teaching me how to brew beer.

Steven has been educating me about beer since the day I started texting with him. Beer, well, it’s kind of his thing. There’s so much more to beer though than what meets the eye. There’s a history and a passion behind each brew and that’s why it interests me so much.

What’s this girl got to say about beer that someone else can’t? Why should I read about her brewing

beer when she obviously hasn’t been drinking it for that long? The answer is, I don’t know. I just plan to share my thoughts, learn from anyone who will teach me more, and enjoy each sip along the way.

That said, Steve and I brewed a beer that when the brew process was close to finishing, smelled of pumpkin pie! Oh. EM. GEE. Yes. Pumpkin, if you didn’t know, is my absolute favorite kind of pie, muffin, drink, latte, pancake, thai food, cooked veggie…you may have read my earlier article about making pumpkin baked goods. Surprise, surprise... same author!

The first step to making a beer is to figure out what you want to make. Here’s what we (Steven mainly) came up with: Water (duh) Malt – Breiss 2- Row 10 Pounds Malt – Caramel – 1 Pound Hops – Williamette Hops – Mt. Hood 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp all-spice 1/2 tsp nutmeg 64 oz Puree Pumpkin Yeast – American Ale The second step is probably the most important step: Clean, clean and clean. This is, as I have learned, the most important thing when you’re brewing your own beer.

The third step? Probably the second most important.

Get out some glasses and drink while you brew!

What better way to pass the time?

I think it’s all about the energy and passion you put in to making a product, that makes you an expert.

I hope you all as craft beer enthusiasts and lovers can appreciate the energy, time, and heart that goes into beer. Do some research, get to know the beer your drinking, and maybe even try brewing your own brew at home. Cheers!

Okay as for the beer, Steve felt it was a little bit of a twist on the typical spicy pumpkin beer with the vanilla adding to a true pumpkin pie crust flavor.

I felt it tasted like a pumpkin malt. Smooth and creamy like the mixture of whip cream with the warm pumpkin pie flavor.

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By Jason Osburn The second annual Dine Drink Detroit, sponsored by Brooklyn Outdoor Advertising, brings together over 15 restaurants and bars to showcase one of the country's fastest growing food cultures. Running for 10 days from October 2 - 11, participating restaurants will feature signature food and drink combinations for just $15.

This years participating establishments include: Green Dot Stables, Johnny Noodle King, Craftwork, La Feria, Detroit City Distillery, Great Lakes Coffee, Ottava Via, Mercury Burger Bar, St. CeCe's Pub, Two James/ Katoi, Traffic Jam & Snug, Mudgies Deli, Slow's BBQ, Motor City Wine, and Grand Trunk Pub. "The food scene in Detroit is tenacious, yet still kindhearted and collaborative on many levels," said Kate WIlliams, event co-founder and chef/owner of Republic and Parks & Rec., both opening this fall in the GAR building in downtown Detroit. "This fresh passion for all things culinary is inspiring and we feel fortunate to be a part of this movement."

Proceeds from this years Dine Drink Detroit will

peak of what to expect when they open this fall.

Music was presented by MetroTimes and included Pastel Arsenal, Ancient Language and one of Batch Brewing Company's co-owner Stephen Roginson's projects called, Stan Sommerson. There were several films being shown on the side of the grand looking Outdoor Recreation Center presented by Assemble.

In association with the event, Detroit Slow Roll Monday Nights had assembled on "Beyond food and drink we also wanted to give back to one of the city's site and started their ride through true gems," said Scott Rutterbush, event co-founder. "The Riverfront, the Dequindre Cut and Riverfront with its mission to be "an accessible, world-class gathering place for all" and returned to the Outdoor is just the sort of thing this city needs and we want to do our part in Recreation Building site around 9pm. The sight and sounds of furthering that initiative." hundreds of bicycles, many decked out in lights, converging ont the already assembled be donated to the Detroit River Conservancy, an Dine Drink Detroit audience left me with a great sense organization that provides improved access to the of community and rebirth that I haven't felt before in riverfront, spearheads economic development, and Detroit. provides valuable green space to residents and visitors.

Make sure to check out some of these great spots during Dine Drink Detroit kicked off with a launch party Dine Drink Detroit. at the newly renovated (nearing completion) DNR/ For more info visit www.dinedrinkdetroit.com Outdoor Recreation Center located at the Globe Building, 1801 Atwater Street, on Monday Spetember 29th. It was very well attended. Drinks were offered from MotorCity Wine, Mudgie's, St. Cece's Pub, Ottava Via, Mercury Burger Bar, La Feria, Detroit City Distillery, even the newly opened Johnny Noodle King was on hand pouring Saki. One of the soon-toopen DEtroit breweries we've been keeping our eyes on, Batch Brewing Company, were there pouring two collaboration brews, one, an IPA with Greenbush Brewing and one a Kolch done on Atwater's equipment.

The Attendees got a first tastes of food from Kate William's upcoming Parks & Rec.. The El Guapo food truck was parked on site and Chef Josh Stockton of the highly anticipated Gold Cash Gold was serving a sneak

Batch Brewing pouring there colab beers at Dine Drink Detroit

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Cider Pumpkin Cakes with Pumpkin Spice Boiled Frosting Are you someone who hates having your newsfeed on social media cluttered with pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING around this time of year? There’s no where to run, you’re about to get handed another pumpkin recipe, but this one is one you won’t want to turn down.

I’ll admit I have a sweet tooth that rears its ugly awesome head come Autumn. Pumpkin pie is still my favorite birthday cake. Pumpkin scones and muffins are irresistible to me and don’t even start with me on pumpkin lattes and smoothies. I cannot get enough!

When I sat down to prepare these delectable pumpkin

morsels I thought, “What do I love about pumpkin? What do I love about cupcakes?” It’s the sweet flavor and soft texture that pumpkins give our food and the best part of the cupcake…the frosting. Not just any frosting, but I needed to feel like a real baker and create a pumpkin spiced boiled frosting.

Pumpkin Spiced Boiled Frosting ¾ cup White Sugar 1/3 cup All-Purpose flour 1/8 tsp Salt

1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground cloves ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice ¼ tsp salt

1 1/8 cup Whole Milk ¾ cup Unsalted Butter at room temp

1 large egg, room temp

1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Cider Pumpkin Cakes

½ cup granulated sugar

1 and ¼ cups apple cider (or hard cider ;) ) 2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup dark brown sugar ½ cup buttermilk, room temp

¾ tsp baking powder Directions:

While the frosting cools and settles

Then add your buttermilk, vanilla and

In a large saucepan over medium heat,

(yes, I did get a stomachache from licking

½ cup of the concentrated cider you’ve

whisk the sugar, salt and flour together

too much of the batter off the spoon) it’s

smelled and contemplated drinking for

and slowly add the milk. Do not stop

time to make the cupcake batter (preheat

the last 30 minutes.

mixing or you will scorch the milk. Gross!

that oven!). Given that everyone loves

As per usual, add the wet to the

Once you bring it to a boil, turn the

cider this time of year, I thought it’d be

ingredients and slowly mix them until

heat down to a medium-low setting.

an appropriate ingredient to add. Reduce

there are few small lumps, but not many.

Constantly whisk this mixture until it

it to increase its flavor.

You don’t want to mix this until it’s

becomes completely thickened.

completely smooth.

Remove from the heat, transfer to a

Get that batter into a sprayed mini

bowl and stir in the pumpkin pie spice.

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1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

muffin pan and bake’m for about 9-10

Leave this mixture in the fridge until

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

minutes. Pop’m out of the pan and let

completely cool (2-3 hours, so make a day

While you’re making the batter, simmer

cool before adding your frosting. Just

ahead if you’re short on time).

your cider over a low-medium heat for

TRY not eating one.

Once cool, use an electric beater to beat

about 15-20 minutes. You need about ½

Once you’ve got two finished products,

the room temp butter until it is fluffy and

cup from this reduced liquid. Do not put

the frosting and the cupcakes, take a

whipped. Then gradually add the cooled

it in your batter hot! Let it cool to room

plastic sandwich bag and fill it with

mixture, spoonful-by-spoonful, and beat

temp.

frosting. Cut a very small portion of the

until they’re well mixed.

Grab a bowl and mix your flour, baking

corner of the bag off and you’ll feel like a

Taste it to make sure it has enough

powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves,

real baker swirling your frosting on to the

pumpkin-y taste to fit your preferences.

spice, and salt together. In a different

cakes. Don’t forget to swirl a little bit on

You can also add vanilla or almond

bowl, whisk your egg, melted butter,

your tongue for good measure.

extract if you like.

brown sugar, and sugar until smooth.

Bitter Tongue

Nick Lundberg Explores Bitterness As fall approaches, menus across the land will be pocked with pumpkins, apples, and a fantastic, ever widening array of squash and gourds. It’s an exciting time for the home chef and pro alike, which brings me to what I've been focused on lately, bitter.

Bitterness: you shiver, wince. I can see it, but bitter is one of the keys to successful autumnal dishes. You scratched your head when grandma told you to put salt in the cookie dough, but she was right, wasn't she?

So look at me more like nana when I tell you to consider the bitter. Any decent bartender understands the depth a splash of bitters provides and, oh yeah, I needn't mention; bitterness is a brewer's stock and trade.

Salty and sweet; hot and sour; hot and sweet; sweet and sour; all are timeless, easy combinations but it can be tricky to walk the tightrope of deftly adding a little bitter.

A fall or so ago, I prepared a seared duck breast with all the usual suspects of the season. Some butternut puree, maple glaze, fennel braised greens, a really savory herb rub on the breast and scored skin, but the final blunt and crushing autumnal blow was the pumpkin risotto. My beautiful vision of fall was flying away. The duck would be an albatross if I didn’t do something quick.

I remembered my friend Neil had prepared a hoisin braised short rib, sweet and hot, with sesame fried parsnips, sweet, salty, dense, and a loose wasabi whipped cream. What made Neil’s preparation brilliant was his move to segment a few limes on top. Hey, that’s acidity Nick! Well, yes it is, but, in lime, like grapefruit, bitterness is the dominant trait.

That was Neil’s rationale and it worked. The important thing is that this little effort of bitterness took an incredibly rich dish and turned its lights on. All of a sudden you could taste the star anise, cinnamon and caramelized green onion. You could taste the bean paste in the parsnips.

Back to my duck breast… this was my Uma Thurman ‘punch my way out of the coffin’ scene. I took a look at my flavors. I had a lot of individual flavors that were strong enough to

stand alone yet I wanted them to be harmonious. I saw bitterness as the solution.

I decided to make a coffee pesto. I pilfered the fancy Italian instant espresso from the pastry chef and ground it with pine nuts, cane sugar, olive oil and a pinch of salt. No doubt it was bitter. I had to fight the urge to add more sugar. Remembering the roll it was to play, I restrained.

In the style of the time, I took a brush to the plate and drew a simple pencil width streak from rim to rim.

I let the risotto fall high and tight, topped that with the fennel and followed by three glistening ruby red slices of duck with skin you could strike a match on. Butternut puree went round the outside and the maple just kissed over the top like a blessing. The end result was what I wanted and like the light coming on in the attic, all was illuminated.

The garlic, nutmeg and pecorino stepped out of the shadow of the pumpkin. The citrus and ouzo in the fennel combined with the pesto like an ancient deity and the butternut and maple were able to stand separate or in tandem.

Lucky save from an unlikely and underappreciated source.

Next episode ‘Umami, Inherent or Achieved?'

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Oskar Blues has teamed up with Aluminum Foundry and Ball to create the Crowler™ and White Flame

Brewing in Hudsonville is the first brewery in Michigan to get one!

By Elena Flores Oskar Blues, craft beer canning innovators since 2002, teamed up with Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry to create a table-top seaming machine that will seal aluminium cans. Nothing doing.

Who cares, right? Now pair this simple little contraption with a 32oz. can by Ball Corporation and the Crowler is born.

Can + Growler = Crowler™ Now, growlers have their place. There’s something undeniably gratifying about packing out your favorite micro brews in much the same way you would have done in the 19th century. It’s a beautiful little tradition and allows craft beer to be enjoyed in its “pristine” form outside of the confines of it’s brewery. Now add to this, the Crowler, and that same micro brew can be enjoyed months later with optimal carbonation and flavor as if it were poured that very day.

Turn it off, twist the pedestal to lower the can, and take it with you to enjoy. Once you open the CROWLER™, drink it up—ensuring the craft beer is consumed in a single serving while the beer is in its prime, just like in the taproom. (Taken from the Oskar Blues Blog: http:// oskarblues.com/?s=crowler+) One more thing, dear Michiganders, fear not; the Crowler may look like a can but qualifies as a growler under Michigan law. If your favorite brewery or multi-tap is licensed to fill growlers, they can fill Crowlers too

The Crowler™ is a one-use, recyclable 32-oz can that is We are really excited to have the Crowler option available in our taproom, filled and seamed right at the since we rarely package our beers, this seems to be a more portable way to bar in the Tasty Weasel Tap take your favorite White Flame draft beer home or on the road with you.

Room in ColoRADo, using an We were fortunate to have a Crowler of beer given to us at a beer festival All-American Can Company in Chicago this summer, and immediately we knew this was an opportunity seamer. This is a tabletop that needed looking into. Then I got to see it first hand at a couple of places design commonly used for in Florida and were sold on the equipment. We talked with the boys at canning homemade food into Oskar Blues and within a few weeks we had the machine up and running. steel cans and allows you to It was really simple and we couldn't be happier. - Bill White, White Flame take home one-off and specialty beers. The filler was modified to work with aluminum, and the height adjusted to accommodate the CROWLER™ height. Just like its smaller 12-oz. counterpart, the Crowler™ is made from aluminum that has 68% recycled content and also is infinitely recyclable.

Here’s how a CROWLER™ works: Oskar Blues added a CO2 purge station to purge the cans before filling them, which helps assure that there is no beer-degrading oxygen added to the beer. The CROWLER™ is purged and immediately filled. Then the lid is applied and the CROWLER™ is placed onto the seamer pedestal. The pedestal is turned so that the can is raised up and locked under pressure into the seamer. Turn it on, and push GO.

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M i c h i g a n b y t h e B ot t l e i s op e n i n g a n ew t a s t i n g r o o m i n Ro y a l O a k

By Jason Osburn

Collaboration seems to be working for the Michigan wine industry. Perhaps this model is something to be considered by the Michigan craft beer industry as well?

The founders of Michigan By The Bottle, a website/ online community promoting the Michigan wine industry, are teaming up with eight wineries from throughout the state to establish a second collaborative wine tasting room in Royal Oak. Located on Woodward Ave., just south of Webster, the Michigan By The Bottle Tasting With the opening of the MBTB Tasting Room in Room will offer tasting flights Shelby Township last December, Michigan By The Bottle paired with small bites for a became the first in the state to open a tasting room nominal fee, plus take-home wine under this collaborative concept sales by the bottle and case. The With the opening of the MBTB Tasting Room in facility also will carry various Michigan-made snacks and products, and will host events like winemaker meet- Shelby Township last December, Michigan By The and-greets, art exhibits, food and wine pairing sessions, Bottle became the first in the state to open a tasting wine education classes and more. With all state and room under this collaborative concept, which links municipal licensing and approvals in place, build out multiple previously unaffiliated wineries under a single on the space began the week of Aug. 18. MBTB is roof. The Shelby location has been extremely successful targeting Nov. 1 for a “soft opening,� with a more and warmly welcomed by the surrounding community, prompting them to begin planning an expansion into formal grand opening celebration to follow.

Oakland County. The MBTB Tasting Room is the only wine tasting room in Metro Detroit focusing on wines produced by Michigan wineries using their own estategrown and/or locally sourced grapes.

The Royal Oak location will welcome two additional partner wineries to the six already involved in the Shelby Township site. The eight partner wineries are excellent examples of Michigan viticulture and viniculture, all using estate-grown and/or locally sourced fruit.

2 Lads Winery (Traverse City) Chateau Aeronautique (Jackson) Chateau de Leelanau (Suttons Bay) Domaine Berrien Cellars (Berrien Springs) Gill's Pier Vineyard & Winery (Northport) Peninsula Cellars (Traverse City) Sandhill Crane Vineyards (Jackson) Verterra Winery (Leland) Continued on page 20

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MBTB cont. from pg 19 Those of you less familiar with the Michigan wine industry will be impressed to learn that of the state’s 15,000 acres of vineyards, 2,650 are devoted to wine grapes, making it the fifth-largest state in wine grape production. Wine grape acreage has more than doubled statewide over the last 10 years. Michigan’s more than 100 commercial wineries produce more than 1.3 million gallons of wine annually, much of which comes from Michigan-grown grapes. This is up from 32 wineries producing 400,000 gallons in 2002. The state’s wineries attract more than 1 million visitors annually, and the industry contributes $300 million annually to Michigan’s economy.

(Source: Michigan Grape & Wine Industry Council, www.michiganwines.com) Michigan By The Bottle was founded in 2009 by Shannon and Cortney Casey of Macomb Township, MichiganByTheBottle.com promotes the Michigan wine industry through video features, podcasts, articles, tasting notes, winemaker interviews, event listings and more. MBTB offers an iPhone/iPad/Android app that serves as a portable guide to Michigan wine country, with winery profiles, photos, content links, etc. With

20

thousands of Facebook fans and Twitter followers, MBTB also facilitates the largest Michigan wine lover community online.

For more information on MBTB Tasting Room, please visit MBTBTasting.com.

Backwoods Mustard is made in Michigan and winning awards! MiCraftBeerCulture talks with them about their product, their love of Michigan and the outdoors.

By Jason Osburn Backwoods Mustard was born in a family deer camp two generations ago and they’ve been refining their family recipe ever since. Backwoods is Michigan-made craft mustard with a focus on tradition, Michigan, and the great outdoors. Backwoods recently took second place in the Mustard Category at the 2014 World Hot Sauce Awards. They were also took the 1st place award in the "Gourmet Grocery" category in the 2014 WDIV Local 4 / ClickOnDetroit #Vote4thebest competition.

Launching commercially in June of 2013, Backwoods Mustard can now be found in over 120 retail stores, breweries, and game lodges. I had the opportunity to talk to Brian Ernst and David Saterstad about this great Michigan product.

First of all, we are huge Michigan craft beer fans – the only beer we drink. When we first started Backwoods Mustard Company, we knew we wanted to partner with Michigan breweries. To us… it just makes sense.

Our products are very similar where the end result is truly a reflection of the creativity, dedication, and love for the craft itself. Most of Michigan’s micro-breweries we’ve contacted feel the same way. They've been a huge supporter of what we’re doing and what we’re all about.

Backwoods Mustard is currently served at 51 North Brewery of Lake Orion, Sherwood Brewery of Shelby Township, Jamesport Brewing of Ludington, Biercamp of Ann Arbor, Falling Down Brewery of Warren and Perrin Brewery of Comstock Park. We just added Detroit BBQ Company to the list of retail partners. They are now How have you been involved with the Michigan craft serving Backwoods Mustard inside Kuhnhenn’s Brewery beer industries? Have you found support from the every Tuesday through Friday. We have more meetings scheduled and have really only been limited by the time plethora of breweries in the state? we have available. To say the "This is a recipe my mother has been making for over 18 years. least, we couldn't be more Needless to say, it has been a hit with everyone who has tried it. excited to have this alliance It's unlike any other mustard on the market. It's sweet, it's spicy, with Michigan’s craft beer and has some awesome texture. We literally put it on everything industry.

from sandwiches, dogs, burgers, deviled eggs, and you have to try it on pasta and potato salads!" - Brian Ernst, President

Where do your source your products from i.e. jars, labels, raw goods?

We pride ourselves in buying all of our products from Michigan companies. The jars we purchase from Porter Bottle Company (Detroit, MI), labels from A&M Label (Wixom, MI), shelf stable ingredients from Gordon Food Service (Detroit, MI), fresh ingredients from local markets, and all of Backwoods Mustard Company's products are produced right here in the great state of Michigan!

Continued on page 35

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The first week in August a pack of coyotes ran down all but one of my chickens in the middle of the day. I left them ranging around 11am, long after the threat of coyotes has passed. A neighbor said they stay out into the day when the sandhill cranes pass through.

The birds migrate in huge numbers during this time and their habits, mostly grounded in the fields, make them easy pickings for the coyotes.

G and I came home to find only piles of feathers at all corners of the farm. Our beautiful flock gone.

This summer I simply never stopped moving between work and hospital and home again, all the while trying desperately to take in and enjoy the summer with my boy. I’m truly fighting the Chicken Little syndrome here. Every time the sky starts falling I stop and find three Elena Flores things in that instant to be grateful for. With writes about raising chickens and her school starting up again, I feel like I am actually son on a small farm in Ann Arbor. holding up the sky through sheer strength of

Writing under this title has become agony will. Harried phone calls and long hours spent these last few months. Not to go all “Chicken driving to and from hospitals have just become a part of my weekly schedule. I’ve had to let my Little,” but I swear to you, the sky is falling.

G see me cry.

My father was admitted to Beaumont Hospital over Memorial Day. Twice he has entered hospice care only to rally back to health again. With multiple, severe infections in his heart and after a series of “wet” strokes, there is very little of him left. It has been trying. He has always been my biggest fan and I, childishly, can’t imagine life without him. I cry in my sleep.

When we worry that the sky is falling we must count our blessings and remember, it's just an acorn. It happens.

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My father just moved into a rehabilitation center and is finally stable and at peace. Peggy, the lone survivor of the flock, has found a friend in our new dog, an English shepherd named Indiana. Several of the neighbors, having heard the dismal news, gave us a few extra chickens from their flocks. Peggy is overly hard on these interlopers but I imagine they will resolve their differences by the time the cold hits.

The farmers who hear about my chickens simply shrug, nod their heads and say, "it happens." We all face the loss of our parents.

It is one of the few benchmarks of adulthood. I cherish every minute I spend with my father. He is happiest when I read my own work to him.

When we worry that the sky is falling we must count our blessings and remember, it's just an acorn. It happens. xoxo -e

Jason Osburn visits Great Lakes Hops, home to one of Michigans Hop Breeding programs Great Lakes Hops is home to a hops breeding program with over 112 named hop varieties in various stages of trials and evaluation including some unique crosses with Michigan heirloom hops that look really promising. This season much work was spent on evaluating varieties for resistance to disease and pests. The best selections from this season will proceed to yield and alpha/beta evaluations in 2015.

Their ongoing new varietal trials and breeding programs ensure growers first access to new varieties.

I toured Great Lakes Hops earlier this summer with owner Lynn Kemme. Anyone who’s ever been out there knows that Lynn will gladly talk beer and hops for hours.

“The general trend in craft beer brewing and new hop cultivars is still toward more emphasis on better, more complex brewing

profiles and the oils composition of the hops. The push into new beer styles with more fruity tropical notes seems to be here to stay.” Lynn Kemme With 56 hops available commercially and over 25 new varieties in field trials, Great Lakes Hops have the best selection in the country.

They are supplying the rapid expansion of hopyards, not only in Michigan, but across the country from New York to Alaska.

They produced over one million transplants in 2013. Universities across the country from Vermont to Nevada are launching hops research programs, Great lakes has supplied 14 different Universities alone this year.

Another factor that sets Great Lakes apart is their large 4" soil plug sets. Standard in the industry is rhizomes only. Soil plugs allows planting only one plant per mound versus several rhizomes each. Great Lakes clean indexed cutting stock, sets the standard for hop transplants. They are USDA licensed and certified producers who follow National Clean Plant standards and guidelines for Clean Hop Stock Production to minimize hop diseases and viruses.

“Many new hop growers who ‘put a toe in the water’" with a few hundred plants in 2014 are now ramping up and planning Spring '15 expansions involving substantial acreage. It will be tough to keep up.”

Great lakes is currently converting another 40,000 sq.ft. of greenhouse propagation area that will be devoted entirely to hops production. Hops is highly sensitive to light and in order to propagate year round in Michigan’s climate and short growing season, it is necessary to use greenhouses and artificial light. Working with Michigan Energy Alliance they are in process of installing a stateof-the-art Spectral LED lighting system.

Great Lakes Hops has two unique things on their website that may be of interest if you are considering growing hops or if you are already a grower. Lynn maintains a folder of ‘Hop Docs’ that is a virtual library of hop resources and an interactive ‘Hopyard Map’ that shows hop yards, as well as contact info for much of the Midwest. Check them out!

Great lakes Hops can be contacted at contact@greatlakeshops.com

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District 1 Detroit is dedicated to the growth and promotion of the city of Detroit through support of the arts, music, and Racing For Beer Has Never Been More Fun !

services which seek to enrich the community.

They will have their full product line for sale at out event on October 10th at Small's Bar in Hamtramck. Proceeds from sales will go

to

Wayne

County

Veteran's

Services.

Kisscross Cyclocross - 2014 Race Season Schedule: Sunday, October 5th, Kisscross #3 Manhattan Park Sunday, October 19th, Kisscross #4 Lakeside Park, Caledonia Sunday, November 2nd, Kisscross #5 Cascade Park Sunday,November 16th, Kisscross #6 Markin Glen Kalamazoo Sunday, November 30th, Kisscross #7 Window on the Waterfront, A, B and C races are $25 day of event. Tandems are $30. A second race is $10 additional. One lap kids race is $5 but a full length B or C race for kids 14 and under is $10. No licenses required.

Start times/ categories: C race- Kids one lap, Juniors, Men, Women and Masters (40+)- 11:00am B race- Men, Women, Masters, Tandem, Fat bike and Singlespeed- 12:00pm A race- Men and Masters (40+)- 1pm

24

DEDICATED

* Celebrating the Art of Bikes and Beer *

Cyclo-Mashing Pace line riding on first leg

“Beermuda Triangle”

2014: Celebrating the Craft of the Group-Ride One of the best parts of cycling is a spirited group ride. Group rides gather a bunch of like-minded people willing to create a fun, day-long adventure in bicycling and beer. Every year a group of hearty souls gathers on Labor Day weekend to traverse a “Beermuda Triangle” route which takes us to three craft breweries. Perhaps a desire to break on through the space-time continuum with swift pedaling and hoppy beer spurs us forth in our journey. Or, it may be that the Labor Day holiday signals the end of summer, offering a perfect opportunity to spend a day on the bike with friends.

This year we determined a route from Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids, MI to Old Boys Brewhouse in Spring Lake, to New Holland Brewery in Holland and back again to Founders Brewing. We changed our route just that morning due to thunderstorms in the forecast. Setting aside our original plan to ride from Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids to Bells Brewery in Kalamazoo to the Walldorff Brewpub in Hastings due to the rain centered in mid-state, we figured a jaunt West may keep us from pedaling through thunderstorms.

Jack Kunnen tagged along in our sag wagon, taking pictures and offering up his ribald commentary on bikes and beer. Jack, a former racer who took to photography, comes out in support of bicycling in Michigan to photograph racers and events.

Cyclists love to peruse race photos after the fact - checking out posture, grimaces, smiles, stunts and podium shots. Without die-hard biking fans like Jack, who willingly gives of his time to support cycling events throughout our state, our sport would dwindle in exposure.

Jane Van Hof, author, dirty but happy after a 2nd place finish in her age group at Ore-to-Shore Bicycle racing operative, craft-beer intelligence agent, urban education rabble-rouser and partisanly punkish classical musician, Jane enjoys living a full and vibrant life. She received her Master’s degree in Socio-Cultural Foundations of Educational Thought from Western Michigan University, teaches writing in an urban middle school, professionally performs Baroque music, races bicycles with the Founders Racing team, romps through the Michigan outdoors, and loves micro brewed beer. Her joy in life stems from her three robust and witty sons who challenge her to remain tenaciously steady in all things. Jane resides in East Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The ride started out well, with only a few grey clouds billowing in the distance. Our group kept a peppy pace of 21 miles an hour average from Grand Rapids to Spring Lake. As soon as we crossed the draw bridge and neared Lake Michigan, the rain began to fall in earnest.

We made it to our first destination, Old Boys Brewhouse, just as the deluge unleashed its fury on the lakeshore. Safely inside, we settled in and ordered up some brews. Kathy and Laura,

continued on next page 25

Cyclo-Mashing continued from page 25

Jack Kunnen - photographer and cyclist at Old Boys Brewhouse in Spring Lake

the other two ladies on the ride, had a Dogtail IPA with me. A tasty beer, this IPA brewed with Centennial hops offered a tangy, somewhat bitter, hoppy flavor.

Once the storm passed and the pint glasses emptied, we saddled back up and headed out toward Holland. The weather held with sun shining through. Our ride up Scenic Drive between Grand Haven and Holland was just that - one of the most scenic, picturesque routes in West Michigan with views of the dunes, the big lake and lighthouses. In Grand Haven we challenged each other to a hill climb up “5 Mile Hill”. Laura snuck along by gripping the sag wagon and being pulled up the hill, giving us all a run for our money! Silly moments like Laura hitching a ride make group rides so worthwhile: not a race, not a tour, but a shared adventure of laughs and pedaling with those who love bikes and beer!

At New Holland, Andy and Jack, our sag wagon drivers, secured us picnic tables outside. We relished the thought of a draught of beer after putting another 50 miles into our legs. Josh Hogeterp tried the Mad Hatter IPA, commenting, “New Holland has a great variety of beers. I normally would Cont. on next page

Josh Hogeterp enjoying a Mad Hatter IPA at New Holland Brewing

have branched out, but my legs needed fuel for the ride home and every cyclist knows that IPA fuels the legs!”

Pedaling back, the final leg of our triangle was seamless.

The group kept a quick pace and we did not encounter any rude motorists trying to run us off the road. As we came back into Grand Rapids, we turned onto the Kent Trails to cycle back into town. There, an older couple was out for a walk with their dog - which they had let off its leash. Ahead of us we heard, “Watch out for the dog!” Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a huge, black beast rushing downhill on my left heading straight toward our group. I made it past, but the dog barrelled into Mike who was pedaling behind me. The 100 pound black lab threw Mike over his handlebars.

Mike landed hard, scraped up his elbow and leg and was pretty sure he’d broken his collarbone (luckily X-rays proved otherwise). His bike frame cracked, and was completely unrideable. The couple felt badly about the situation and were visibly upset. However, keeping dogs on a leash is the law! Gratefully, our sag wagon support, Andy and Jack, picked up Mike and his broken bike, bringing him back to town where he quickly made his way to the Med Center.

While Mike’s run-in with the dog put a damper on our successful ride, we sallied forth and made it back

to Founders Brewing to reconvene for tasty sandwiches and craft beer. I ordered the Devil Dancer sandwich, figuring it fit with our “Devil’s Triangle” adventure. It was tasty, and its spiciness did not disappoint. As the menu challenges: “Roasted chicken, muenster & pepper jack, jalapeño, chipotle & banana peppers, red onions & chipotle mayo on a French roll. Do you dare to dance with the Devil?” I hold that Founders Brewing offers the best sandwiches of any micro-brewery in the state.

All told, we pedaled 120 miles to complete the “Beermuda Triangle” ride, 2014 We dodged thunderstorms, climbed hills, pedaled alongside the lakeshore, laughed and conversed over tasty beer, and enjoyed a good, oldfashioned group ride. Sometimes a bicycling adventure with good friends is better than racing a bike!

Second Leg Ladies: New Holland Brewing, Co. Left to Right: Kathy Everts, Jane Van Hof, Laura Korienek

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John Timmer repurposes used whiskey barrels to make beautiful and funtional art

By Jason Osburn I was walking through the back room in White Flame Brewing with Ryan Hamilton one day. He was giving me a tour and I was shooting some pics when I spotted a beautiful and unique bench sitting against a stack of kegs.

The bench was made out of barrel staves. I had to ask. Ryan told me about this local artist, John Timmer, who re-purposed used whiskey barrels making them into furniture such as coffee tables and home decor.

His name was John Timmer and he operates under the name Bad Moon Studios.

I immediately penciled John in on my list of artists to feature in upcoming issues. Last week I had a chance to connect with him and ask him some questions:

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What got you interested in using the barrels?

When I opened my shop I started out refurbishing old 60's-70's modern furniture but It seemed I was in a tough market and I wasn't doing well with it at all.

Since I had furniture experience, some friends asked me if I could build them a coffee table out of a bourbon barrel if they supplied the barrel...I told them I'd give it a shot but no guarantees.

Well the table turned out nice but I had way too much time into it and I really felt I could do better and wanted to give it another go.

Lying in bed one night thinking about how I could shave some time off the next one, an idea came to me for

cutting what seemed like an eternity off from the construction process...So naturally I contacted a local brewery and was able to acquire 10 more barrels.

The process worked well for splitting the barrels in two and I started to see the possibility this thing taking off as a small business.

I then came up with an idea for a solid raw looking steel cradle for the barrel to set on as well as a thick chunk of glass as the table top. This looked awesome!

The idea seemed so great that I quit the job that I had and made the commitment, with the support of my wife, to make this barrel furniture business work. I possibly jumped the gun just a little bit because I was building

every day but hadn't quite yet found my market. I was just about to call it quits when my wife Teresa encouraged me to give the business a full year to see where it would take us.

I then changed gears and came up with some smaller ideas that I could have fun building and sell such as candle stands and bottle openers.

This gradually progressed into larger pieces as I got braver such as benches, rocking chairs, bar stools, pub tables, Adirondack chairs, bars, craft beer racks, end tables (of which is my favorite design to date), wine racks and whatever else I could dream up.

I guess the reason I choose to work with the barrels is the smell! (kidding, but maybe not that much). No seriously, the reason I chose to work with barrels is easy. Wood barrels have been a used for over two thousand years to store some type of liquid or another.

The reason they haven't changed is because of the heavy duty construction and the work load they are able to deliver.

Artist John Timmer Was there any learning curve using barrels rather than other reclaimed or new wood?

The fact that nothing is square makes this work fun but also challenging.The rustic design and the strength of each stave, head, or ring make a fantastic medium for a well built good looking and functioning piece of art that can easily be passed on to the next generation.

John strives to make an art piece that is sturdy, looks great, has functionality, and serves a purpose. He appreciated that each and every piece of the barrels he works with have their own story and personality and works to find that each piece he builds will have its own unique features and imperfections. Every piece is hand built and hand welded to become a fine design of rustic furniture or decorative accessory.

He’s has recently created a new series of growler displays to house your collectible growlers.

Check out the beautiful work in the pictures.

Bad Moon Studios can be found at http://badmoonstudio.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/badmoonstudio Photo's courtesy of : Chase Covell www.chasecovell.com

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Sip and Spin A monthly pairing of our favorite records with our favorite Michigan Craft Brews. by Mike Ross

Beverage: Blake’s Beard Bender Hard Cider (Armada, MI) Record: The Detroit Folk Scene Vol. 1, 1970 CLB Archive Records It’s safe to say that the Detroit folk scene of the late 60’s – early 70s was pretty deep underground.

As Ted Lucas says in the liner notes here, “The few coffee shops that exist [then] pay reasonably well.” That may have been, relatively speaking, but I think we can agree that no one on this album was getting rich at the coffee shops. Lucas, who died

been making the hard stuff for the past year – I was hard-pressed to come up with a record with which to pair it. Most of the Michigan records I could think of tend toward ‘beeryness’, if you get my drift not to mention the influence of various other substances, but

As the record progresses (along with the cider), we get into some good old music

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in 1992, is the most highprofile artist on this release; he ended up as a Motown studio musician until they pulled up stakes for L.A. His contribution here, the opening two tracks on the record, are the highlights in a collection of solid Detroit folk by six different artists.

I gotta admit, when I decided to review a cider after a recent visit to Blake’s – which by the way has only

as I scanned the shelves this one jumped out at me. Though Lucas’s Fahey-esque “Raga in D” holds the obvious Eastern references, it somehow seems right at home in the orchards of Michigan with its loping-yetadventurous gait. As the record progresses (along with the cider), we get into some good

old music – Phil Marcus Esser & the Chalk Circle cover an epic Brecht tune (“Sailor’s Tango” from Happy End), while Charlie Latimer-Paul Bowles & Co. acquit themselves with a couple of Dylan songs.

Blake’s Beard Bender keeps firmly on the tart/sour end of the apple spectrum, feeling like a crisp dry white wine and largely leaving the sweet to the easier (lesser?) ciders. You stick yer nose in there and you can practically see the vats of fermenting apple mash; this is pretty raw business.

They currently offer six different varieties of the hard stuff, ranging from the sweetly cinnamon-y Autumn Apple to the spicy El Chavo (infused with

habanero and mango). All are 6.5 abv. I’ll admit I’ve never been much of a cider drinker; the bigger names I’ll generally pass on, but this stuff is on another level, with bold and distinct flavors.

Marc Chover, opening side two of the Detroit Folk Scene, fittingly gets things a little gritty with a couple of harder blues numbers. Andy Cohen contributes a bit of a jugband-style with “Send Me to the ‘lectric Chair”.

Custer’s Last Stand, also the last band, keeps up the jugband vibe with a lively reading of Leiber-Stoller’s “When She Wants Good Lovin’” and Ted Lucas’s own “Hello Operator”.

This is folk, but it’s Detroit folk, never afraid of a little genre-bending.

Good hard ciders can be as hard to come by as remnants of the Detroit folk scene of 1970. You gotta dig pretty deep to find it at all, much less get to the good stuff. But keep digging and you might come up with some rewards; thankfully finding good hard cider recently got a little easier. Now on to the Catawampus … and did they ever make a Volume 2…?

MiCraftBeerCulture

Who we are and Why we're here.

(AKA a letter from the editor)

Welcome to MiCraftBeerCulture magazine!

Please come join us for our next event, October 10th at Small's Bar. We have some great bands on the bill:

Seven Birds One Stone, Coleman Youngbloods, Escaping Pavement L.T. Sanders of The Bored Houswives.

We hope to see you there!

Cheers! -Jason Osburn

micraftbeerculture

micraftbeercult

micraftbeerculture

micraftbeercult

MiCraftBeerCulture.com October 10th at Smalls for MiCraftBeerCulture

@7birds1stone sevenbirdsonestone

sevenbirdsonestone www

sevenbirdsonestone.com

for booking please email

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sevenbirdsonestone@yahoo.com

By Jason Osburn Great American Beer Festival is taking place in Denver from October 2nd through 4th. It is the largest beer festival in the United States. The GABF competition will include approximately 5,700 entries from over 1,300 breweries. More than 700 breweries will be sampling around 3,500 beers from all over the country. The festival sold out in 32 minutes during the public ticket sale. And worth noting, GABF had a $7 million economic impact on the city of Denver in 2012, according to Visit Denver, the city’s convention and visitor’s bureau.

The first GABF was held in 1982 at the Harvest House Hotel in Boulder. There were 22 breweries, 40 beers and 800 attendees. 49,000 attendees are expected in 2014.

Some of the unique parts of the event include: Craft Beer & Food Pavilion – Demonstrations in which chefs and brewers alike discuss the art of cooking with craft beer as well as how to pair with beer to make the perfect meal.

Farm To Table Pavilion – Join chefs and small and independent brewers as they discuss and pair craft beer with dishes created with locally grown ingredients Brewers Studio Pavilion – Festivalgoers have the opportunity to listen to the brewers themselves as they share their stories and beers.

The annual GABF Pro-Am Competition – Entries are brewed by professional craft brewers based on awardwinning homebrew recipes from American Homebrewers Association (AHA) members.

Support Your Local Brewery Pavilion – Learn about individual states’ beer culture and try the rare beers showcased by the guilds– YES, Michigan Brewers Guild will be there. In fact we added to our growing tally of medals by bringing home 4 last year!

You Be The Judge Booth – Evaluate a beer with a BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) or GABF competition beer judge.

If you’d like to see a complete listing of the breweries who will be attending this years’ GABF you can find it here: http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/at-thefestival/breweries-at-the-festival/

Photos © Brewers Association

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Backwoods Mustrard cont. from pg. 21

What do you have in the works next? Any new "flavors", expansion, large distribution contracts, etc?

We have some exciting things going on regarding flavors and distribution. Kroger currently carries our product in 37 Michigan stores and now their Nashville division has contacted us. We’re excited about the potential of expanding into a different region. We're now going to be in 7 Hiller's Market locations and we’re also in conversations with a national distributor… but that’s all I can say about that at the moment.

As far as flavors, we have a few in the works. Our second flavor that we will be taking to market is “Honey Habanero”.

We hope to have this one launched in time for hunting season. This flavor follows a similar pattern as our “Sweet Jalapeno”. It starts with a distinct sweet honey flavor followed by the classic habanero heat. By popular demand, this one is much hotter than our “Sweet Jalapeno” flavor so fans of ‘all-things-hot’ will be very pleased.

Tell us more about your involvement with the hunting and fishing communities.

What makes us unique is that our recipe is an old family deer camp recipe that dates back two generations. Because of that and the fact that we are avid outdoors-men, our brand is really geared towards the outdoor enthusiast.

As a result, we have a huge fan base in the hunting and fishing communities and have been able to work with some very reputable companies in the industry. Michigan Outof-Doors really helped us launch our brand to Michigan’s outdoor enthusiasts. They were kind enough to feature us in an episode last summer when we first took our product to market. In just one airing, our online sales went through the roof. We still meet people that say they saw us first on Michigan Out-of-Doors. MIBUCKPOLE is another partner of ours. They’re essentially a virtual “buck pole” where hunters can upload photos of the bucks they’ve harvested.

They’ve exploded over the last couple years and we’re glad to be able to work with them. We do some co-branding with them and also co-sponsor some of their events such as the Fall Buck Pole events.

Jay’s Sporting Goods in Clare, MI also carries our products.

They are great to work with and the fact that they carry Backwoods Mustard is a huge validation of the support we have from the outdoor community.

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2nd place Winner 2014 World Hot Sauce Awards!

One Over the Eight

The Beggars at New Dodge Lounge Photo by: Brian Rozman

Sept. 19, THIRST WAVE DEPECHE MODE NIGHT w/ DJs Pleasure Kitten, Aaron Hingst and Elektrsonik wsg - no cover before 10 p.m.

Sept. 26, TOTAL FERAL COMEDY: Devoted Barn Fundraiser Live stand-up comedy with Brad Wenzel, Hailey Zuriech and more, hosted by Ray and Laura

Sept. 20, SPEEDBALL, Against the Grain and Her Dark Host

Sept. 27, RICKY RAT PACK with the Handcuffs featuring Brad Elvis (Romantics) and White Shag

Sept. 21, BLOWFLY with Downtown Brown and MistersHip.

Sept. 28, Listening Party for the new ELECTRIC SIX album “Human Zoo” with special surprises

Sept. 23, BITERS wsg Radio Burns and Rock & Roll Prep School Band Sept. 25, GRAVESTONE Goth Industrial DJ night - no cover before 10 p.m.

Oct. 2, Comedy Showcase hosted by Ray and Laura. Stand-up comedy in the bar room.

Oct. 3, 800BELOVED with Siamese and the Last Ghost

Oct. 4, INDUSTRIAL IS NOT DEAD w/ DJs Elektrosonik, Void6 and Aaron Hingst - no cover before 10 p.m.

Oct. 5, THE CHOP TOPS $8 in advance, $10 at the door Oct. 7, LEFT ALONE (Elvis from the Transplants), Break Anchor, Dewtons and CBJ Oct. 9, INOKE ERATTI with the Split Friday, Oct. 10 MICRAFTBEER CULTURE presents Seven Birds One Stone, Escaping Pavement, Coleman Youngbloods and Bored Housewives

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