By K.D. Norris
Perrin Brewing’s 5-year anniversary party this week is just the first up on the “what’s on tap” beer list at Grand Rapids area breweries this month as the Grand Rapids Public Museum will also offer another trip with its Beer Explorers and, English beer lovers, London (England) is taking notice of Cedar Springs Brewing Company.
Comstock Park’s Perrin Brewing will celebrates five years of craft beer brewing and drinking on Saturday, Sept. 9, at the brewery’s backyard with live music entertainment, food trucks, specialty beers, vendors — and the annual corn hole tournament.
The live music entertainment line-up includes: 4 p.m., Paradise Outlaw; 4:55 p.m., hi-ker; 5:50 p.m., Miss Atomic; 6:45 p.m., The Crane Wives; 8:15 p.m., Jake Kershaw; and at 9:50 p.m., Papa Vegas.
If you haven’t seen/heard The Crane Wives, do so; the band’s show may be the highlight of the day.
The local food trucks scheduled to attend will include Blue Spoon Catering, Daddy Pete’s BBQ, Ice Box Brand Ice Cream, Patty Matters, Pizzaiolo, and What the Truck.
The party kicks off the general public at 4 p.m. and runs until 11 p.m. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the gate, open to ages 21 years of age and older. Chairs and blankets are welcome just no outside coolers or beverages. Tickets are available in the Perrin Pub or on EventBrite.
Perrin Brewery is located at 5910 Comstock Park Dr NW. For more information visit perrinbrewing.com/
‘Back to Beer School’ coming to pubic museum’s Beer Explorers program
The Grand Rapids Public Museum will continue its Beer Explorers program with “Back to Beer School” on Thursday, Sept. 21, with six local breweries scheduled to be represented.
Representatives — with tastes/pours — from Perrin Brewing Co., Elk Brewing, Founders Brewing Co., Speciation Artisan Ales, Brewery Vivant and Creston Brewery will be present to talk about various types of beer and what goes into making each of their beers. Although each brewery offers many of the same styles of beers, each beer is crafted differently to bring out unique flavors.
Back to Beer School will find each brewery bringing a special brew that was inspired by something within the museum’s collections. Throughout the evening, participants will explore the three floors of the Museum, stopping at different brewery bars to enjoy their samples. Brewers will be available to answer questions and give insights on their beers. Each brewery will have also a special bread made by local bakery Field and Fire to accompany their beer.
The evening will begin with a short presentation from the GRPM’s Chief Curator, Alex Forist, who will use artifacts from the museum’s collections to talk about the Grand Rapids history as Beer City.
Tickets to Beer Explorers’ Back to Beer School are $20 for non-members. Tickets include six samples, one from each brewery. A cash bar will also be available. Participants must be 21 and older. Tickets can be purchased at grpm.org/Calendar.
The museum is located at 272 Pearl Street, NW. For additional information visit www.grpm.org.
Cedar Springs Brewing Company a hit at London’s World Beer Awards
Cedar Springs Brewing Company announced in August that it had earned three “Best in the U.S.” titles in the World Beer Awards international competition, held in London, England. The contest is the third international competition the two-year-old brewery has entered and placed in.
The awards were for their Küsterer Original Weissbier, named “Best Bavarian Hefeweiss” in the U.S., Küsterer Salzburger Märzen, named “Best Seasonal German Pale” in the U.S. and Küsterer Weizenbock, named “Best Strong Wheat Beer” in the U.S.
Speaking from experience as Cedar resident and a Stammtisch Cub member from its opening, the weizenbock is both strong and very good.
“We are thrilled to once again have been recognized for the quality of our Bavarian and German style beers by an international judging organization,” David Ringler, “Director of Happiness” for the brewery, said in supplied material.
“Very few Americans have had the chance to truly experience some of these styles if they haven’t traveled to Europe,” Ringler added. “We want to do justice to these styles.”
Cedar Springs Brewing Company is located at 95 N Main, Cedar Springs. For more information visit csbrew.com/
