Tag Archives: Beer City Passport

On Tap: New-school Brewsaders book, brews at the Castle, a ‘Feelgood’ tap

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Not only does the Beer City Passport program allow you to get great beers, you get to fly your Brewsader freak flag with a t-shirt. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

The Beer City Brewsader Passport program recently celebrated the 10,000th Beer City Brewsader, which allows those “that have done the hard work of visiting 8+ breweries to earn the title and the t-shirt,” the group says.

 

For those of us for whom the t-shirt is just a bit of a show-off, the real reward of all that “hard work” is a book full of stamps and beer stains — my stamp book (not to brag; okay, to brag a little) has the original book filled, the first additional book almost filled, and the blank pages stamped with two new breweries not yet in the book(s).

 

Of course, there is also the new Beer City Brewsader app, and you can transfer your paper passport stamps to the app as people work toward their “Ultimate Brewsader” status. “Don’t worry, for those that love your paper passport we are still using those too! The app is an additional option,” according to supplied information.

 

For more information the Brewsader Passport (either new-school or old-school), visit experienceGR.com .

 

57 Brewpub becomes Castle Brewing (still has great outdoor music)

 

As reported here in December 2017, Greenville’s 57 Brewpub and Bistro changed ownership and now Castle Brewing Co. has launched their new “brand”. But don’t worry, its not some Medieval-themed place.

 

According Castle Brewing’s website, “About the name . . . no, our building isn’t a castle. We just wanted to pay tribute to the building that stood on the property for decades and those of us old enough to remember it.”

 

J.R.’s Roller Castle was once a roller rink but also a building that dates to the 1920s before being demolished in 2011.

 

“We’re sure we’re not the only ones who fondly reminisce about our first “hitchhike” skate at JR’s!” the website statement continues. “We know this space holds many more memories to come – we look forward to being a part of them!”

 

There is a little bit of new at Castle Brewing. They have an expanded list of beers on tap, both in-house and guest — I’m looking forward to trying their Red Castle red Irish ale (6.2 percent in case you keep track of such things). They still have their great outdoor seating and occasional music, but now boast a new and expanded beer garden.

 

Castle Brewing Co. is located at 1310 West Washington, Greenville. For more information on Castle Brewing Co., visit castlebrewingco.com .

 

Cedar Springs Brewing’s ‘Feelgood Tap’ helps local fight leukemia

 

Cedar Springs Brewing Company’s June “Feelgood Tap” is its Blood, Sweat and Tears Pale Ale, and during this month $1 from each pour goes to support Kohen Karn’s fight against leukemia.

 

“He is the child of our friends at Elk Brewing: Comstock Park and Elk Brewing: Grand Rapids, and part of the Beer City Brewers Guild family,” Cedar Springs Brewing explains in an email about the promotion.

 

Cedar Springs Brewing Company’s “Feelgood Tap” is part of a Michigan program which works with breweries to raise funds for various community causes.

 

Cedar Springs Brewing Company is located at 95 N Main, Cedar Springs. For more information visit csbrewing.com . For more information on Feelgood Tap visit feelgoodtap.org .

 

Perfect partners: GRPM’s Beer Explorers pairs beers, snacks

 

The Grand Rapids Public Museum, as part of the Museum’s Beer Explorers program, is partnering with Creston Brewery for a beer and “beer snack” tasting and discussion on Thursday, June 21. To explore “how fermentation changes flavor,” brewmaster Scott Schultz will take participants through the science of how you get those flavors, and how to pair the beer best with foods, according to supplied material.

 

A sampling of beers at the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Beer Explorers program — yes there are glasses of what you like available for purchase. (Supplied)

Creston Brewery will feature five beers in this month’s Beer Explorers, including two with unique names related to Grand Rapids history — Fox Deluxe and Quimby. The museum will also showcase historic beer artifacts for participants to see a glimpse at where these names came from, as well as see artifacts not normally on display.

 

Class begins at 6:30 p.m., and will be held on the first floor of the museum. Admission to class includes beer and snack samples, and access to the museum’s first two floors to explore. A cash bar will be available.

 

Tickets for the event are $10 for museum members and $20 for non-members. Participants must be 21 and older. GRPM is located at 272 Pearl Street, NW. For information and tickets to Beer Explorers, visit grpm.org .

 

For more information about Creston Brewery, visit crestonbrewery.com .

 

Old-time brews: New Holland Brewing plans ‘throwback beer’ releases

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New Holland Brewery will be serving up some oldies but goodies during its “throwback” beer release event June 10. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

As part of its 20th anniversary celebration, New Holland Brewing Company plans to release six throwback beers — both fan and brewer favorites from the past 20 years — during New Holland’s annual Hatter Days Street Party, Saturday, June 10, at the brewery’s Holland Pub on 8th.

 

In addition to being available at the Holland Pub — located at 66 E 8th St., in Holland  — the throwback beers will also be available June 10 in six packs at New Holland’s Grand Rapids westside’s The Knickerbocker, located at 417 Bridge St. NW.

 

“We are thrilled to include throwback beers as part of our 20th anniversary celebration,” New Holland President Brett VanderKamp said in supplied material. “We want to thank everyone who has supported us over the past two decades by bringing back some of our favorite brews. It’s a special time for us, and we’re excited to revel in the nostalgia of this milestone with the community at what will be our most dynamic Hatter Days Street Party yet.”

 

This year, New Holland Brewing will partner with Kids’ Food Basket for Hatter Days. Guests who bring items from the Kids’ Food Basket Wish List to street party will be entered to win one of many raffle prizes, including a private beer- and spirits-paired dinner for 10 persons.

 

The throwback beer lineup includes Kourage, a brown ale was originally named “Dutch Kourage” and a dark, aggressively hopped brown ale; Zoomer Wit, a summer-favorite wheat ale first brewed 1998 with orange, spices and American-grown wheat; Y2K, from 1999, a barleywine-style ale with deep mahogany hues; Green Hornet, also from 1999, an American-style golden pale ale; Jubilee, also first brewed in 1999 — “It was a very good year …” — that harmoniously blends fruit and fermentation character; and finally Blue Goat, dating from 2006, this doppelbock beer is chestnut in color with a nutty malt profile from its Munich malt.

 

In addition to the throwback brews, Holland’s Hatter Days will feature free, family-friendly event where all ages are welcome for a BBQ cookout, live music from local and national acts and all-day acts from Daredevil Circus from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Hatter Days will continue with an afterparty inside the Pub until 1 a.m.

 

The live music lineup includes The Ragbirds, Mucca Pazza, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The afterparty music will be from Rusty’s Big Ass Band & Silent Disco, with  DJ Dr. Joel between sets.

 

For more information visit newhollandbrew.com .

 

Kentwood 50: Railtown’s golden ale a natural fit for celebration

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Railtown Brewing’s Gim Lee, at the brewery’s tap room, will be serving up some spacial Kentwood 50 golden ale this year. (K.D. Norris/WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

Following the City of Kentwood’s special City Commission meeting Monday, held as the kickoff event of the year-long Kentwood 50 celebration of the city’s 50th anniversary, the reception was held at Railtown Brewing Company and the beer of choice was — naturally — a golden ale brewed with a touch of mango.

 

Two reasons for the beer being the natural choice of the celebration: a 50-year anniversary is considered a “golden” anniversary, and the brew was the pick of some staff at the city’s Park and Recreation Department, which has, shall we say, a relationship with the 2-year-old Railtown.

 

The addition of the mango flavor? Well, the parks people also liked it so that was good enough for the brewery.

 

“A lot of the Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department are actually mug clubbers here, they have a mug on the wall over there, they are just regulars,” said Gim Lee, who along with his partner Justin Buiter opened the brewery in late 2014. “They are friends and they asked if we would like to do something special (for the anniversary celebration) and we said ‘absolutely.’

 

“A group of them came, we sat down and collaborated on what they were celebrating and what kind of beer would work with that. They threw a whole bunch of different styles on the table, what they might want to try. They, as a team, actually landed on the golden ale — this is their golden 50th — and the mango being a golden fruit, that would be a perfect pairing. They wanted something unique and mango is a flavor not used too frequently.”

 

Railtown is located at 3555 68th St., in Dutton but just across the border with Kentwood. Since it opened it has grown to be a 3,500-square-foot space at the east end of the Village Mall plaza. The brewery’s tap room has 10 taps and usually 10 different brews available, and it has started to distribute kegs to other restaurants.

 

While the special Kentwood 50 brew was tapped at Monday’s invite-only opening ceremony reception, Lee said it would be available to the public — just maybe not until they brew up some more.

 

“We will have it on and off throughout the year, so people should be able to come in here and get it through the rest of the week — assuming we do not blow it out that first night,” he said. “We’ll see.”

 

If you fill the special Kentwood 50 growler at Railtown Brewing a donation will be made to the city’s Park and recreation department. (Supplied)

Also debuting on the night of the reception were growlers with a special logo, which are part of the brewery’s continuing support of the Kentwood 50 event. The brewery will be donating a portion of its growler sales as the celebration continues.

 

“We are raising some money for the parks and recreation department by doing this,” Lee said. “When you buy a growler, we will be donating a couple bucks back to parks and recreation every time you fill that growler, regardless of what beer it is. It doesn’t have to be the golden ale. This will be an on-going promotion.”

 

As far as the process of developing the new brew, Lee admitted it was pretty much like Railtown decides on any beer it brews — they like to drink it, so they know other people will like to like to drink it. Although, he said, this time they had to satisfy more tastebuds than just the staff’s.

 

“We have brewed golden ales, we have done a lot of that. That part is easy,” he said. “We took a different golden ale, we racked it off to what is called a firkin, a 10-gallon cask, it is an old-fashioned way of serving beer. In the firkin you can dose whatever you want in it, that is part of the fun of using a firkin — you can add a little fruit, extra hops, a little coffee, whatever you want. It is a really good way to experiment with different flavors. … based on that, that flavor profile, we can scale it up to a bigger scale” for brewing.

 

“The (Kentwood 50) beer has been done for quite a while, and that was intentional,” he said. “I wanted to make sure if they did not like it at all, I would have time to brew something else if I had to. Its been done for a month. They came in and tried it, and I tried it, and my brewers tried it. We all thought it was pretty nice.”

For more information on Railtown Brewing Company, call the taproom at 616-881-2364 or visit railtownbrewing.com (leads to a Facebook page).

 

Harmony Brewing’s celebration offers something for under, over age 21

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Harmony Brewing Company celebrates its fifth year of business this weekend, and, yes, there is something special on tap. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

Keep it straight: the magician is for the kids and the barleywine is for the adults — unless the adults like magic too.

 

As Grand Rapids’ Harmony Brewing Company celebrates its fifth year of business this weekend, it will offer an hour of kid-friendly family fun and then a little something special for the older crowd.

 

On Saturday, Feb. 4, Harmony will host a party and a limited edition bottle release of their annual brew, Birthday Barleywine, according to supplied material. Festivities include an hour of family fun, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. with brunch and kid-friendly magician and comedian PJ Weber in attendance.

 

The celebration will get a little more loud at night with the Vinyl Night All Stars featuring a line up of the most popular DJ’s from Harmony’s weekly event, Vinyl Thursday.

 

For those unfamiliar with Harmony’s barleywine, the brewery describes it as “a brilliantly clear ruddy copper color with a lingering lacey off-white head. Deep earthy, spicy, resiny hops are balanced with a hint of caramel maltiness in the aroma. The first sip is surprisingly light, and balanced for such a large beer. As the glass warms up, assertive hop bitterness interplays with a delicately malty body and a characteristic alcohol warmth.  The aftertaste lingers clean and bitter as the beer creates legs and lace down the sides of the glass.”

 

Seems a little like magic for me.

 

Harmony Brewing’s Eastown brewpub was opened in 2012. Harmony later opened a second location, Harmony Hall, on Grand Rapid’s West Side. (Supplied)

Harmony Brewing’s Eastown brewpub was opened by siblings Heather Van Dyke-Titus, Barry Van Dyke and Jackson Van Dyke in February 2012. Harmony later opened a second location, Harmony Hall, on Grand Rapid’s West Side.

 

“Its been an amazing five years,” Jackson Van Dyke said in supplied material. “Opening Harmony gave us the opportunity to pursue things that we’re truly passionate about: inventive, creative beer, simple but delicious food and being a part of building our community and city.

 

“Since we’ve opened Harmony has been a part of, and witnessed, Grand Rapids being recognized as Beer City USA, a national and even global beer destination,” he said.

 

For more information visit harmonybeer.com

 

Kentwood parks and rec Craft Beer 101 program starts this week

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The Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring a series of Craft Beer 101 classes starting this week. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

It is not too late to fill your Monday calendar with a little beer (education) as the Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department beings four weeks of its Craft Beer 101 adult education program Monday, Jan. 23, with a program at Jaden James Brewery.

 

The program — continuing on Monday evenings from 6-8 p.m. on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 and 13 — is for people 21-years-old and older who want to learn more about what goes into beer, how beer is made and the various kinds of beer, according to supplied information. The class will include tasting.

 

The classes are led by Ben Darcie, founder of Experience Beer WM and a beer writer, educator and self-proclaimed “beer geek extraordinaire.” The classes are for the beginner as well as the advanced home-brewer.

 

The program at Jaden James Brewery, located at 4665 Broadmoor Ave. SE, is called “Intro: Beer Ingredients and Process” The other classes, in order of date, are “Beer Tasting: Lager, Pale Ale & IPA; Hops and Brewing Them” at Schmohz, 2600 Patterson SE; “Beer Tasting: Belgian, Porter and Stout; Alternative Yeast and Recipe Design” at Railton Brewing, 3555 68the St. SE; and “Infection and Off-flavor” at Horrock’s Market at 4455 Breton SE.

 

Cost of the four-class program is $50 or $15 per class; and night-of registration is available. For more information call 616-656-5270 or visit yourkprd.org

 

Wyoming set to have a brew, or two, with TwoGuys Brewery

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Owner and brewmaster Tom Payne is in the process of renovating two buildings in the Wyoming Park area for TwoGuys Brewing (WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

After nearly 10 years of working a small business plan, and recent action by the City of Wyoming, TwoGuys Brewing has taken over an old firehouse and a rundown one-time 7-Eleven convenience store in the Wyoming Park neighborhood and — with any luck to match hard work — should be serving up craft beer for guys and gals who like microbrews in 2017.

 

Tom Payne of TwoGuys Brewery. (WKTV)

“Now its about six months of demolition and renovation, were we turn this ugly old 7-Eleven into a beautiful tap room,” Tom Payne, managing partner and brewmaster of TwoGuys Brewing, said Nov. 10 at a friends-and-neighbors open house at what will be the new brewpub. “We are hopeful for September 1” to open.

 

“This business came about about 10 years ago,” he said. “I realized I was not just another home brewer, at least I did not think so. I had entered beer in outside competition, outside of just (treating) my normal friends, and it was taken very well. I said ‘You know what? I think we’ve got something here.’ And then my wife and I, after hours and hours of talking, we said ‘This is something we are going to do.’ At that time we put together a 10-year plan, and we are at the end of that 10 years. It is time for TwoGuys Brewing to open.”

 

An old 7-Eleven story will become TwoGuys Brewery’s taproom. (WKTV)

Opening the brewery and brewpub involved the leasing of two buildings located across from each other on Porter Street SW, the old 7-Eleven at 2356 Porter Street SW and an unused fire station at 2385.

 

An old city fire station will become TwoGuys Brewery’s brew house. (WKTV)

The leasing of the fire station to Tamaz LLC (an LLC doing business as TwoGuys Brewery) by the city was part of three actions taken by the Wyoming City Council in late November. The actions included granting the business a liquor license, a waiver of city zoning code to allow for the sale of alcohol within a certain distance from a church or residential area, and the lease of the old fire station, which had been used by the city for a meter shop and a temporary laboratory but was currently vacant.

 

City support of business

 

“The City of Wyoming has been absolutely instrumental in this,” Payne said. “We approached the city three or four months ago, we completely laid out our business plan and what we wanted to bring to Wyoming Park. They put together a timeline … a ‘we need you to do this and we need you to do this’, and we have done everything the city has asked for. … They have been fantastic.”

 

Wyoming City Manager Curtis Holt made clear the reason for the city’s actions:

 

“Our region is increasingly embracing craft beer,” Holt said. “You can look around our community and see the many brewpubs that have sprung up over the last five years. We are pleased that TwoGuys Brewing has identified Wyoming as its location and feel that it will be a welcomed by the neighbors — and by Wyoming residents in general.”

 

Several of those neighbors visited the open house on Dec. 10 as well, and Payne said he expects to be an attribute to the neighborhood.

 

“The biggest reason (for placing their business in Wyoming) is that this is where we live, my wife and I,” he said. “I grew up in Wyoming Park. I graduated from Wyoming Park. I have lived, aside from my time in the Marine Corps, in this area and it has always been my home. When we decided to open up our brewery, it was going to be where we live and provide our neighbors with something they could certainly be proud of.”

 

About that name …

 

And the name of of TwoGuys? Where did it come from?

 

“10 years ago, there was me and one of my best friends, Charlie, I had gotten him started brewing,” he said. “So, long story (made short), we entered another competition and took best of show on an IPA (India Pale Ale), which at the time had no name. We brewed this beer at Founders. We brewed 10 barrels having won the best of show. … About half an hour before tapping, Founders said ‘You guys need to name this thing something.’ I told them ‘Its just the two of us, we are just two guys, so how about TwoGuys IPA?’”

 

Now, though, the name takes on another context, Payne said.

 

“Our TwoGuys, today, is, well … everybody’s two guys. You’re the other guy. My grandson is the other guy. Everybody is the other guy. I am just one guy. It is all about community, which is what brought us to Wyoming Park. … I will consider every guest that comes into these doors, starting next year, as the family, as the other guy.”

 

Plans at this point the business will focus on an array of craft-brewed beers — maybe wines, meads and sodas — as well as what the business calls a “pub-centric” menu of food. Payne’s brewer pedigree includes his having been involved with Osgood Brewing in Grandville as well as head brewer at 57 Brewpub and Bistro in Greenville.

 

“We are going to focus on traditional styles, beers that you don’t necessarily find everywhere else,” he said. “A lot of English style ales that no one brews around here …  I am not knocking any other brewery in town, there are some fantastic ones, but it is going to be all about the other guy, what they like.”

 

Tentatively, seating at the brewpub will be for about 80 with a possible outdoor patio planned. The property has about 18 parking spaces in front, with about 50 possible behind the building and another 25 or so across the street at the old firehouse.

 

Limited release brews planned for Rockford Brewing anniversary

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Get your Beer City Passport stamped and sample an Anniversary Ale, or two, at Rockford Brewing Dec. 17.

WKTV staff

 

Lovers of limited release brews — and unusual blends — will get a chance to sample some of Rockford Brewing Company’s finest as the north-end brewpub will be celebrating its fourth anniversary Saturday, Dec. 17, with special releases and themed food menu from its newly opened on-site kitchen.

 

The free party starts at 11 a.m. and runs until midnight. The brewery and pub is located at 12 East Bridge St., Rockford; downtown at the dam. And make sure to get your Beer City Passport stamped if you have not already done so.

 

“We love sharing something special with our customers who are passionate about RBC through this event,” Chris Kies, general manager, said in supplied material. The Anniversary Party always has a festive, happy atmosphere, for our customers and our staff.”

 

The brewpub will be tapping kegs of 2014 and 2015 Anniversary Ale for attendees, “as well as featuring different versions of the 2015 batch with flavor infusions to complement the Belgian style beer,” according to supplied material. The flavor-enhancing additions will be changed throughout the day, featuring ingredients such as coffee, cocoa nibs and vanilla; oak chips and ginger; dried garden peppers and blood oranges; and peppercorns and cinnamon.

 

For more information call 616-951-4677 or visit rockfordbrewing.com

 

Expanded Beer City Passport, ‘Brewsader’ program debuts

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Not only does the Beer City Passport program allow you to get great beers, you get to fly your Brewsader freak flag with a t-shirt. (Supplied)
Not only does the Beer City Passport program allow you to taste great beers, you get to fly your Brewsader freak flag with a t-shirt. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktvv.org

 

So many brews; so little time.

 

For those of you who, like me, are on a mission to fill out your Beer City Brewsader Passport book by visiting all the participating Western Michigan breweries and brew pubs, the constantly growing list of brewers is a pleasant frustration.

 

expgr-brewsader-logo-final-copyBut good news: The passport book now has an addendum adding nine additional beer stops to the original 23 locales — including Wyoming’s Kitzingen Brewery — where stamps and brews are available.

 

Experience Grand Rapids officially rolled out the second edition of the Beer City Passport last week. Among the new stops are Atwater GR, Bier Distillery, City Built Brewing, Creston Brewery, Elk Brewing’s Comstock Park location, Greyline Brewing Co., Schmohz Brewing Company, New Holland Brewing’s The Knickerbocker, and Fountain Hill Brewery at Grand Rapids Community College.

 

For those of us with a partially filled out passport already, the addendum sticks on the back of the original. But it is a little bit of a tricky maneuver, so do so before you start tasting at you next beer city stop.

The Beer City Passport, which debuted a little more than a year ago, has had more than 4,200 beer lovers get at least eight stamps and join the Brewsaders club, according to Experience GR.

 

“The Beer City Passport was a huge success in the first year,” Janet Korn, senior vice president of Experience GR, said in supplied material. “We created the second edition to add new craft beer locations and prepare for future breweries. When a new brewery opens, we will announce on our website if they are going to be a part of the Passport. If they are, visitors can go there and collect a stamp on one of the newly included blank pages.”

 

To become a Brewsader, the passport must be either take to the Welcome Center in Grand Rapids Art Museum or mailed directly to the Experience GR office. New this year, collect all 32 stamps and earn an Ultimate Brewsader wallet card which offers discounts on the Beer City merchandise at GrandRapidsStore.com and perks at local businesses.

 

According to Experience GR, Longwoods Intl. found that 1 percent of Western Michigan tourists come specifically for beer compared to the national average of about 5 percent.

 

For more information visit ExperienceGR.com/Brewsader. and join the social media conversation at #GRBrewsader.