- River Rouge- Cranberry Afternoon Dee-light Ale. I had the good fortune of talking with owner/brewer Ed Stencel when I visited here in August. I was impressed with his experience in San Diego, and found his fruit beers to be very well done. Cranberry should be an interesting addition.
- Odd Sides- Joker of Tarts. After sampling Queen of Tarts at Summer Beer Fest, I bought a couple bottles when it hit stores shortly after. We’ll see if the Queen, which is a raspberry sour and also on their list this weekend, can be outdone by Joker, which is a Blueberry Sour.
- Dark Horse- Cocoa Bourbon Nibbler Cream Stout. This brew finished first at Dark Horse’s Staff Brew-off in February and has been receiving rave reviews from many of my Untappd friends who’ve had a chance to try it at the brewpub in Marshall.
- Tapistry- Nelson’s Empire. This Imperial Pale Ale has one of my favorite hops, Nelson Sauvin combined with Michigan grown Warrior hops, which should make for an interesting combination from a brewery that knows their hoppy beers.
- Stormcloud- A Yooper and a Troll Kissing in a Tree. Hops from Empire Hops Farms, Malt from Pilot Malt House, and a yeast strain ‘indigenous’ to the Upper Peninsula in the hands of a talent brewer like Stormcloud’s Brian Confer, and this is sure to be a winner.
- Bastone- Coffee Stout. Winner of the 2014 Small Brewpub of the Year at GABF, Bastone’s Belgian inspired beers seem to slide under the radar. I inexplicably missed them at Summer Beerfest, and I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
- Batch- Sensitive Machine. Since Batch’s opening earlier this year, I find myself wandering down to Corktown more than ever. With a constant diverse list of styles on their tap list, it’s exciting to be able to try one I haven’t had from them.
- Short’s- What'cha What'cha What'cha Want. I try not to pick beers based solely on their imaginative names, but I love this one. I’m a fan of many of Short’s Pale Ales and IPAs, so I think it safe being lured into including this one because of it’s name.
- Canton Brew Works- I tried this one as a mug club member at it’s release event, and I can’t wait to drink it again. Brewer Barry Boggs keeps impressing me with his balanced beers, even in a beer where the bourbon would usually be overpowering.
- Griffin Claw- Imperial Porter. There are loads of imperial stouts out there, but imperial porters are a little harder to come by. As ‘dark beer season’ approaches in Michigan, it’s not bad to be looking for a nice roasty porter to beat the late fall blues.
- Greenbush- Galaxy Nitwit. A Galaxy hop Barleywine? I can even guess how this one is going to taste, but I’m both intrigued and excited to find out. I’m guessing it’ll be described as big & aromatic.
- Eternity- Red Currant Order 66. Imperial Red IPAs are awesome, and I can’t remember having too many beers made with currants, much less red ones. Eternity is just had their first year anniversary, and it’s been an impressive start for them.
- The Livery- Love Pump. This Russian Imperial Stout with espresso, coco nibs, vanilla, and cinnamon is served from a firkin Friday at 6pm. Wait… maybe I shouldn’t write about this one as I’m sure the line of fans of The Livery will already be long enough….
- Blackrocks- Flying Sailor. It was really hard picking just one beer from the impressive list being brought by the only UP brewery attending this festival. This Red Rye IPA seems like a pretty safe bet to satisfy.
- Grizzly Peak- October Ale. This isn’t going to be an Octoberfest beer, instead it’s described as a ‘Historical English Estate Beer’. I’m guessing there not going to be another beer quite like this one on anyone else’s lists.
- Kuhnhenn- BTBBAAIS. This acronym stands for Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrel Aged American Imperial Stout. Even as someone who usually shies away from the bourbon beers, this one sounds like a winner.
- Bitter Old Fecker- Arlen. There are many quality breweries making their MBG Beerfest debut at this festival, but it’s hard to imagine many coming in with the cult-like following that Nathan Hukill’s rustic, non-traditional brewery has. This might be one to hit early, folks. I picked the autumn rye with toasted hickory bark for this list, but I could have easily picked any of the four offerings here.
- North Center- Headless Horseman Pumpkin Pie Ale. These guys have come a long way since their opening last spring, and now they’re attending their first festival. This one’s been getting good reviews on Untapped so far, and it seems to be a little stronger than your typical pumpkin beer.
- River’s Edge- Dubbel Entendre. This beer recently won a sliver medal at the 2015 GABF in the Belgian-style Dubbel or Quadrupel category. This doesn’t surprise me as people have been telling me for months to get out to the brewpub in Milford and try this one.
- Unruly- Tropic Thunder. Big hops combined with noticeable tropical fruit notes coming through? This hophead says ‘yes please’.
Be safe, hydrate well, dress for the weather. See everyone this weekend!