OT - Michigan Winter Beer Fest

Submitted by winterblue75 on
Anyone else making their way to Grand Rapids tomorrow for the 2010 Michigan Winter Beer Fest?? Lots of great Michigan breweries and a total of 300 beers...obviously can't sample them all, damn!!
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Yinka Double Dare

February 26th, 2010 at 11:37 AM ^

I went to the summer one in Ypsi, but we never make it to the winter one because of other festivals here nearby -- we have a great cask-only beer festival in Chicago the following weekend (typically about 40 different firkins, unlimited samples, stuff from all over the country usually), and then Goose Island is doing their annual Stoutfest the weekend after that. They're sampling some of the new Bourbon County Stout variants there -- blueberry, coffee (Intelligentsia Black Cat), and the much-anticipated Rare (aged in Pappy van Winkle 23 Year barrels).

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Yinka Double Dare

February 26th, 2010 at 12:24 PM ^

The Stoutfest is at Goose Island's Clybourn pub on March 13. It's either noon-5 or 1-5 -- in the past, the noon to 1pm hour was reserved for their MBA members, but it doesn't say that on their website this year. $20 for 20 sample tickets. That goes a long way with big stouts, we had a hard time using ours a couple of years ago, that shit fills you up big time. They want you to sign up in advance if you plan on going. The cask festival, Chicago Beer Society's "Night of the Living Ales", is sold out. It's the first Saturday in March every year, with an afternoon and an evening session to choose from. Same beers available at both, they do a good job of cutting of sampling from a cask once it's half-empty in the afternoon session. Tickets usually go on sale around February 1 every year. It's really a shame they can't find a venue to resurrect the old Real Ale Festival. Last one was in 2003, and they had over 200 different cask ales there, and a multi-day festival. But no one can find a venue that is big enough, willing to let them put the casks in there several days before the event to let them settle, willing to let them use volunteer servers, allowing the room to be cellar temperature instead of normal room temperature, and other considerations without it costing too much (Chicago Beer Society is a non-profit but they don't want the fest to cost so much that people will be hesitant to go).

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FieldingBLUE

February 26th, 2010 at 11:43 AM ^

I'll be there. The local brewery here in Benton Harbor (The Livery) always organizes a bus trip up there for it. So 40 of us will be on our way. I've been to the last two and I prefer it to the Summer fest. Much more experimental from the brewers. Be sure to check out The Livery's beer. /shameless plug

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winterblue75

February 26th, 2010 at 12:02 PM ^

I'll definitely have to make my way to Chicago one year for the cask festival. Ashley's in Westland (beer bar/restaurant) is now hosting twice a year a cask festival. Last year it was in the fall with 25-30 firkins. This year they are making it in May and again in Nov. Ill be on the Corner Brewey beer, coffee, donut bus tomorrow morning on the way to GR.

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