Bringing Beer to the People™

Action Needed! Michigan Liquor Control?s Price Freeze - Bad for Business

2009-08-23T13:00:00.001-04:00

August 23rd, 2009

Friends of New Holland Brewing and Artisan Spirits,
We must bring to your attention a “ruling” that the Liquor Control has just quietly announced. They have frozen any price increases for an undetermined length of time. Their rationale (which we have heard directly from MLCC staff) is that given the current state of the economy any further increases could impact the amount of smuggling that might occur into Michigan.

New Holland discovered this ruling because we are currently in the process of registering our Dutchess Vodka, scheduled for release into state-wide distribution on October 1st. Dutchess has been registered with the state previously, but only for in-house transfers, never being assigned to the A.D.A. (Authorized Distribution Agent.) In other words, it has only been sold to consumers from our building, so its price does not cover the associated costs with selling it into the trade. Costs such as freight, inventory carrying costs, sales and marketing, reformulation, and packaging/labeling improvements all need to be accounted for. Preparing for distribution, we submitted a price revision to address this change, only to be denied, due to a previously unannounced price-freeze.

We believe their position is both flawed and short-sighted. It is unfair, bad for business and will cost the State jobs. There are a few important points we’d like to make in asking for your support on this issue.
1) State –controlled liquor distribution should not be allowed to arbitrarily freeze or fix pricing from independent producers.
2) Supplier’s pricing does not affect smuggling. The difference between the retail price-point for a given product in MI versus the same product in an outlying state is the State of Michigan’s profit margin and excise tax. If Michigan believes it needs to be more competitive versus other states, it should evaluate its markup, rather than manipulate distillers. In fact, most Michigan producers have very minimal out-state business, if any at all, so their price in Michigan would not have any impact on border markets or smuggling of lower priced goods into the state.
3) Economic troubles are not directly related to perceived higher prices. A successful product or product launch at a higher price point means higher margins for the state, and all businesses related to the sale; delivery agents and the retailers that successfully build these brands.
4) This ruling prevents the Michigan distribution launch of New Holland’s Dutchess Vodka. Without an exception to or elimination of this price freeze, New Holland cannot afford to sell their Dutchess Vodka into Michigan distribution. It was scheduled for an October release, as October-December is the strongest quarter for spirit sales, industry-wide. This ruling will limit consumer choice by keeping Dutchess and other premium products from Michigan retailers and consumers. It will remove potential profit from three-tiers of business as well as the State of Michigan. In fact, it forces us to replace those potential sales by considering distribution of Dutchess to other states where our margin is intact; contrary to the intention of limiting smuggling or supporting Michigan businesses.

The Commission has set a hearing date for Tuesday, August 25 in Lansing at 12:00pm. If you do not support arbitrary price-control on spirits, and if you support the launch of Dutchess vodka, we urge you to write the commission now and ask them to reconsider. Of course, we ask that you remain polite and professional in your request. Their contact information is: Chairwomen Nida Samona contact info: woodl@michigan.gov PH. (517) 322-1353 FAX (517) 322-5188

Thanks for your support.

New Holland Brewing Company & Artisan Spirits
www.newhollandbrew.com

Want the pdf? http://ping.fm/CoWpO

Test from ping.fm

2009-08-12T15:03:00.001-04:00

This is a test post from ping.fm

Test Post from Ping.fm

2009-08-12T01:34:00.001-04:00

This is a test post from ping.fm

Isn't the internet cool?

2009-08-04T16:53:00.001-04:00

Testing out a system that will get the blogging engine rolling again.

2009-08-04T16:49:00.001-04:00

Still webweaving with 36-2

2009-08-04T16:38:00.003-04:00

Webweaving with 36Squares.

2009-08-04T16:38:00.001-04:00

Webweaving with 36Squares.

Seasonal Beers - from December's Food for Thought

2009-01-30T17:36:00.000-05:00

Here begins a bountiful series on seasonal beers. I believe one of the most appealing aspects of our culture’s food and drink is seasonality. Our palates anticipate flavors based on the weather and harvest-ready foods. From spring’s greens, to summer’s corn and fruit, to the pumpkins, squash and pot roasts of fall and winter, our tastes change with the calendar.

Traditionally, beer flavors and styles varied by region and season due to climate and available ingredients. Crisp, clean beers that needed cold conditioning were made in winter and served in summer, the perfect time for a refreshing beer. Robust beers that fermented rapidly in warmer temperatures were made in late summer and served in fall or winter. Maibock, saison and Oktoberfest styles were born of this cycle, as were countless celebrations of local ingredients and seasonal diversity.

Craft brewers are leading a renaissance of seasonal beers. While most brewers don’t depend on the weather to determine their cellar temperature, craft brewers are inspired by the intoxicating call of flavor above all, resulting in palate-pleasing seasonal diversity.

It’s winter. Pick one word to typify the following: a crackling fire in a fireplace, a slow-cooked stew, a snowplow driver or a dog sled captain rushing cross-tundra to your rescue. The common characteristic? Heartiness. Fittingly, that’s also a characteristic worth embracing in winter beers.

Hearty Winter Beers

Winter styles typically showcase the complex, roasty flavors of malted barley. Described as “malty,” these beers showcase caramel, toffee, molasses, coffee and chocolate flavors. Other grains, such as wheat or rye, bring subtler nuance. Focused on a single note or on a poetic combination of several, these are comfort flavors that present well as the beer warms to cellar temperature. This is ideal in a season when we may not want ice-cold beer. Imagining beer in a coffee mug cupped in my gloved hands, I think of these flavors.

Brown Ale Expect rich malty tones that typically bring caramel and nuttiness forward. Medium body keeps this beer easily approachable, maybe a click past ambers.

Porter Porter brings darker flavors forward, typically a combination of subtle roastiness with hints of chocolate. Rarely aggressive, porter is a great start for learning to drink dark beer.

Oatmeal Stout Stout and porter are kissing cousins, and oatmeal stout blurs the line even more. Stout embodies the edgy, roasty character of dark malts. Adding oats lends creaminess and roundness, complementing the beer as cream does coffee.

Stout Stout may vary in intensity and style. Most craft brewers make a roasty, robust stout, slightly dry with a somewhat big character. This is a contrast to the smooth creaminess of “nitro-stout,” which is lighter and more similar to their common Irish ancestor.

Stronger Winter Styles

Some winter styles are a bit stronger than their warm-weather counterparts. Mainstream domestics hover around 4% alcohol by volume (abv) and most average craft beers are between 5 and 6 %. I’d describe beers between 7 and 12% as “strong.” Their warming character and bold flavors are well-suited to that red-faced moment just after doffing your coat, hat and scarf, but before acclimating to the comforting warmth of your local bar. These beers most often present malty flavors, since the sugar that fuels their fermentation is derived from copious amounts of barley, wheat or rye.

Barleywine and Old Ale There’s a thin line between barleywine and old ale. The reality? When you’re drinking them, you don’t care about the difference. Expect a showcase of caramel flavor. Delicious at any temperature, these brews are rich, somewhat sweet and very warming, typically over 9% abv.

Wheatwine Cousin to barleywine, wheatwine has a similar structure. Made from 50% or more wheat, it shares barleywine’s robust caramelization, but possesses a somewhat brighter body with inviting raisin/dried fruit character.

Imperial Stout: With 11% abv, Imperial Stout is “big beer,” a crazy uncle everyone loves, no matter how loud he gets. Big roast, lots of coffee and chocolate, even some balancing bitterness. Deliciously hearty, yet elegant, this is survival beer.

Quads and other Belgian styles: Belgian-influenced styles are quite popular in Beervana these days. Rich in character, these beers are usually known for their fermentation profile. Spicy or fruity, Belgians promise a lively, sometimes tart or tangy profile.

A final seasonal tradition is spiced beer. A common style for Christmas beer, its innovative variations bring new ingredients to the world of beer and go beyond Christmas. Call this the craft-brew version of the ultimate Scandinavian hybrid, Glogg.

Breweries all over West Michigan make delicious beers to fortify us through winter. Visit www.michiganbrewersguild.org, www.craftbeerlocator.com, www.beermapping.com or www.craftbeerandfood.com for resources to find your next beer. Or strike up a conversation with your local retailer and ask what’s coming in this season.

Cheers!

Back to Blogging & Michigan Beer

2008-07-30T06:02:00.001-04:00

I'll save you the long-winded, oft-heard internet anthem of explaining why I haven't posted and how much I intend to keep up my blog in the future. Instead, I'll simply start writing.

This past weekend, we enjoyed another great Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival. An embarrassment of riches, more than 50 breweries presented more than 300 different beers within 50-some different styles. More than 6,000 beer fans poured into Riverside Park to bask in the flavor provided by Michigan's crafty and creative breweries.

It's gotten to the point that this organized festival full of smiling, pretzel-clad beer drinkers looks like something that always was, a tradition that is a given like Oktoberfest. The fact is, slightly more than a decade ago, the fest didn't exist and even when it started, there simply wasn't enough breweries in the State to make it as diverse, exciting and rich with great beer as it is today.

More than a happy pat on the back of the Michigan Brewer's Guild, watching a sea of beer fans happily support a collection of independent, off the mainstream, small-batch brewers is an affirmation of my belief and confidence in quality.

As the larger brewers vandalize tradition, consolidating in ridiculous proportion, they cite cost-saving production efficiencies and can't-refuse share offers. Yesterday, a large restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy protection, pointing in this mornings headline to "Diners spending less", as if the nation is starving itself due to the economy, withering away in a Grapes of Wrath-style fast.

However, in spite of these hard economic times, we continue to feel the encouraging support of beer fans, championing the flavorful, often expensive beer-brands of the quirky craft brewers. We are not as efficient, fine-tuned, widely available or affordable as our large, market-savvy competitors. Yet somehow, our customers keep coming, growing in numbers, bringing their friends and drinking our beer. They come to our festival, our brewpubs, our taverns and they take our beer home from stores.

Apparently, everyone isn't in the dust-bowl fast that the National chain points to as their reason for financial trouble. Maybe, as people's pocket books get tighter, they don't stop eating and drinking altogether, they just value their choices more carefully. Perhaps as the dollar weakens, the decision of where to spend it gets based on quality over quantity.

I'm no economist or Wall Street analyst. I'm simply encouraged by our customer's choices. I'm part of a company, that's in a small but growing segment, craft brewing, within a very large industry. Craft brewers have a tendency to choose the decisions with the most creative benefit over the ones that may be the easiest path with the most widespread acceptance. Often, the reward is a difficult path, strewn with obstacles and criticism.

Lately, it appears our buying public has chosen to reward those decisions with support and encouragement, raising our beers up and letting us know that they do want interesting beers from remarkable breweries.

It also looks like it's a classic win-win situation. The smiling, beer-sipping customers basking in the summer sun looked genuinely happy with their choice. I have to say, their choices make a lot of us happy too, and they provide encouragement and momentum to countless brewers on the less-traveled path of craft brewing creative and diverse beers.

Cheers - we appreciate the support.

Road Brewer IPA - now on tap

2007-08-23T14:50:00.000-04:00

I posted about our friend, Teri "Pink Boots" Fahrendorf, the Road Brewer in pink boots, visiting us earlier in July. Well, we invited her to design a beer for her visit, and that she did. "Road Brewer IPA" is now on tap at our pub in Holland. She brewed it in collaboration with our pub-brewer and distiller, Ben Fris. Billed as a "West Coast IPA" (we assume it's a tribute to Michigan's West Coast), it is a dry-hopped IPA with a huge "smack you in the face, piney aroma." The bitterness is balanced by a very nice malty sweetness and the beer finishes clean with a touch of grapefruit. Clocking in at 6.3% alcohol by volume and a calculated 65 IBU's, this beer is sure to take the edge of any road trip.

Be sure to visit Teri, and keep up with her travels at Road Brewer

Teri, mashing in with the infamous blue paddle.
Be sure to ask her about her theory on mash-hoes.

In Memoriam - Steve Harrison, VP of Sierra Nevada

2007-08-23T00:11:00.000-04:00

There was some tragic news from California last week. Steve Harrison, a long-time beer industry veteran and stalwart of Sierra Nevada and craft-brewing, was first reported missing and later discovered dead. Full Story.

While I was not close with Steve, I enjoyed meeting him and learning from his contributions to a few Craft Brewer's Conferences in the past. I find myself saddened and uncomfortable with this loss to our community. First off, my condolences and wishes for strength and peace go out to his family and friends.

I feel a kinship with Steve, as I've held a similar post (VP of Sales) for two different breweries over the last 13 years or so. I hope he was aware that many in the industry looked up to his work and his company with respect and admiration. Sierra Nevada, under Steve's leadership, was an early force in the craft brewing scene. What I have always appreciated, was their patience to do it their way, at their pace, according to their ethos. There are many breweries that have grown faster than them, with flashier stories and more exciting marketing. No brewery has led such a steady, controlled, march into national distribution, while maintaining their presence in core-beer accounts with a solid flagship brand and a conservative-to-non-existent, media budget.

They've demonstrated a quiet confidence and genuine sincerity in their approach to the market. Their stability is one of the reasons people can have confidence in craft beer today. While Sierra Nevada Pale Ale may not get talked about in hushed tones any more, or revered as the most intriguing beer someones had this week; it was a pioneering beer that taught our beer-drinking public that hops are ok, and pale ales should not be feared. Since then, it has taught brewers that consistency is important, and after you teach someone that a flavor profile is enjoyable, you better be able to deliver the same profile in every bottle, no matter what size brewery you are or how fast you're growing. The consistency they deliver(ed) in beer, in message and in service is a benchmark that our industry owes a good deal of its existence to. It is also a benchmark that we should all strive to meet.

I hope Steve was aware of his impact on our proud industry. I'll remember him as a leader and offer my thanks and respect to his family, friends and colleagues.

Rest in peace.

Food Dance

2007-08-16T22:17:00.000-04:00

Food Dance Cafe, a Kalamazoo classic, is celebrating August as "Beer Month." That's all the excuse I need to give them a little plug and wax poetic about a terrific group of foodies that make eating in and around Kalamazoo a bountiful experience.

Food Dance is a restaurant that celebrates local ingredients. They can tell you about the farmer that raised your greens, poultry or beef. They've recently moved into a new space, only a few blocks from their original, but world's away in terms of space, concept and potential. Besides probably tripling their dining room space, they've elevated their bar & dinner game, something that has been blossoming nicely from their early roots of breakfast and lunch in the Haymarket building.

On top of all that, they've added a market! Now you can take Food Dance home with you. Imagine having the same expertise that runs a leading fine-dining restaurant contributing to the food in your fridge. I don't have to imagine it, I have experienced it. Gourmet olive oils, delicious cheeses, Michigan wine, Michigan BEER, it's all there in a quaint, efficient space.

I was finishing up hanging our art-show tonight (Art in Fermented Form) before tomorrow nights beer & cheese tasting. I didn't feel like cooking anything complicated, and didn't feel like carryout ~ the solution? Nieman's Ranch pulled pork, expertly slow cooked in Short's Pilsner, sold cold. Fresh asian slaw, Zingerman's onion rolls and an intriguing jar of bbq sauce from Benton Harbor, MI. (I'll be back with the name later). We also got a loaf of Journeyman Seedy-salt bread, but that was for our loaf a week-habit, not tonight's dinner.

Ok, I get home, drop the pork in a large skillet, pour a little New Holland Lucid in for flavorful steam and to keep it moist, and cover it. After it warmed up, I put just a little sauce in to mix it up. Next up, ~Bun, meet pork...topped with more sauce, covered with slaw...then the bun crown. That next to salad of mixed greens and fresh corn. Get down! That was a REALLY good pork sandwich in about 15 minutes.

I could go on about their dining room menu, beer list, wine list, service, management and local contributions, but tonight I was moved by what a nice meal was made on an impulse buy on the way out of their market.

Tomorrow, I'll be there hosting a guided beer and cheese tasting and our framed label-art will be hanging for a month. Do yourself a favor and check out their new place, you deserve it.

I'll be back sometime to share my recipe for grilled halloumi cheese from their cheese-case. Another awesome treat.

Cheers,

Fred

GREAT TASTE OF THE MIDWEST - BEER LIST

2007-08-08T09:55:00.000-04:00

You know I'm not going to divulge our booth-theme, but we'll definitely do our best to defend our two-year crown of "Best Booth Champion."

What I WILL divulge, is the beer we're bringing. We’re excited to bring you a diverse collection of beer to the Great Taste, including some very special vintage beer. Not all beers will be on tap at once, so please drop by, check out our rotation schedule and come back often.

2007 Beers at the Great Taste will include:

Mad Hatter IPA, Hatterized Hatter, Barrel-aged Hatter, Lucid Kolsch, The Poet Oatmeal Stout, Sundog Amber, Zoomer Wheat Ale, Red Tulip, 2006 & 2007 Dragon’s Milk, 2005 Black Tulip, 2003, 2004, 2005 Pilgrims Dole Wheatwine, Blue Goat Dopplebock, Existential Ale, and 2005 PHI.

Cheers -

Dinner of Beer Fest Eve @ CocoLiquot in Madison Aug. 10th

2007-08-08T09:48:00.000-04:00

If you haven't already, it's time for you to discover the beauty of pairing beer and food together. There are a few ways to enjoy this combination. One way is a simple pairing like beer and cheese, or just selecting a well-suited beer for your dinner. Another way entirely is to have a team of experts select several beers and pair them with specially thought out and delicately prepared courses, culminating in a taste explosion of house-made chocolats with a flight of intriguing beers.

Every once in a while you should enjoy the luxury of the latter option.

This Friday is your chance. You're already in town for the Great Taste of the Midwest. Splurge, explore yourself, discover.

The Dinner of Beer Fest Eve
CocoLiquot - 225 King St. Madison WI
7 pm - 10 pm

Preview MENU:

At the bar from 7 - 8 pm
Pork Rillettes and Marinated Shrimp stuffed leeks
Cherry tomatoes with olive puree ~

~Tulip-Julep Cocktail made with New Holland Duchess Lemon Brandy, fresh raspberries and mint
~Cajun Martini with New Holland Duchess Pepper Brandy and Lillet

First Course
Scallop Tartare with Lucid Kolsch

Second Course
Rabbit Terrine with Zoomer Wheat Ale

Third Course
Duck Roulade and Chantarelle Mushroom Ragout
Moxie Sour Ale (10th Anniversary Limited Edition)

Fourth Course
Roast Leg of Lamb
2001 Vintage Black Tulip Trippell

Dessert
Flight of house-made DB Chocolats with Poet Oatmeal Stout, Existential Ale and 2002 Vintage Dragon's Milk Barrel-aged Ale.

$55 per head, call 608-255-coco or email cocoliquot@gmail.com for reservations.

Limited seating = reserve NOW.

Where does the Summer Go?

2007-08-08T09:40:00.000-04:00

It seems only yesterday, I was an active blogger. Now, I have to withstand the semi-regular shame and guilt of uncovering my neglected bastion here in cyber-land. We've been BUSY as ever this year. We've celebrated 10 years of brewing with our Mad Hatter Day's celebration, celebrated 10 years of Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festivals, and have survived the first half of a hellishly busy 2007.

While the blog has been a little quiet, I've actually worked on keeping our crowd in the loop with our newsletter. If you'd like to catch up on spring events like our Zoomer/Lucid release at Sheffields, Beer and Cheese Pairings, or the fight to repeal Sunday prohibition in Holland, check out our Spring newsletter. We should have another one out by Autumnfest.

I'll catch you up on a couple of upcoming events real quick and promise to be back soon.

Cheers,

Fred

Lucid Kolsch - Set to release April 2, 2007

2007-02-28T15:28:00.000-05:00

Lucid, a kolsch ale, is New Hollands latest brand launch. It is a beer that takes its spot in the year-round line up in place of recently retired brands, Paleooza and Full Circle. Lucid's refreshing quality is sure to make it a favorite session beer for many different beer drinkers. It has a soft and balanced malt character with a light hop profile and a crisp finish. We recommend it with salads, fish, grilled vegetables, and just about anything served on a patio.

Lucid symbolizes our belief that the artistic balance of our ingredients and our craft actively engages us in our imagined landscape. In celebration of that balance, New Holland created a yin-yang image built from beer's ingredients. It's striking image is part of the brewery's recent packaging makeover that includes label, six-pack, case and tap artwork.

Lucid is available beginning April 2, 2007. The beer will be launched throughout the brewery's nine-state trade area. In Grand Rapids, the brewery is hosting a release party on April 2nd at Billy's, in the heart of Eastown, featuring Lucid and their summer beer, Zoomer. It will also feature appearances from the "New Holland All-stars" within Billy's infamous Monday Open-mic. Beer specials, giveaways and a genuine good time will be in abundance.

Stan the Beer Man

2007-01-18T13:16:00.000-05:00

A friend and writer, Stan Heironymous is a frequent and ardent supporter of beer. A while back, I received some good-natured ribbing via email about my negligence in keeping up with my blog. I took it in stride, but have thought about it several times during this last neglectful period.

Last week at Michigan Brewers Guild conference, which I am one of the organizers, we hosted many great speakers, one of which is Stephen Beaumont. We were listening to a presentation with Lucy Saunders and Stephen, when they talked about beer writers, beer media and blogging. I felt so advanced, because, you know ...I actually have a blog!

Oh, the taste of humility. I've recently visited two of Stephens' blogs with brief previews of his Michigan forray, and Stan's Beer-blog nirvanna, Appelation beer. What a resource!!

At times, I fancy myself an aspiring writer, but I'm reminded by these two what the work of "great writers" looks like. I applaud these two gentlemen on their efforts and support.

Stan - I will blog more, I will blog better. Thank you for leading by example.

If you want to keep up with the world of beer, subscribe to these two writers and check in on them frequently. They are not only professionals, they are passionate beer fans and terrific writers.

Thanks guys - keep up the good work.

Mad Hatter Makes ESPN

2006-10-25T13:55:00.000-04:00

Looks like we need to go high-five the Cottage Inn Pizza in Ann Arbor. Senior ESPN writer Pat Forde paid a visit and included both of us in his "Point After" in the Forde Yard Dash. Read to the bottom and look for points 39 & 40.

Thanks Pat - glad you dug the beer!

Point After
When hungry in the charmingly collegiate Ann Arbor, The Dash recommends the square pizza at Cottage Inn Pizza (39), which is something of a Michigan tradition. As always, The Dash is big on local beer, so try the Mad Hatter India Pale Ale (40), made by the New Holland Brewery in Holland, Mich. Approximately 4 million hops in every pint glass.
Pat Forde - Senior Writer - ESPN.com

Our new brewery is open!

2006-10-25T13:50:00.000-04:00

We've been hard at it, but our new brewery is in the final stages of being up and running. It's been exciting and terrifying at the same time, but just as we're running out of our reserves, the new line is up and capable of cranking out more beer.

Feels good to be geared up and ready to go.

Press Release

Fact Sheet

Michigan Breweries in print!

2006-10-11T17:24:00.000-04:00

Our friends Paul Ruschmann & Maryanne Nasiatka have published their book, Michigan Breweries. I just received my copy and have begun to read through it. I encourage anyone interested in beer, especially if you're in the Midwest to give it a try. It's available at our brewery, Amazon.com amongst other places. It's a solid guide-book with stories, descriptions and highlights from breweries across our Great Beer State.

I was honored to be invited to write the foreword for it and am very excited to see it on the shelves. Check it out and be sure to drop Paul and Maryane a note of thanks for helping the cause of celebrating the breweries of Michigan.

Cheers!

Milestones from the GABF

2006-09-30T14:20:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Denver. I'm capitilizing on a few spare moments in Denver, catching up on emails and of course, the ever-important blog. I was reminded of last years posts, just following the GABF and found it remarkable to read. This time last year, we looked at a bottling line on the way home from the GABF and were looking for a building for our new production facility.

This year, our first brew at the new plant on Commerce St should be in process as I type this. We are a short couple weeks away from the first packaging run on our new line, and we've managed a pretty full-sized packaging makeover in time for the new digs. They say nothing happens fast in the beer business, but I gotta tell you this last year has felt pretty fast. Interesting to realize the milestones in relation to our crazy event schedules.

Anyways, we're all pretty excited, and although it's been an intense period for us, it's been a good one. Feeling the momentum of a rabid Ichabod season followed by all of the positive feedback out here at Denver is all pretty gratifying.

For any of you in Denver, make sure to get over and try this year's Pilgim's Dole which was barrel-aged in Dragon's Milk barrels and Existential, our "Hopwine" straight out of the R&D lab.

That's it for now, time to head back in for the Saturday session -

Cheers!

Beer Grown Up. What a crock.

2006-09-07T13:20:00.000-04:00

I haven't looked hard enough to find a transcript, but while listening to sports-radio yesterday, it is football season after all, I heard an interesting beer commercial.

It started by mocking the kitschy side of beer advertising. "Good bye talking beer opener, inflated chair and blinking buttons." It continued speaking of growing up, and how sometimes you need a beer made with quality ingredients, with full flavor, yet still smooth.

You know, Miller Genuine Draft - Beer. Grown up.

What a load of crap.

Besides the obvious beer comparisons, this is so disingenuous, it ought to infuriate the entire listening public. Do they really believe that MGD is that different from Miller Lite or any of the other major-domestic, watered down pilsners? Do they really believe that as a brewer they can create a Miller Lite ad with one hand, and persuade anyone that is more mature than that to come on over to the adult-swim that MGD is having with the other?

It's ludicrous that a company can create ads with chicks wrestling and then try and push their tired, cold-filtered, mumbo jumbo as a mature-person's upgrade. I'm not opposed to silly commercials, in fact I'm not even opposed to watered-down beers made by soulless international giants. I am however, opposed to people speaking as if the customer isn't listening and acting as if we're all mindless idiots that don't remember what they said yesterday.

Be who you are. And don't try and out-craft craft.

Morons.

New Holland Goes Myspace

2006-09-05T17:53:00.000-04:00

Our beer Ambassador, Isaac Hartman has done a great job getting a New Holland Myspace account up and running. It has inspired me to get a little myspace-mojo going myself, contributing to the NHB page as well as getting my own profile up and running.

Check it out at www.myspace.com/newhollandbrew

At first, my plan was to dismantle my somewhat-abandoned blog and move it over to myspace. On second thought, I've decided to keep this place running and made another solemn oath to contribute more often. I will have a slightly different bent to the postings here, than I might at the more conversational myspace arena, but I will keep them both. Ironic, or maybe not, that my solution to a page I have trouble keeping up with is to create another one and keep them both.

On the subject of the internet & computers...

It is awe-inspiring how fast we share information these days. I'm constantly amazed at how our expectations have collectively shifted. Whether you're a manufacturer, vendor, customer or student, there is an expectation that information can and should be delivered NOW. The reality of our lightening fast communication serves as an incredible resource, and an extremely productive feature of modern-day business, but it can also create some unrealistic expectations that can be very difficult to fullfill and perhaps not as relaxing of a pace as we once had.

I am a fan of the new-age, but as you've heard me rant about before, it needs balance. Whether sending artwork back and forth for approval and subsequent printing, or managing email lists, we are capable of a broader reach from a smaller base than ever before. It is a rally cry for small business and allowed for a market with real 24/7/365 possibility.

Irony abounds, as I write about balance and how demanding our new-world can be, I was distracted somehow, and ended up returning 4 emails, reviewing a quote and proofing a letter before I realized that I still had this post open. Perhaps focus is a better target in this instance instead of balance!

Anyway, I am and we are committed to the technology and sensibility of the internet. I love how conversational myspace can be, and how functional an online-project manager can be. We'll continue to find ways to innovate and share information, but we'll work to be equally committed to hitting the off button and heading out for a beer.

Cheers,

Fred

Brew Years Eve II

2006-04-08T10:07:00.000-04:00

Brew Year’s Eve marks the anniversary of the repeal of prohibition, and more specifically the day it all started with the legalization of beer, April 7, 1933. I believe it is absolutely essential that we stand up and celebrate our industry’s right to not only exist, but to strive for greatness. Some of you may assume that as a part of a local microbrewery, it’s a standard case of self-preservation, but it is much more than that. I argue that our country, our state and our local communities are more vibrant, interesting and considerably less divided as a result of embracing the relationship with quality food and drink and those who provide it.

Food and drink are two tenets of the good life. Drink, however, has had to fight its way back into our culture from some very dire times. Prohibition did little to dry up our country, as its advocates had hoped would happen. Instead, it dried up historic breweries, distilleries and vineyards, and sent the production of alcohol to the hills, or across borders. It pushed the sale of alcohol into back alleys and speakeasies while money and control went into the hands of criminals. This move decreased quality and safety while criminalizing many otherwise law-abiding citizens.

Our highly-regulated industry shows its history every day. In order to wrestle order from the predictable period of chaos and lawlessness, very strict and detailed rules were enacted. Brewers are licensed and governed by state and federal laws with details, some left from the days of repeal, that would astound professionals in most other industries. To this day, brewers, distributors and retailers face extreme opposition that fills their path to market with many obstacles. Additional excise taxes, restrictions as to how we advertise and to whom we sell, as well as limitations on even where and what days our products can be sold are facts of life to which our industry has had to adapt at great cost.

Nonetheless, today is not the day to discuss the ins and outs of regulation. It is not the day to debate the opponents of our trade who demonize our craft. It is a day to celebrate. We celebrate that the art of brewing is alive and well, and that it enhances our quality of life. We celebrate that craft brewing has culturally revitalized our country which now boasts nearly 1,400 breweries that employ more than 33,000 Americans. We raise our glass to the right to raise our glass – and hope you will too. I hope you savor your next beer as I will, and appreciate that by and large, prohibition is only a part of history.

Brew Year's Eve

2006-04-01T08:28:00.000-05:00

We're celebrating Brew Year's Eve at the pub next Friday. Started by the Brewers Association, Brew Year's Eve is a celebration of the repeal of prohibition. I am personally excited about this because I believe many people overlook some of the struggles our industry, craftsmen face. Perhaps more importantly, people overlook the possibility of losing a right or privilege when an opposing social-political group gets the momentum and power.

Our celebration is a positive one. Rather than lament about how awful of an idea prohibition was, or how scary it is, we're going to celebrate all that beer and brewing brings to communities, local, state and national.

We've got some great speakers lined up. Holland Mayor Al McGeehan, Commissioner Jim Storey from Michigan Liquor Control Commission, Ann Query, Chamber of Zeeland, Mike Lashbrook of Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers and myself will all speak to the subject before handing the mallet to Mayor McGeehan who will tap a cask of Blue Goat Dopplebock and raise a toast. Fitting tribute, as Blue Goat is brewed in honor of the grit and determination required to survive in craft-brewing.

The event is 4 -6 PM at our pub, 66 E. 8th St. Please come and celebrate with us!

Where does the time go?

2006-04-01T08:08:00.000-05:00

I have to admit to being a bit embarrased right now. I talk about how worthwhile blogs are, only to check my own and see that two months have passed. Frightening. I solemnly swear,.....

One of the reasons,...well, I suppose it's an excuse for my absence, is that we've been BUSY. Many of these projects we've been knee-deep in deserve posts of their own, but I'll try to catch you up first.

We released Black Tulip Trippel in 22 ounce bottles as a continued part of transitioning the High Gravity Series into the screen-printed 22 ounce bottle. More important than how it looks, it tastes fantastic. Kudos to John Haggerty and crew for their fine craftsmanship.

We've also worked hard on creating a new brand in the High Gravity Series, Blue Goat Dopplebock. Brewing it, naming it and getting a 22 oz. designed kept all of us plenty busy. It will be packaged and released in mid-April, so get ready! John has done some cool stuff with it, including an exceptionally long boil - that brings out very interesting tones in the malt; so we're all looking forward to it!

Besides all that, Isaac and I have been on the trade-show circuit, helping our wholesalers present our beers to as many retailers as will try it. It's always fun to feel the beer-selling season get rolling, but it can be a bit exhausting.

April has more in store as we host Brew Years Eve get ready for Tulip Time, Zoomer release and another batch of festivals & tradeshows.

No rest for the wicked, tonight we'll be at Roller Derby, which we proudly sponsor, before a fun night playing with Keith Scott at one of our favorite Saugatuck watering holes, The Boathouse.

Michigan Talk Radio

2006-04-01T08:03:00.000-05:00

Just got off the air with Ron Pritchard of Michigan Weekend on Michigan Talk Radio. Ron was a generous host and we talked about Michigan beer for a good 10 or 15 minutes. It should be airing all weekend at mlive or on their local affiliates.

I enjoyed it, it was a fun opportunity to talk about what we do and why we do it. A bit early on a Saturday for a beer-guy like myself, but I managed. Check it out if you get a chance.

Sunday

2006-02-05T16:42:00.000-05:00

It's Superbowl Sunday today. While I'm less planned today than I would've been if my beloved Bears had lasted two more games, I still intend to take in the game. I realized this afternoon that the subject of the Superbowl might help me frame a discussion that I've been meaning to post about for some time.

Today, and every Sunday, our pub in Holland is closed. Today and every Sunday, stores, restaurants and taverns in Holland are either closed or prohibited from selling alcohol. In the township, they can sell spirits, but not wine or beer. In nearby Zeeland, there are no party stores or pubs to close, as they are prohibited from existing.

Today, I'm not going to write a long diatribe about what exactly has happened or how we need to change it. I won't promise that it isn't coming, but it's not today's rant. Today, I want to talk about the "whys."

Beer ads will flood Superbowl XL which even has a major beer sponsor. The game will be the talk of the office water cooler, the feature of many "pools" and I imagine it might even make it into a sermon or two. However, if you're in Holland, unless you bought your beer on Saturday, you will not be allowed to watch the game with the luxury of a cold beer. For countless communities throughout the world, it will mean big business for sportsbars, party stores and taverns. All of this commerce notwithstanding, my argument against Sunday prohibition is not missed opportunity or sales dollars.

My main argument against prohibition is about judgment and contradiction. I struggle to find the rationale in prohibiting a product from sale that is deemed acceptable the other six days of the week. The thing about witnessing this prohibition that worries me the most is the judgment. Is our community telling us and others that the fruit of our labor is a bad thing? Has our community stamped the life-blood of our company as a sin?

I believe that food and drink are two tenants of living the good life. I believe in striving for quality experiences in both. I also believe in defending them against unfair judgment, so I have to ask, why is it that an otherwise legal consumer good is regulated with such arbitrary guidelines? Not arbitrary, you say? Well, than what is it? If it's religious, I'm confused; because I didn't think that was supposed to be part of our legislative process.

At New Holland we believe in contributing to our community, whether it's the brewing community, or our local community. We work towards opening our pub up to be a meeting place for people to enjoy each others company, discuss the issues of the day, and have a good laugh along the way. We believe we're a good corporate and social citizen, and we strive to be even better as we grow. Good citizen or not, the laws of the land have expressed a specific and binding prejudice against our product.

There is another contradiction besides the fact that we're only considered unacceptable one day a week. The second contradiction is what Superbowl Sunday brought to me. I may be presumptuous, but I believe many people have accepted the cultural shift in what is acceptable on Sunday. Many different types of companies, local and otherwise are open for business. Our community has adapted to changing times, however it remains ironic and contradictory that many of these changes have been accepted and are now considered normal, while purchasing a beer in Holland, MI on any given Sunday is illegal. Besides our shift to a more secular government, there just doesn't seem to be the outcry against other types of business, so I have to ask; why us?

Don't think it's odd yet? I've yet to prove this theory, but I'm pretty sure I can go to a gas station in Holland and buy a lottery ticket 7 days of the week. Gambling, one of the few industries more heavily regulated than alcohol, is legal. Granted, it's the State lottery (another contradiction best left for some other discussion), but it is gambling. I'm not against it either, but it brings attention to how arbitrary and prejudiced the prohibition of alcohol really is. Not only is gambling allowed, but nobody's up in arms about it.

I believe that a high majority of the people I've met through or in the brewery would agree that the prohibition of alcohol on Sundays seems like an odd historical anecdote from days of a bygone era. I doubt however, that many of them expect it to change. My question is why?

If, as I said, I'm not worried about the lost-business on Sunday, another question is why do anything about it? My answer is back to judgment. I don't feel it is right to let antiquated laws and regulations speak to the relevance of our company's lifeblood. I don't feel that a minority community voice should be able to label our work as bad, irrelevant or for that matter, illegal.

If our community really thinks that we should not be allowed to be sold throughout the week like so many other products and services, than I think we need to ask why and work towards a solution. If our community does not feel that way, yet our regulations and prohibitions reflect otherwise, than we simply need to adapt the ordinances to reflect today's community.

I'll leave the whats, hows and wherefores to another discussion. I'm going to go get a seat for the game and drink a beer.

Happy Superbowl,

Fred

A Brewers Holiday

2006-01-02T18:55:00.000-05:00

Our official employee holiday party isn't until January 15th, but the residents of 205 Fairbanks, (our production facility) decided to get a jump on things. I deep-fried a turkey for the crew on Friday, and Isaac brought the Mashed potatoes. We had a good afternoon with food and drink.

While showing off my fancy beer-injection method, I did manage to spray myself
in the face and eyes. Undeterred, the rest of the process was mostly incident-free. We enjoyed a delicious, herb-rubbed, beer-injected and deep-fried bird.

Happy New Year!

2006-01-02T18:42:00.000-05:00

Well, the holidays have kept me a little more blog-free than I care to admit, but I'm back! I enjoyed some time away with my family and friends in the Chicagoland area over Christmas and now we're back to work, digging into 2006. It's frightening when its the second day of the year and you already feel a month behind. We've got so many fresh ideas and plans for the coming months it can feel a little dizzying.

While January is a quiet month for sales it's very busy for planning. This week does not feel quiet however.

A number of us from the brewery are headed to Grand Rapids for the Michigan Brewers Guild and Master Brewers Joint Conference. Brett and I currently serve on the board, so we're relatively busy in preparation for it. Wednesday, we'll have the 1st Michigan Brewers Poker Tournament in GP Sports of the Amway Grand, followed by a pub crawl throughout downtown GR. You're welcome to join in, buttons that get you on the shuttle between pubs are only $2. I hope I have two bucks left after poker.

Thursday is a day full of presentations, our annual meeting and then a Gala Dinner featuring Charlie Papazian. It'll be good to see everyone and get 2006 started with a sizeable dose of camaraderie and shop-talk.

Tonight, however, Brett and I head to Chicago for a too-quick trip dealing with less pleasant legal wranglings.

The Deuce

2005-12-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems I've been focusing a lot on big beers. The trend continues in more ways than one, as we release Dragon's Milk in 22 oz bottles, a.k.a, The Deuce. It's a big move for us and for the brand. The screen printed bottle stands out distinctively and makes for an easier single-purchase. It also eases some production issues, elminating the need for label production and the semi-prohibitive aspect of printing a small-run four-pack.

This first project has been quite an ordeal, but as the pictures demonstrate, the beer is actually in the bottle! We'll be moving the entire high-gravity series into this package over the next few months.

Besides the efforts of changing packages, I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the beer. Dragon's Milk is special and intriguing. Mysterious malt tones dancing in an oak bath. Vanilla and bourbon flavors blend wonderfully. It is one of the most interesting and certainly most difficult beers we make. We hope you appreciate the effort.

While it may seem like a big bottle of beer to buy at 9 % a.b.v., think of it like a nice bottle to share. For around seven bucks retail, you can serve up a couple,three glasses of gorgeous beer and impress your friends and family. I recommend a snifter, and serving it cool, not cold.

Begins shipping everywhere, today.

Fashion Trend Alert - White painter's pants are out - big beers are IN!

2005-11-11T03:09:00.000-05:00

Typically, a beer is considered “big”when it is over 8 or 9 % in alcohol. Historically, this was left to a couple of specific styles. Imperial stouts, barleywine and even malt liquor were terms and style categories that were expected to be stronger and bigger in flavor. Flavor and strength in fact, are not mutually exclusive in big beers. Remember that alcohol is created when yeast ferments wort by consuming sugar. The more sugar, the more alcohol is produced. The sugar comes from grain, which is packed with malty flavor. So, if you want a really big, flavorful beer, you might find it a bit stronger in alcohol. If you want a strong, higher alcohol beer, you’ll find big malt flavors are part of the equation. It’s a classic chicken and the egg riddle with benefits.

Today, breweries are frequently venturing into new styles, or adapting traditional ones. You’ll find the words Imperial and Double attached to more styles than ever before. They’re connotations of both strength and flavor expectations. You may have even heard that there is an “Extreme Beer” movement underfoot, gaining many breweries notoriety for their robust creations.

One nice thing about trends is that once in a while, they come around and shed a little light on something you’re already doing. Rather than chasing the trend, New Holland has been making big beers for quite some time. In fact, we’ve even branded the category under our High Gravity Series that you may be familiar with. High Gravity is somewhat of a technical term from the brewhouse that basically means – “big beer.”

I think it’s important to talk about why. Why do we make these beers, and how do they fit into our lineup? Why do people look for these beers, and what are they looking for?

I think it all boils down to balance. We expect every beer we make to be well balanced. While an IPA like Mad Hatter is a beer and a style that definitely showcases the hop, we don’t believe it has to shout, or beat us over the head with them. We look at our portfolio of beers and expect the same balance. We want to have a stable of beers that includes good every-day drinkin’ beers and beers that fit a special occasion. We want beers that are simple and refreshing, warm and comforting as well as creative beers that challenge us as brewers, artisans and connoisseurs. But, what’s important is that we don’t want one without the other. We want balance.

The High Gravity Series gives us that balance. It’s the collection of beers that we feel lets the brewery stretch its legs and push some boundaries. It’s also an opportunity to enjoy big, warm, pleasing beers that we might not want every day. On top of that, it is an area where our obligation to consistency is slightly different. In order to welcome new ideas, the lineup, the beer, or even the package may change more frequently than in our Mainstay and Seasonal offerings. If you're a connoisseur, (read: beer geek) or someone that has a driving curiosity for “what’s new and different” take a look at our High Gravity Beers both in bottle or on tap see what you think! Big Beers are in. What else is new?

What I dream of is an art of balance.
Henri Matisse

Put your money where your mouth is, Jack

2005-11-11T02:39:00.000-05:00

I'm stepping up and putting on my own Beer and Food presentation next week at our pub. I'm going to pair beers with some foods, prepare some food with beer and talk about how you can do it too. Details are here. Come see if its all talk...

The fall air has me thinking comfort food, so this weekend I made one of last year's creations, Sundog Stew. I didn't have every ingredient in the house, but of course, improvisation is the beauty of stew. Anyway it was warming and comforting, every day we ate it! Below is the original recipe - I type 'em to fit on notecards.

SUNDOG STEW
Beef stew meat, 2 parsnips, 2 turnips,1 medium sized yellow onion, 15+ peal onions, 1 – 2 cups chopped carrots, 1 – 2 cups shitake/portabello mushrooms, 6 cups beef broth, fresh rosemary, thyme, herbs de provence, 2-4 Sundog beers, 1-2 cups chopped figs. 1 Tbsp brown sugar. 4 bosc pears- as crisp as possible, peeled and sliced into chunks.

Toss beef in flour. In stew pot, saute yellow onions and mushrooms (season). In pan, brown beef at high heat. Add browned beef to onions. Add pearl onions in with beef to brown a little. Add broth to pot to cover as you go. Deglaze beef pan with beer and add to pot. Add carrots, turnips, parsnips and figs to pot. Season stew with rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and herbes de provence. Bring close to boil, then cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours total. Dust peeled pears in brown sugar and sautee at high heat to brown. Set aside and add to stew ½ hour before serving.

Festival of Barrel Aged Beer

2005-11-11T02:30:00.000-05:00

This weekend it's off to the Festival of Barrel Aged Beer in Chicago. Should prove to be interesting, both John Haggerty, our brewmaster and I have been included as judges. This of course, will be more challenging than it sounds. It gets late out in Chicago without working real hard, and barrel-aged beer, especially bourbon-barrel aged beer will be quite the wake-up call.

We're entering 4 beers, Dragon's Milk, Barrel-aged Hatter, Barrel-aged Ichabod and Barrel-aged Dole. We've had fun experimenting with the process and this years Dragon's Milk should be out of this world.

If this interests you, get your butt over to Goose Island Wrigleyville Saturday at 1 pm. Details at Illinois Beer

If you can't make it - Dragon's Milk should be out around the first week of December, with some sneak peaks at the pub.

Bodacious BBQ and Voluptuous Stout

2005-10-24T16:07:00.000-04:00

Isaac and I are back from a quick and dirty sales-trip to the State of Indiana. We were due at the Big Red Beer Fest in Bloomington on Thursday. Wednesday, we stopped in Carmel, a suburb of Indianapolis and were guests of honor at a beer tasting set up by Hamilton Beverage of Carmel, IN at Dick's Bodacious BBQ . While we had room for more, an attentive and vocal crowd enjoyed the tasting. Marc from Indianabeer.com was in attendance, and indicated he'd be writing a piece on it which always helps spread the word.

After discussing the gameplan with Brian, the proprietor of Dick's BBQ, I paired the beers, and got things set up. We enjoyed an excellent tasting.

We started drinking Sundog as I explained a bit about our brewery and beer in general. When the food arrived, we dug deeper into the portfolio. Stuffed, smoked salmon was subtle and delicate and it tasted great with Full Circle. The pepper-jerk pork tenderloin was awesome. It was moist, tender and had a nice peppery finish that played nice with both Mad Hatter and Paleooza. The hoppy beers kept the dance lively between the food and beer.

We tasted Ichabod and Pilgrims Dole ala carte before finishing with Poet and chocolate brownies. So simple, yet so delicious.

Poet isn't out for another two weeks, but we enjoyed the sneak preview. If you haven't had it next to some chocolate yet, TRY IT. It doesn't have to be complicated - just a favorite chocolate dessert. Cookies, brownies, or even just a good quality chocolate bar will suffice. If you've got fancy desserts, they're great too.

Stouts are the chameleons of beer styles. There are flavors hanging out in their body that you have yet to notice. Chocolate is one of the foods that will bring out some of their secrets. Poet has nice roast flavors as well as some soft, chocolate sweetness lurking underneath. The chocolate will play nice with both of these making each sip a slightly different experience.

Make fun of me later, but you should try this while drinking stout, preferrably The Poet, and eating chocolate. As you alternate between the two, close your eyes and focus on the flavor you're looking for. Is it chocolate? roast? coffee? The more you look for it, the more it will appear. The beer will pull flavors from the chocolate and vice versa.

The other way to play that is to close your eyes and try and clear out your preconceived expectations and just interpret which flavors you notice. Chocolate and stout will make this an interesting challenge as you may find new ones everytime.

There's no right or wrong with this type of tasting, it just shows the breadth of that style. I find it also shows how versatile, light and soft stout can taste.

Back to the tasting - thanks to Rod at Hamilton Beverage and Brian at Dick's BBQ for putting it on. We're looking at making this a tradition so we'll do it bigger and better next year on the way to Big Red!

GR from Denver via the Twin Cities

2005-10-05T17:29:00.000-04:00

Ok, we made it back from Denver. It's not as easy as it sounds. We had a great time, and enjoyed a very nice response to all of our beers. We did not, however, take home any hardware. So it goes. Beer competitions are a funny thing; while you love getting medals and they're wonderful recognition, you have to be o.k. not getting them. It sounds like a huge "We're all winners" rationalization, but it's the way it is. They can mean a lot if you win 'em, but they shouldn't mean anything if you don't. The actual tasting notes can be very helpful though, so we'll look forward to those.

We had a chance to stop in the Twin Cities on the way home and limp through some interesting places. We looked at some equipment in the morning, before getting into the defunct Minnesota Brewing Company, formerly Heilleman, formerly Schmidt. A huge pre-prohibition brewery that still had kettles and fermenters in place. An 8-story sprawling campus, mostly shuttered, cob-webbed and in need of a buyer. At its peak in the Heileman days, the plant put out over 2 million barrels. I was stunned by the idea. At one point, Brett said out loud what I had been thinking, "There are lessons here."

What those lessons are can be tough to narrow down, but I was amazed that you could be putting out 2 million barrels and then be gone. It's the old addage, "Everyone is replaceable." You never want to believe it, but all that capacity is being made somewhere else as something else; time has marched on. I take it as a challenge to be remarkable, and a challenge to look forward with an eye for continuity and perseverance. It's somewhat sad to take a tour of a defunct brewery with its former assistant brewmaster. There are lessons there.

I intend to find some good books about that era; the decline of the middle-tier brands and breweries to learn more.

The flip side was the impressiveness of it all. It had to be glorious in it's day.

Later we toured the Rahr Malting plant courtesy of Brewer's Supply Group. Another impressive display. They are the largest single-location malting plant in North America. They bring in barley from all over the US, age it properly, before malting it. We use Rahr as our base two-row barley and use Brewer's Supply Group for a number of our malts. Thanks to Bob, Chris, Todd and JP for the continued support.

We continued the limp home and finally got in to GR around 10 pm Monday night.

Back to the grindstone - Pilgrim's Dole is on the way.

Feelin the Love in East Lansing

2005-09-28T01:29:00.000-04:00

So last Monday I head out to Lansing for a Brewers Guild meeting. In fact, I'm in town early for a pre-meeting meeting, one of the luxuries of president-ship. Anyways, after a relatively grueling day, I'm tired, but trying to make the best of my time and see a couple of accounts while I'm in town. Stopped by Dusty's, who are big Mad Hatter fans, and while they are supporters, the bottle shop was a little scarce and they were out of Hatter draught in the tap room. I still enjoyed saying hello, and having some fish and chips with a bottle of Sundog.

It was the double-header Monday Night Football, so after dinner I headed over to Old Chicago to say hello and catch the end of the games. Bless their hearts, they were pouring three of our beers. Hatter, Paleooza and Ichabod. I don't care what size brewery you are, when you walk into an account that's pouring three of your beers, you feel good. It feels like it's all working. You have in fact, brought beer to the people. Now, a brewery our size, a little ways from home, in a city we don't get to enough, it feels REALLY good.

I ordered a Paleooza and introduced myself. I met Kim the bar manager and Carrie the bartender. We had a great rap about beer, Michigan beer, and how unfortunate it was that Dallas was ending my chances to win that weeks football pool.

I must confess to not being a "chain-guy." I'll save the soapbox for another time, but when it comes to bars and restaurants, I generally favor the independents. Have I decided to love the Lansing Old Chicago just because they're pouring our beer? Am I that easy? That transparent?

I don't think so, although it sure helps.

What I love about them, besides their charming personalities, is that they don't equate a franchise with "sameness" They don't have to keep the same selection as an Old Chicago in say, Chicago, or Minneapolis or anywhere else. Old Chicago Lansing has 14 Michigan tap handles. Fourteen! Impressive for any tavern, but outlandish for a chain franchise. I believe taverns and restaurants are where we should feel, see and embrace our local culture. A tavern offering part of their local and regional culture to their customers has gone beyond just selling to them. Its appreciation for culture enhances the community experience. I warned you about the soap box... Anyway, I applaud their independence. I give a standing ovation to the fact that their independence has brought them to be fans and supporters of New Holland. So, if you're in Lansing, really East Lansing, you should check them out.

I'd be remiss if I only sent you there, however. Crunchy's is a little bar near campus on Grand River. They are also huge supporters of New Holland and Michigan beer. They have an impressive selection that they keep pretty interesting and chock full of Michigan offerings. Don't be afraid of the buckets, they'll let you drink from a pint glass if you're nice.

Dusty's promised their Mad Hatter was on the way, so don't forget them either.

Cheers.

Denver or Bust - The GABF

2005-09-28T01:10:00.000-04:00

We're heading out to Denver in the morning for the Great American Beer Festival. It's an interesting event, because it's where a brewery's worlds collide. Its a triple-banger, in that you have a public festival, an industry hang, and a competition all in 3 or 4 crazy days. I look forward to seeing all of our brewery and vendor friends - its always a good time and you can accomplish amazing things talking shop over a pint or ten at the Falling Rock. Or the Chapultapec. Or the Cruise Room. And yes, in case you're wondering, it IS a tough job.

We're bringing Black Tulip, Mad Hatter, Ichabod, Zoomer and Poet. A well balanced offering, if I must say so myself.

I'm feeling a little frazzled as I've spent my last week working on everything going on HERE, not thinking much about Denver. Denver won't wait though, so after a frantic morning, I'll be on my way. Wednesday nights brewer reception at Wynkoop will get it all rolling. I'll do my best to check in from the road, as I'm freshly committed to the world of blogging.

Cheers.

We've got wood.

2005-09-28T00:42:00.000-04:00

This year's Dragon's Milk in its cool slumber. It's been conditioning in these oak bourbon barrels for a couple of months now, and we'll be racking it into stainless in the next week or so. We'll then work on getting it through a sterile filter before blending it, conditioning it another month or so and packaging in time to enjoy by early December. I love walking into this cooler; smelling and touching the wood. It reminds me what is so beautiful about being a craft brewer. It reminds me of our willingness to take on difficult, time consuming, frustrating and courageous projects.

We've enjoyed sneaking some other brands into oak too. We've only done a barrel or two here or there, so they've only been enjoyed at our pub or at special festivals, but the Barrel Aged Hatter and Barrel Aged Ichabod have both been the bomb. Maybe we'll get a chance to do more. We'll see after we hear from John how the filtration went.

Next week, we'll brand 'em

You may want to check out the The Third Annual Festival of Barrel-aged Beer, put on by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, Saturday, November 12th, 1-5 P.M. in Chicago (guess who figured out linking again?)

Cheers.

The Barchive

2005-09-26T11:23:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try and maintain this post as a tribute to bars gone by. A list of notable bars that are no longer. I may tear up a bit, but I'll try to steel myself.

I might give each bar I list here a post down the road, but today I'll just start the list.

Kelly's On the Green - Chicago - Greenview and Diversey; The only bar I know that had an alumni club after it was sold to Vaughans. My local hangout for years, I sold them beer, tended bar, played on the softball team, played music for the anniversary parties...a classic. It has since been bulldozed for condos. Cheers to Pato et al.

Augenblick - Chicago - Damen and Irving - another classic, close to home. Dark, smokey, filled with good beers, stiff drinks and attentive staff. Lost their lease in a somewhat predictable landlord-screws-the-bar suit. Now a Real Estate office (landlord's business). Former partner David Butler is now proprietor at the Edgewater on North Ashland. (5600?)

The Chase Tavern! - Chicago

Wise Fools Pub - Chicago

The Knollwood Tavern - Kalamazoo

The Opera House - Madison, WI

CW Michaels - Kalamazoo

I'll be back with more.....

Dayton & Columbus

2005-09-26T09:07:00.000-04:00

The marathon continued on Saturday with Alefest Dayton. I have to say that it was starting to get a little fuzzy. Daydreaming and pulling off on the exit towards the beerfest, I was brought back to reality when a carload of Cincinnatians, more importantly River's Bendians, started honking and waving. Yes, it was Thursday's crew rarin' to go again. We rolled into the park, got things set up and welcomed 2,000 of our closest friends to drink beer and enjoy another summer day in the park. The SE Ohio beer community is cozy and growing. Lots of retailers, distributors and beer-folk all seem to know each other and work together.

Alefest Dayton was put together very well by friend and colleague, Joe Weisman. It was a blast seeing people from both tastings earlier in the week come by to say hello and clink a glass or two.

I have to share a funny story. I was grabbin lunch, sitting in front of the stage that was home to the local DJs. One of the DJs from the sponsor radio station got on mic to announce the winners of the celebrity blind tasting tournament. No, the celebreties weren't blind, the tasting was. He went on to describe that there were teams that were assigned the challenge of identifying beers by taste without seeing the label. They were to guess style, origin, brewery and brand. He announced that his team had won and went on to describe the process and the beers they guessed.

"Our first one was Pilsner Urquell, which we nailed....its sort of a European Amber...."

Ooops.

Maybe I'm turned from beer-geek into beer-prick, but c'mon, the style is in the name of the beer. I thought the blind-tasting was an intersting format, but it didn't do so well as an attention getter from the stage. Our friendly DJ reminded me of where we are in the public conciousness. We have people interested in knowing more or at least appearing to know more about beer, but they're not always completely informed. I'm all for bringing people into the process, especially media types, but we might want to be careful before putting a mic in their hand in front of a beer-savvy crowd.

Anyway...following the festival, the Premium boys, the guys from Belmont Station and our friend Gabe
had a great hang at Tank's Bar and Grill, a friendly local joint pouring Mad Hatter. I was wiped out and waiting for the second or third wind to roll in.

It came rolling in, but when it did, I was in Columbus with Andy and Gabe at a favorite of mine; the St. James Tavern. Then the Betty's crew joined us and well, it got late out. I'll share this advice with any of you that might end up drinking with Andy at the St. James. Don't play head to head, Texas Hold 'em after bar time with him. I also advise against playing pool with him. That is, unless you enjoy getting your ass kicked. Thanks for the couch, Andy.

Ohio - Cinty

2005-09-26T05:14:00.000-04:00

I put on Elvis Costello's "Toledo" for this post, even though I'm writing about all points Cinty, Dayton and Columbus. What can I say, it's the only Ohio theme music I know of.

"But do people living in Toledo, know that their name doesn't travel really well,
and does anybody in Ohio, dream of that Spanish Citadel"

Anyway, thought I'd share some more tales from the road. A few weeks back I had a fruitful trip to Cinty.

Thursday night, I met our compatriot, Derek Zomonski of Premium Beverage, at Rivers Bend just north of CIncinatti. Derek has worked with Matt who runs the store with his sister, to set up monthly beer tastings. Some tastings are by style, some by brewery and some by season, whatever Matt and Derek decide. I was the featured speaker, so we were working through the New Holland portolio that night. Tucked in a large stockroom/office combo behind the store, there were banquet tables each set up with glasses, dump-buckets and pencils. If you weren't up front speaking or sitting at the tables you were practically sitting on the desk. I love the effort and the generous hospitality. Good people running a great store.

We had a good group - and an excellent tasting. We had some lively discussion as I took us through 8 of our beers. Plenty of homebrewers in the crowd.

A few beers with Derek afterwards and we called it a night.

Friday, we spent part of the afternoon calling on accounts before heading up to Jungle Jims in Fairfield. Derek has once again worked with beer-manager Dave and set up monthly beer tastings in the store. Customers sign up in advance and come in to hear either Derek or one of a series of guest speakers talk about beer styles, origin and flavors as they taste through 8 or more beers per two hour session. Held in Jungle Jim's cooking school, yes I said cooking school, we had around 45 or 50 people. Jungle Jim's is an experience any beer geek or foodie should not miss if they're anywhere nearby. I'll spare you the whole bio, but Jungle Jim's is a monstrous store, started as a roadside produce stand in the 70s. They pride themselves on brining food and drink from all over the world and creating a retail experience like no other.

The cooking school was a terrific setting, and the tasting was filled with an energetic group. I really enjoy the opportunity to taste through our beers, and wax poetic about beers and the beer industry in general. It seemed as the crowd enjoyed it to, seeing as they bought the store out of our beer moments later.

Special thanks to everyone involved and Derek - you're the man.

Balance

2005-09-23T14:20:00.000-04:00

I've recently noticed how much I find myself thinking about, talking about and being impressed with the concept of balance. This has been something that has been part of my life for a long time, and it applies in so many instances. Time after time I find that when something is "on", where it feels good; whether it be your life, art, music, food, a relationship, or even a football team....it is typically in-balance. When something is off kilter, or difficult to manage, or somewhat jarring rather than enjoyable, it always comes back to balance. It's always a dance to find what is out of balance and then make an adjustment.

I find that having balance as an objective from the beginning to be much more fruitful than going hog-wild after something and trying to balance the result later.

Why have I decided to include this in my beer-blog? In my opinion, balance has never been a more necessary and admired objective in brewing than right now. Extreme beers are taking over the consciousness of many. The beer-press, the beer rating crowd and many others discuss the extreme beers of our industry with fervor and debate.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset by the recent craze, nor by the beers - I just think it's a bit out of balance. I love big beers, I love session beers, in fact - I love lots of 'em in between.

I wish them all balance.

I wish them well balanced beers, no matter the strength, from well balanced breweries with well balanced portfolios. I wish them balanced discussion of their balanced selection of beers.

I wish them all balance.

I am in constant pursuit of balance. I'm proud of where I've achieved it and motivated by challenges yet to be met.

I'm writing simply to honor balance. Seek it, admire it, patronize it; in all things.

A good example, "All things in moderation, including moderation." - Anon.

Cheers.

Festival Season

2005-08-15T10:51:00.000-04:00

Wow. We've been BUSY. Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Fest July 23rd, The Indy Beer Fest July 30 and the Great Taste of the Midwet this past weekend - it's enough to wear out even the seasoned professionals. I love seeing all of my brewery friends, all of the beer-fans that have been coming out for years and just soaking up the good energy of a day in the park with good beer and good people. I think its awesome to see the growth these festivals have had. More and more people getting turned on to the fun world of craft brewing. It's all about the people, and at these fests the people are there. I realized this weekend, that this was my 13th year going to the Great Taste. It is the granddaddy of the Midwestern beer fests, and any of us that put on successful festivals elsewhere owe the Madison Homebrewers a nod of appreciation for setting the bar.

Over the last few fests, we've poured some really great beer as well. We've poured Mad Hatter through the "Hatterizer", an in-line hop infuser, we've poured oak-aged Hatter, vintages of Phi, Pilgrims Dole and Dragon's Milk. Zoomer, Paleooza and Sundog have gotten their work-outs as well, and Ichabod was a sneak-preview of this season's first batch at Madison. I must say that one of the great things about beer festivals is the instant feedback. It's motivating and gratifying to see and feel so many people enjoy the beer, and see what they like and hear why. Getting the crew out of the brewery and into a park where they can see people enjoying their hard work is absolutely priceless and so fun to be a part of.

The party isn't a bad part of it either. We were proud to win the "Best of Show" booth competition at the Great Taste this year. We put on "The Mad Hatter's Disco" with 70's garb, rotating disco balls, a dance floor and a DJ booth. The dance-off at 4:30 won Benji, the infamous Kalamazoo native a gorgeous 2 liter boot. Jessy, of Maduro-fame was a close second, and it broke our hearts to have to choose one winner. Everybody seemed to dig the disco though and we had an absolute blast. Thanks to everybody for the booty shakin good time.

Speaking of Maduro, our hats are off to Brian and the gang; Vanessa, Jennifer, Jessy at Maduro on Main St. Long time friends, they showed us wonderful hospitality, a deep beer list (including NHBC beers) and a knack for making killer Buddha's Lusts. Buddha's Lust is a cocktail I created late one night on the customer side of Maduros' bar. Now that we're making spirits, expect it to show up in our pub sometime soon. Lemon-infused vodka (Hanger One), splash of cranberry; shaken, served up with a splash of soda and a twist. Dangerous.

While I'm mentioning accounts, it was also great to see Johnny at the Echo, a classic wisconsin bar experience. We love that they have Mad Hatter on tap and plan to be back soon. The fish fry rocked. No Madison bar mention would be complete without giving a shout out to Steve over at Wonder's. A cagey veteran, Steve runs a great beer joint that is the home-base for the Madison Homebrewers. Phi was on tap at Wonder's Pub this weekend; a rare treat - so if you're close by - you better get it while you can.

I'll come back for a look back at Ypsi and Indy.

Cheers,
Fred

2005-06-08T01:15:00.000-04:00

We'll be drinking in style in Saugatuck!

Disco

2005-06-07T03:33:00.000-04:00

I find it ironic that I was recently in a conversation where I was trying to rationalize how some favorite music of mine could be considered disco. Back in the day, I would have fought for the honor of my cherished music and argue that it should never be considered disco. Context, I suppose is everything.

Saturday's Mad Hatter's Disco Ball is chock full of context. As the Ball approaches, I seem to have a broader view of what could be considered or perhaps at least included in disco. Or maybe its just at a disco. Are the Bee Gee's and ABBA the gatekeepers of all things Disco? Or can you reach out for Parliament's "Flashlight", Earth Wind & Fire or Chaka Kahn and Rufus? Where is the line between disco and funk? I say the line lives where the party is. If it's a groovy party that I want to be at, bring it all on. My Steve Dahl roots notwithstanding, I say Disco is only a disparaging term when you want it to be. So this weekend, bring on the disco and throw a wide net.

Funny how this discussion has reminded me of some interesting beer-style discussions that are out there.

So, I ask you, what's a Disco Ball if you don't have an anthem? My search hasn't been about finding an anthem. My research has been seeking the definititive aspects of disco, so that I could create an anthem. It's been a while since the Uncle Heavy days, but a little rust never killed anybody. I'm hoping my effort bears fruit and that on Saturday, many polyester-clad dancing fools have the opportunity to enjoy my homage, "The Mad Hatter's Disco." I've always believed in the marriage of music and beer. Saturday, we'll need plenty of both.

Moving away from Disco for a moment, this weekend's party actually starts Thursday, with a free concert at the Waterfront Film Festival. It also features a screening of "Unsalted, A Great Lakes Experience" and New Holland Waterfront Ale that we brewed just to celebrate the fest. It's a great film-fest put on by a terrific organization. Saugatuck is always a great place to be and great films, groovy film-people and beer make it just that much better.

We'll also be having some pre-disco fun at Martha's Vineyard beer tasting at the Wealthy Theatre in GR.

I'll try to keep future posts from turning into event-commercials, but I also want to let you know whats going on. This weekend, there's a lot going on! Cheers~

Beer Brats and so much more

2005-06-01T22:06:00.000-04:00

Over Memorial Day weekend, I had a Barn Sale. Barn Sales are just like garage sales, except they are held in a barn. The fact that you have a barn at all means that you most likely have been able to store far too much stuff for way too long and thus are in desperate need of either a sale or a dumpster, or perhaps both. This has pushed you to decide you’re ready to open your doors for strangers to come peruse all of your stuff. Barn sales are a lot of work, and scheduling one on a holiday weekend requires some preparation beyond just putting your things on tables and assigning them a price.

It requires good food.

You must feed yourself and your brave partners-in- sale. I enjoy staying up after everyone is in bed, preparing fresh home-made food for the next day. Friday night, I was up making homemade coleslaw for the Saturday’s kielbasa. Sunday morning, I was up early to start the beer brats. To me, the term “beer brats” is a bit redundant. It’s not really a brat if the process didn’t start with beer. There are probably countless variations of the beer brat, but I’ll go ahead and share mine. Step one is introducing the brat to the beer. I prefer golden beers of various styles. Saturday’s was Full Circle. Fill a pot with beer, add lots of quartered onions, salt and generous amounts of black pepper. Garlic is always welcome too. Add your brats and bring to a boil. I boil about 10 minutes until they’re firm. At this point you’re ready for the grill. If you want, you can set these aside to grill later (for when you’re busy – like during a barn sale), even holding them with the beer & onions in the fridge for a day or two before grilling. Next, you brown them on a grill of your choice and you’re good to go. As long as you keep ketchup away from them, they’ll be perfectly delicious.

I plan to be back with more beer and food commentary, as I’m an avid cook and cherish beer’s role in the kitchen and at the dinner table. Lot’s of people are coming around to exploring the flavors available in beer. The roasted flavors and/or the caramelized sweetness of the malt, a soft sometimes fruity or tangy body and the floral, aromatic bitterness of hops are all useful and enjoyable qualities in beer.

I encourage you to think about what flavors you enjoy in your favorite beer, or in your favorite food. Try to isolate a few key flavors and think about either creating a dish with it, or imagining what you think would go well with it. Explore! Create! Consume!

Craft beer lovers and cooks have been celebrating this for years, but more and more people are joining the party these days. Even Miller brewing is talking about beer and food. Listening to Peg Leinenkugel on Michael Feldman’s, “Whaddya Know” a few weeks back, I found myself frustrated that she didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to actually talk about flavors or creating new things, instead she just pitched in a few recipes and chuckled at the cliché’s about marrying into a beer family, but at least beer and food were on the air!

Looking back, Detroit Free Press featured Michigan Beer and food a few months ago, including a Red Tulip Pork Medallion recipe from yours truly. Looking forward, the Michigan Brewers Guild is working on putting together a food and beer symposium in October with the Grand Valley Community College in Grand Rapids. There are more and more opportunities to either explore the creation or simply enjoy the presence of excellent beer and food together.

Now lets hope for many-meals before my next barn-sale!

The blog-o-lution

2005-04-06T01:56:00.000-04:00

Hello everybody.

It seems the world of blogging is a whole new branch in the tree of communication. While this may not replace the age-old tradition of talkin' shop over a pint or six, I have hope that it will shed a little light on our world of beer.