Yet another Michigander

Hello! I'm Alexis, and I'm from the Lansing area. I got into homebrewing because of my husband. We're both rank newbies, but we're having a lot of fun both making and drinking beer.

Nice to "meet" everyone and see such an active forum!

Welcome Alexis, nice to have you aboard!

Welcome

Welcome aboard! Whereabouts in Lansing? I'm a Lansing native myself, who's fled the state like so many others.

TexasSpartan, I take it you're a fellow MSU grad? Go green!

I live in Holt ... but I'm from the Flint area, originally. Lansing seemed like a big step up, so I decided to stay here after college

Sanveann said:

Hello! I'm Alexis, and I'm from the Lansing area. I got into homebrewing because of my husband. We're both rank newbies, but we're having a lot of fun both making and drinking beer.

Nice to "meet" everyone and see such an active forum!

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Welcome!!! Whenever I visit Sterling Heights my GPS wants me to go via Lansing...won't happen!!

I'm glad you both have a lot of fun making and drinking beer, but if you guys took a shower every once in a while maybe you won't be so rank...j/k...

Can you explain the "Sanveann"? Most of the time I can figure them out, but yours has me perplexed...I can see "Ann" in there, but the rest is, well, perplexing...

homebrewer_99 said:

Welcome!!! Whenever I visit Sterling Heights my GPS wants me to go via Lansing...won't happen!!

I'm glad you both have a lot of fun making and drinking beer, but if you guys took a shower every once in a while maybe you won't be so rank...j/k...

Can you explain the "Sanveann"? Most of the time I can figure them out, but yours has me perplexed...I can see "Ann" in there, but the rest is, well, perplexing...

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Hard har har

OK, re: Sanveann ... when I was in college, and the internet was in its infancy, I LOVED the song "Sanvean" by Lisa Gerrard. I often used the name Sanvean online ... but as the Internet grew, I sometimes found that that handle was already taken. So I started adding an "n," and then Sanveann just stuck

Incidentally, this is the song, if you care: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xpkRj99FH0]YouTube - Sanvean (I am your shadow) - Lisa Gerrard[/ame]

Welcome to HBT.

Sanveann said:

TexasSpartan, I take it you're a fellow MSU grad? Go green!

I live in Holt ... but I'm from the Flint area, originally. Lansing seemed like a big step up, so I decided to stay here after college

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Go White!

Welcome

Hey from Wyandotte

Welcome from a former Traverse City person now on the other side of the Lake.

Gnome??

Huh, usually Gnome is the first to hit on brewers of the female persuasion.

Anyway, Hello! Brewing can be very easy, so no worries. Just have fun. You can make it as challenging as you want.

Noble, I -love- TC! I have very fond memories of a trip we took up there (pre-kid) that involved cherry blossoms and a LOT of trips to Old Mission wineries

Welcome, Alexis from the SW corner........down by Bangor/Covert! Hang out here a while, and you'll be just as goofy as the rest of us. Check out Michigan Mashers group. (Click on the Groups link)

OK, makes sense now.

Thanks for the video, but I have to tell you it's not something I really would listen to. Sounds depressing...I'm not a downer-type person.

Welcome from Holly!

Sanveann said:

Hello! I'm Alexis, and I'm from the Lansing area. I got into homebrewing because of my husband. We're both rank newbies, but we're having a lot of fun both making and drinking beer.

Nice to "meet" everyone and see such an active forum!

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Greetings from the Thumb, yet another Michigander turning to the dark side. (Stout that is)

homebrewer_99 said:

OK, makes sense now.

Thanks for the video, but I have to tell you it's not something I really would listen to. Sounds depressing...I'm not a downer-type person.

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Yeah ... I was a moody little piece of work in college! Now I generally listen to happier stuff

Sanveann said:

Yeah ... I was a moody little piece of work in college! Now I generally listen to happier stuff

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OK, now I PERKED UP!!!!

Nugent anyone???? :rockin:

Oh, egad, no!

I work at a newspaper, and I once asked our entertainment writer if he'd ever interviewed Nugent. He said, "He's so manic that you're glad to see him with a guitar in his hands ... because it means he isn't holding a gun."

I can take him either way...there's nothing wrong with guns.

Guns never killed anyone. You can lay a cocked and loaded gun down for 100 years (or more...) and it'll never harm a soul...

Sanveann, if you are interested in checking out some good beweries, I recommend Founders in GR, Arcadia in BC, MBC in Webberville, Right Brain in TC, Jamesport in Ludington.

Hopcat in GR is good, but they are still learning how to brew their own. They also have 48 beers on tap, mostly from Michigan and some across the US.

Haven't had a chance to get to the SE of MI yet.

Sanveann said:

Noble, I -love- TC! I have very fond memories of a trip we took up there (pre-kid) that involved cherry blossoms and a LOT of trips to Old Mission wineries

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Hey Alexis - glad you like TC! The wineries are great and now there are some breweries.

homebrewer_99 said:

I can take him either way...there's nothing wrong with guns.

Guns never killed anyone. You can lay a cocked and loaded gun down for 100 years (or more...) and it'll never harm a soul...

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I don't have a problem with guns (we have a couple pistols -- DH likes target shooting) ... I have a problem with Nugent having guns, LOL! Guy just seems like a whackjob to me. There's a local singer, Wally Pleasant, who has a lot of funny songs, and one of them is titled "The Day Ted Nugent Killed All the Animals."

Homercidal said:

Sanveann, if you are interested in checking out some good beweries, I recommend Founders in GR, Arcadia in BC, MBC in Webberville, Right Brain in TC, Jamesport in Ludington.

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We've been talking about going to MBC one of these days -- Webberville isn't far at all, and I'm sure my husband would like to check out the brewing supplies there, too. Maybe we can go for our anniversary next week

noble13 said:

Hey Alexis - glad you like TC! The wineries are great and now there are some breweries.

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I didn't know they had breweries up there now! Whereabout?

say hi if you find yourself in anyone one of these breweries this saturday, we'll be the loud ones wearing "MI beer tour" T-shirts.

These are the stops we are making in order:
1. Corner Brewery ~ Ypsilanti
2. Arbor Brewing Company ~ Ann Arbor
3. Blue Tractor & Brewery ~ Ann Arbor
4. Grizzly Peak Brewing Company ~ Ann Arbor
5. Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales ~ Dexter
6. Dark Horse Brewing Company ~ Marshall
7. Arcadia Brewing Company ~ Battle Creek
8. Bell's Brewery ~ Kalamazoo
9. Founders Brewing Company ~ Grand Rapids
10. Hop Cat ~ Grand Rapids
11. B.O.B.'s Brewery ~ Grand Rapids
12. The Hideout Brewing Company ~ Grand Rapids
13. Grand Rapids Brewing Company ~ Grand Rapids
14. Schmoz Brewing Company ~ Grand Rapids
15. Harpers Restaurant & Brew Pub ~ East Lansing
16. Michigan Brewing Company ~ Webberville

Holy crap ... how many breweries are you guys hitting?

Btw, I'd pass on Harper's. The service there is infamously lousy, and the food is overpriced and nothing special. Can't speak to their beer, as I refuse to go there anymore!

(Edited to add ... got kicked out of the BOB at my best friend's bachelorette party a few years ago. Not just me, all of us. Good times!)

6 of us are going to try a pub marathon and hit them all in one day. I've worked out all the drive times between every pub. We'll have 15-20 minutes at each stop, we should be back home in 12 hours. Jolly Pumpkin is the only one that doesn't have a tap room, (didn't know that until after the plans)

Sanveann said:

Btw, I'd pass on Harper's. The service there is infamously lousy, and the food is overpriced and nothing special. Can't speak to their beer, as I refuse to go there anymore!

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Harper's is horrible. Average beer, the Spartan Wheat isn't bad. But they'd be better off using monkeys on rollerskates for their servers.

opengun said:

6 of us are going to try a pub marathon and hit them all in one day. I've worked out all the drive times between every pub. We'll have 15-20 minutes at each stop, we should be back home in 12 hours. Jolly Pumpkin is the only one that doesn't have a tap room, (didn't know that until after the plans)

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Holy cripes! Taking a van with several drivers I hope!

I'm still tryign to figure out how to convince the wife to take a day trip to Arcadia. Haven't been there yet (but I have had their beer!)

Sanveann said:

We've been talking about going to MBC one of these days -- Webberville isn't far at all, and I'm sure my husband would like to check out the brewing supplies there, too. Maybe we can go for our anniversary next week

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Things Beer at MBC has a good selection (not as good as Siciliano's Market in GR, but pretty good) and some great beer on tap. They make some tasty Belgian style Wits and the like. They learned a bit from Pierre Celis, the famous Belgian brewer who revived the Wit style in Hoegaarden, Belgium. They now own the Celis brand name. I think Pierre has moved on to helping another brewer, but I think MBC's versions of that style are very good.

I could be overrating their beers a bit. I was mostly "tipsy" last time I was there...

Oh, yeah, TC has 3 breweries:

North Peak, which is ok I guess, but nothing "special". Large restaurant area and the food is good.

Mackinaw Brewing Company downtown, which is more pub-like. I like their brown with a pulled pork sandwich.

Right Brain, which doesn't serve food, but in the same building you can order from the place next door. Also they encourage you to order in. They usually have very good beer and some different stuff you would not expect. The brewer there is not afraid to try new things! I think he's awesome, if a bit eccentric. Last time I was there I had a beer with horseradish and wasabi. It was very good, and designed to be drank with sushi.

Homercidal said:

Oh, yeah, TC has 3 breweries:

North Peak, which is ok I guess, but nothing "special". Large restaurant area and the food is good.

Mackinaw Brewing Company downtown, which is more pub-like. I like their brown with a pulled pork sandwich.

Right Brain, which doesn't serve food, but in the same building you can order from the place next door. Also they encourage you to order in. They usually have very good beer and some different stuff you would not expect. The brewer there is not afraid to try new things! I think he's awesome, if a bit eccentric. Last time I was there I had a beer with horseradish and wasabi. It was very good, and designed to be drank with sushi.

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If you are up north hitting up the TC breweries, don't overlook Short's Brewing Company, Bellaire, MI nearby.

Joe Short makes some very good craft brews.

Been out of it a while, but welcome from a former Mason resident. The wife, kids and I were all vacationing in Farwell for about a week, but again didn't manage to make it into Lansing or K-zoo (Bell's).

Cheers Sanveann.

A very belated welcome! I'm in East Lansing myself.

Skip Harpers. Hate it.

MBC is pretty close and pretty good.

On your tour of Michigan breweries, don't forget New Holland. Excellent.

Finally, I heard Dusty's in Okemos is now selling homebrew supplies. Anyone been there? Decent selection or do I still need to be traveling Things or ordering off NB?

Welcome!!

welcome aboard