Newbie from Michigan

[jrtomsic]

I was lookin for a hobby, and someone suggested to me that I should start brewing my own beer. I'm not a fan of beer or wine, but I recently had the pleasure of trying cider. So I think that's what I'll do.

I've poked around these forums a bit and it has a lot of great info! Can't wait to get started!

 

[Flyin' Lion]

Welcome to the forum, you might become a fan of beer if you try "good" beer. There are lots of styles out there and I'm sure you can find one to suit your taste--just requires experimentation

What part of Michigan?

 

[MriswitH]

Welcome aboard! The hobby will soon consume you, I guarantee it!

I live in Traverse City, Michigan, so its cool to see a fellow Michigander on here.

Cheers !

 

[Dustin_J]

Be careful...This hobby has a way of sneaking up on you and turning you into a bona fide beer junkie

I hope you enjoy the hobby as much as most of the people here do.

By the way, I'm in the Lansing area and I'm always up for sharing a brew or two with someone.

 

[Brew-boy]

Welcome, and I bet you will love the taste of "GOOD" beer. I am from Michigan as well.

 

[djamwolfe]

Fellow Michigander here also, I wasnt a beer fan either - untill I tried some REAL beer. Good luck with the cider.

 

[jrtomsic]

I've tried some "good" beer. A friend of mine suggested Two Hearted Ale, but I really didn't like it. Much too complex for my simple taste buds. I've tried mellower beers that I like more (Warsteiner Premium Verum is good), but I prefer cider a lot more to even those. If anybody knows of any good mellower beers that might change my mind, I'm definitely open to suggestions. Oh, and I'm from Ann Arbor, born and raised. Went down to the beer depot, if you're familiar, and found a plethora of brewer's equipment. JOY!

 

[clayof2day]

I'm from AA as well. The Depot is good, they do a good job of keeping relatively fresh stuff on the shelves and have a good grain selection. The people who are usually working there won't be able to offer you much help when it comes to your homebrew, though, the only real drawback of the store. Good luck with the hobby, if you're anything like me you can go in there planning to spen $2 and easliy spend $20...or more. Best of luck and keep us posted. Seems to be a lot of Michiganders on this board, maybe we should get a brew day together. Maybe this spring, I guess its not a great time of year for that.

 

[Jim Karr]

A Michigander brew day sounds excellent! I'm down west of Kalamazoo.....Let's put our heads together and see if an event is in the cards!

 

[Brewpilot]

I am FROM Mi too, but currently live in Ft Wayne, IN with my wife... I am an AG brewer and would love to know some "local" brewers!

Brewpilot

 

[Chillibeerman]

I've tried some "good" beer. A friend of mine suggested Two Hearted Ale, but I really didn't like it. Much too complex for my simple taste buds. I've tried mellower beers that I like more (Warsteiner Premium Verum is good), but I prefer cider a lot more to even those. If anybody knows of any good mellower beers that might change my mind, I'm definitely open to suggestions. Oh, and I'm from Ann Arbor, born and raised. Went down to the beer depot, if you're familiar, and found a plethora of brewer's equipment. JOY!

I love Two Hearted Ale (and all Bell's beer), but I must admit it is not the type of beer that I would suggest for someone looking to acquire a taste for beer. You may want to start with a specialty beer or seasonal. There are many types of fruit beers (blueberry, cherry, and raspberry are probably the most common). In the fall/winter you start seeing beer with spices like coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

Although, If I was living in Ann Arbor I would be trying to track down some Oberon (Bell's) and Kalamazoo Stout (Bell's)

 

[Pedro-]

Yeah I completely agree, 2 hearted ale is not one to experiment with. I like it quite a bit but even I only have one or two and I'm ready for something else.

I'm a michigander, around the area too. Raised in wasteland, go to school at eastern, currently live in canton.

Definitely look for some Oberon, everyone is pushing it like mad right now for season's end. Probably pick some up cheap. Tap is best, most places in ann arbor and ypsi have it on tap. I would suggest getting together with a group of friends and buying some six packs to 'mix a six'. I would avoid most places that sell one beer at a time for sixmix as they are usually bottles that have sat on the shelf for a very long time.

I would also suggest stopping into a micro for a beer sampler to see the different types of beer. You have a brewery in Ann Arbor there, the Arbor Brewing Co. I've wanted but haven't been able to stop there just yet. If your downtown for a game, be sure to stop at the Detroit Beer Co. Right across from the opera house, great beer. Good location too. (I would definitely suggest the brewer's bread with your beer. It's amazing!) You can find a listing of all of Michigan's micros at http://www.michiganbeerguide.com/directory.asp

Good luck with the cider. I would like to do some myself some day. Maybe even sooner than later!

Cheers!

 

[Dustin_J]

Hey jrtomsic,

Being in Ann Arbor, if you ever want to try a LOT of different types of really good beer you should spend a few hours at Ahsley's. I'm sure the people there would have some good recommendations, and they really have a nice selection of good beers.

 

[Pedro-]

Hey jrtomsic,

Being in Ann Arbor, if you ever want to try a LOT of different types of really good beer you should spend a few hours at Ahsley's. I'm sure the people there would have some good recommendations, and they really have a nice selection of good beers.

Holy Mackeral! That is the one thing I left out! (I was thinking of it before the brewpub mentioning, honest!) Yeah Ashley's has a nice selection, good setup too. Downstairs is pretty neat, walls kinda remind me of the old newspaper tables that were at SUBWAY years ago.

They actually had tomboy red there still the last time I went, anyone know what happened to the brewery in novi by gus o' connors? Where Second City is now?

If your looking for it (remember this is drunken stumble orientation ) navigate from Buffalo Wild Wings, head south (towards the state), turn right (west @ Starbucks) and it is at the next public parking garage on the left (south). The door is on the west side of the parking entrance/exit. I'm pretty sure that is how I got in! Don't blame me if you end up nowhere!!

 

[beerfan]

A little late but I figured what the heck, I am from Warren and have been brewing for a couple of years now. Just staretd partial mashing this year due to time constraints.

Dan