Brew News: August

Greenbush’s 2013 Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival Crew

Greetings, Greenbush fans; Jen at the helm today. No surprise that August kicked off nearly a week ago and Brew News is just now hitting the web. It started with a week of preparation for Summer Beer Festival, then the actual festival, followed by a quick trip to Las Vegas to celebrate a certain blond-haired Greenbush bartender’s impending nuptials. No complaints here!

August at the brewery really marks the celebration of harvest season and more great changes to the taproom. This month we’re debuting (or have already) a plethora of new fruit beers–two of the raspberry variety, two blackberry and two blueberry (you should remember these!). This is all in addition to Emptiness, our Apricot Wheat Ale that’s already been on tap for a few weeks.

We’ve also been making big moves in the taproom, though you might not have seen them directly. Behind two beautiful swinging doors at the bar lies our brand-spanking-new kitchen–one that really qualifies as a kitchen, finally. In addition to many of your current favorites (we’d never take brisket or pulled pork away from you), we’ll be rolling out new menu items slowly, starting with pizza TONIGHT! That’s right. We’re starting with just a couple options but we can bet you’re just as excited as we are. Come check it all out for yourself at the taproom and come visit us at the following upcoming events!

Wednesday, August 7: Tasting at Riverside Foods Farmers Market in Riverside, IL

If you find yourself anywhere near Riverside, Illinois tomorrow, stop by the weekly Farmers’ Market for a special treat–a Greenbush beer tasting! The Market is held in the parking lot between the Township Hall and the Riverside Public Library on Wednesday afternoons from 2:30-7 p.m. CDT.

Thursday, August 8: Tasting at South Haven Yacht Club in South Haven, MI

Members of the South Haven Yacht Club can head in at 6 p.m. for a fantastic Greenbush Beer tasting right on the water.

Thursday, August 15: Beer Dinner at Penny Black Grill & Tap in Rochester, MI

Penny Black in Rochester, MI is rockin’ Anger as their beer of the month for August. To top that, they’re hosting a Greenbush beer dinner on August 15 featuring 6 different brews paired with a fantastic menu including dishes like arugula salad with nectarines, picadillo beef tacos and a milk stout ice cream float. If you’re interested in attending the 6 p.m. dinner, call Penny Black Grill & Tap at 248.841.1522 to reserve your spot.

Friday, August 16: Tasting at Liquor Cabinet in St. Joseph, MI

We’ll be hosting a local beer tasting on Friday, August 16 at Liquor Cabinet in St. Joseph, MI. Join us from 4-6 p.m. to taste a variety of Greenbush brews and pick your favorite to take home in a 4- or 6-pack. Talk about happy hour!

Saturday, August 17: MoPop Festival in Sterling Heights, MI

When we first were asked to participate in this festival, I think we all said, “Ummm, duh. We’re going.” Here’s why: MoPop is a celebration of music, beer, food and art. Basically our favorite things. General admission and VIP tickets ($49.50 and $99, respectively) are still available. Don’t miss your chance to drink some great craft beer AND see the likes of Old Crow Medicine Show (a GB favorite, for certain), Manchester Orchestra, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes and many more. Curious about the beers we’ll have there? Sunspot, Closure and Anger will be available to all, but VIP ticket holders are going to be in for a number of treats, including our new raspberry ale, One and the Same.

Saturday, August 17: Suds on the Shore in Ludington, MI

Michigan Westsiders have a great opportunity for a day of craft beer and fun, too, with this year’s Suds on the Shore festival in Ludington on Saturday, August 17 from 1-7 p.m. $25 advance tickets are still available and include 8 tokens, each worth a 4-oz. sample, and souvenir glass. We’ll be pouring a number of favorites plus a few newer offerings–Black Swan, a blackberry wheat ale and Resignation, a milk stout.

Saturday, August 17: Oak Park Micro Brew Review in Oak Park, IL

Yes, we’re still on the same day. August 17 is also the Oak Park Micro Brew Review–an afternoon festival featuring beers from more than 50 microbreweries across the Midwest. Ticket sales will help fund non-profit work to build healthy, environmentally sustainable communities in the Midwest. So along with great beers, you can also sample foods that incorporate organic food from local farmers. Win. Win. Taster’s Choice and VIP tickets are available here.

Saturday, August 17: Coach’s 1st Anniversary Tap Takeover in Stevensville, MI

And if that hasn’t satisfied nearly everyone in our Michigan and Illinois distribution areas, we’re also taking over the taps at Coach’s Bar and Grill’s 1st Anniversary celebration in Stevensville, MI on August 17. The party lasts all day, but they’ll be tapping 10 awesome Greenbush beers at 5 p.m. plus offering a tasting of Journeyman Distillery goods.

Sunday, September 1: Check, Please! Farm to Table Festival in Baroda, MI

This one’s obviously past our August calendar but it absolutely cannot go without mention. The second annual Check, Please! Farm to Table Festival will take place on the grounds of Round Barn Winery in Baroda, MI on the afternoon of Sunday, September 1. Celebrate local farms, cuisine, and beverages with food pairings created by award-winning chefs, plus taste local wines, brews, ciders and spirits. This is easily one of the year’s best events that we find happening right in our back yard. Incredibly, tasting and VIP tickets are still available, but they probably won’t be for long!

Of course, shortly after all of this is already the next Michigan Brewers Guild festival up in Marquette. If you’ve never made the trek to this great beer fest, why not do it this year? Get tickets here and join us. As always, keep an eye on Facebook for anything else crazy that may pop up during the month.

In the Plant: Eau de Pete Series

This summer, Greenbush added a new brewer/life saver, Pete Hasbrouck. We’ve known Pete for a while now as the sous chef at Soe Cafe in Sawyer, but for now he’s splitting his time between the two spots separated by less than a mile (Pete apparently doesn’t like to stray too far from “home”–though home is really Grand Rapids). You all probably know Pete best (or only) through his self-referencing small batch beers: Smells like Pete, Pistol Pete, Eau de Pete… you get the picture. But he’s also an integral part of our big-batch brewing, jumping on the system 4 times per week in addition to his 1 small-batch brew each week. I had a chance to sit down with Pete for a few to ask him all sorts of fascinating questions. The following is the result.

How do you compare cooking food and brewing beer?
A lot of cooking involves knowing your ingredients and palette. Working with them, manipulating them so that they blend and support each other nicely and contrast each other as appropriate. Brewing beer is like cooking but with a new medium–all of those same thoughts apply. It’s like making bread (water, yeast and grains), stock (hop additions, aromas, flavors) and sausage (aging and fermenting).

Tell me more about the Eau de Pete series.
It started when I was foraging for wild black raspberries a few weeks ago. I wasn’t doing it with beer in mind, but when I told Scott it immediately turned into an idea for a small batch beer. After how well that beer went over, Jill suggested we turn it into a series of beers featuring local, seasonal fruit. Next came a blueberry ale with fruit from Rambo Blueberries incorporated. That one’s going straight to Summer Beer Fest, though.

How do you approach brewing beer with fruit?
I want to have something that isn’t sweet but still has a fruit presence. Fruit beers don’t have to be confused with wheat beers–it’s okay to have a straightforward focus. When you eat a steak, you want to taste the steak, not everything else. Too many elements can be confusing.

What do you think about how well Eau de Pete has gone over with customers?
Woohoo! [Ed’s note: that’s really what he said.] It’s nice to see success.

Who wrote the recipe for the original Eau de Pete, your wild black raspberry beer?
Scott gave me a paradigm to work with when I wrote the recipes for both the black raspberry and blueberry beers–a crisp, clean base that allows fruit to shine through.

What’s next in the Eau de Pete series?
Some kind of cherry beer with cherries from Mick Klug Farm in St. Joseph, MI.

Do you enjoy brewing beer–the Eau de Pete series in particular?
Yes. Thoroughly.

It’s nice to still get to work with local, seasonal ingredients. It’s almost like taking it back to the old school ways–the idea of people using ingredients that are the most accessible to them. Everybody’s gotten so used to having anything at their fingertips whenever they want. Proper seasonality doesn’t support that.