Holiday Cheers with Local Beers

The modern world of craft beer spans a range of flavors, styles and names unimaginable a mere 20 or 30 years ago. In Northern Michigan, your local microbrewery— whether right around the corner or a short drive to the nearest town—is likely to be brewing a creative selection of beers that are perfect for the festivities the coming months have in store. With so many to choose from, we went straight to the sources to find out which celebratory brews some of the masters themselves suggest for Thanksgiving, New Year’s and any-time winter fireside gatherings.

WE ARE THANKFUL FOR BEER

There’s more to Thanksgiving than just a perfectly roasted turkey and its rich uncle, lump-free gravy. While the bird and the pies are the stars of the day, our local brew-masters would argue that it’s their seasonal special recipes that make holidays tasty— and more fun. We asked a few of our favorite brewers and a renowned beer expert what they will be pouring on Thanksgiving around their table.

Justin Koziol, head brewer, Beards Brewery Our classic Thanksgiving beer is Saison Pavo, a French-style ale brewed with cranberries. It’s light and dry and the cranberry brings a pleasant tartness that pairs well with a savory holiday feast. It’s also a great way to get cranberry in your diet. This will be at the pub only.

David Hale, head brewer, North Peak Brewing Co. I like bringing different Michigan beers, as well as a few growlers of my brews from North Peak. I find amber and brown ales to be perfect for the season, while I also enjoy some dark beers like a roasty stout or bittersweet porter. I also enjoy a lighter, refreshing ale to pair with all the richness of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Russell Springsteen, founder/CEO/brew-master, Right Brain Brewery We recommend our fall seasonal Chubby Squirrel Amber Ale. It’s approachable and refreshing with warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove with a touch of lemon peel. Snag some while it’s still available though! Our winter seasonal is Naughty Girl Stout, and it’s brewed with locally sourced biodynamic mint from Light of Day Organics. It’s chocolatey and cooling like a satisfying dessert. You could cap off any holiday meal with this beer.

John Niedermaier, president/brew-master, Brewery Terra Firma Our Hallow~Giving Honey Oatmeal Pumpkin Ale is a Northern Michigan tradition going back many years to before the craft beer revolution. We brew it every year and release it just before Halloween and hope it lasts through Thanksgiving because it’s great for holiday tables! Real roasted pumpkins, honey from our hives, local hops, Michigan grown and locally malted barley and a secret spice blend that is not like what you might expect.

Michael Wooster, head brewer, Workshop Brewing Co. On Thanksgiving, I usually have dinner with my wife’s parents and their relatives. This year I will be happy to bring along our Ten Penny Blonde Ale. We have this beer available in cans at our pub, which makes this option convenient. Aside from convenience, Ten Penny is perfect for crowds because it is palatable for all beer drinkers. Even the pickiest beer aficionado can appreciate the complex malt bill and English yeast character, while others just looking for an easy-drinking beer on the lighter side of the spectrum will feel comfortable.

Tony Hansen, head brewer, Short’s Brewing Co. For Thanksgiving dinner, I go with Huma Lupa Licious. Full disclosure: I go with Huma a lot. Mostly on days which don’t involve feasting. However, it is a great palate cleanser for the types of food served for Thanksgiving. The intense hoppy flavor helps cut through the richness of dishes like stuffing or mashed potatoes and gravy, giving your taste buds a nice reset to jam some more turkey in there.

Todd Klepper, general manager, The Filling Station Microbrewery When preparing for your Thanksgiving feast, we would suggest our ESB (Extra Special Bitter). This beer, made in collaboration with Creston Brewery (Grand Rapids) utilizes 100 percent locally sourced grain and hops to produce a malty English-style ale, with a bit of nutty flavor and mild sweetness, all of which pairs well with rich foods.

BOTTLES UP, BOTTOMS UP

According to research done by WalletHub, some 360 million glasses of champagne or sparkling wine are consumed on New Year’s Eve in the United States. Here in Northern Michigan, we have plenty of local bubbly options to toast with but we asked beer makers what they will be popping on December 31 to ring in 2019.

Justin Koziol, Beards Brewery This year we’re doing a very special beer release for the New Year’s Eve edition of our “Live on Serendipity Stage” concert series. (Stay tuned to our Facebook to see which highly acclaimed band is performing!) While the beer has yet to be named, it will be a sort of hybrid beer/sparkling wine made with locally produced grape juice and fermented with Champagne yeast.

We’ll just mix whatever is left with orange juice on New Year’s Day, naturally.

David Hale, North Peak Brewing Co. I’m still working on my New Year’s Brews for 2018, but generally I like brewing something strong and bubbly. Belgian Trippel and an imperial or triple IPA sound pretty good right now.

Russell Springsteen, Right Brain Brewery Looping Owl Whiskey Barrel Aged Amber Ale is a delicious choice to ring in the new year. We take our signature Northern Hawk Owl Amber then age it four to six months in Grand Traverse Distillery Old George whiskey barrels. The result is a special marriage of toffee and caramel notes paired with a pleasant whiskey nose and flavor. Looping Owl is generally available in our pub via growlers and 22-ounce bottles.

John Niedermaier, Brewery Terra Firma Although deciding how to usher in the new year is an impromptu decision, our Sun Cup Lemon Wheat Beer is a strong choice. It represents the positive things in life like growth, charity, family and friends. We serve it with freshly cracked black pepper (the spice of life) and it goes well with so many foods you might have then such as crab legs, chicken, oysters, BBQ spare ribs, cheeses and so on. You just can’t go wrong with Sun Cup.

Michael Wooster, Workshop Brewing Co. On New Year’s Eve I will most definitely be sure to have a growler of our Brut IPA ready to ring in 2019. Brut IPA is designed to resemble attributes of a Champagne with its dryness, effervescent aroma and high carbonation. This is a very new style emerging, which I have paid a lot of attention to and have worked to perfect. It is by far my favorite style currently, boasting a firm hop presence while remaining very quaffable.

Tony Hansen, Short’s Brewing Co. On New Year’s Eve I’ll go withexterior Illumination. It’s a sour beer with a lot of flavor and complexity and a nice dry finish. It’s beer, but a fancy beer that could stand in as a great champagne replacement. Also, with a low ABV (alcohol by volume) of 5 percent, it’s a great beer for a long night. Then on New Year’s Day, I’m cracking a Mosa. It’s not beer, but after a long night of drinking beer, a Mimosa-inspired cider seems like the right thing to do.

Todd Klepper, The Filling Station Microbrewery Celebrate the new year with our Brut Loops Champagne IPA. This dry and highly carbonated IPA has a nice hoppy assertiveness without being too heavy. With no residual sugar and the gluten reduced, you’ll be able to party late and wake up feeling ready to start the new year!

WHO DOESN’T LIKE PLAYING WITH FIRE?

Whether you have a fire pit in the backyard, a chiminea on the deck or a truck full of split hardwood ready for a snowy beach bonfire, you’ll want to put your hands on a cooler full of beer as soon as the first flame catches. Here’s what the brewmasters are packing for fire with friends this winter.

Justin Koziol, Beards Brewery It just so happens that we make the perfect bonfire beer, Deez Nutz. It’s a brown ale that’s caramely and nutty, slightly sweet, but balanced. It goes great with cold nights and the aroma of smoldering coals of a warming fire. We keep it on tap at our pub all year because it’s so good, but we do can releases every fall for, you know, bonfires.

David Hale, North Peak Brewing Co. Mission Point Porter! It’s got a great bittersweet chocolate character and is perfect for those cool, crisp nights!

Russell Springsteen, Right Brain Brewery We’d definitely bring a Head Case IPA Variety Pack to share at a bonfire. Every Head Case includes four Right Brain IPA flavors, so it’s got something for everyone. In this package, folks should try Concrete Dinosaur Brown Rye IPA, a winner brewed with chocolate and rye malts. It’s highly palatable even for folks who aren’t into IPAs. We also love Spiny Norman, our 100 percent Simcoe hop IPA; it’s exclusively available in the variety pack.

John Niedermaier, Brewery Terra Firma Northern Michigan bonfires are super fun this time of year and we have many options that work well. Like our Queenie’s Cherrywood Smoked Stout or our Man in Black American Oatmeal Stout. Both are chocolaty and wonderfully satisfying but the Queenie’s has a sweet, smoky nose and flavor that will get you in the mood for a fire even if you don’t have a match.

Tony Hansen, Short’s Brewing Co. A bonfire always reminds me of being young and drinking gross light beer. It’s a classic Michigan combination. Now that I’m older, I like to reminisce a little by sticking with a light beer at the bonfire, but also feel wiser by drinking a good light beer like our Local’s Light.

Todd Klepper, The Filling Station Microbrewery One of the light pilsners always tastes great ice cold (whether straight out of the cooler, or a snow bank). This easy-drinking style should go over well with all the friends and family at your bonfire.