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Home Brews – Lady Boner Express Guest post! Everyone say hello to my beer-brewing beau, Joe! Here to fill us in on his best home brew, the Lady Boner Express.

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Denver, CO

I flew alone for the first time this past September. Why? Because Joe was going to Denver, CO for the Great American Beer Festival for work, and I would NOT be left behind! My best friend and I decided to meet in Denver (she lives in San Diego) and have a fun weekend exploring a different city. My flight arrived about 5 hours before my friend’s, but luckily our Air BnB was just one short block…

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Market Garden Brewery

Plopped in the middle of Ohio City (a west side neighborhood of Cleveland, for you non-locals), is Market Garden Brewery. A restaurant and brewery with two great patios, three bars, and plenty of standing room, this place is pleasant just about any time of day. I think of Market Garden as a great starter brewery. If you know someone who’s just getting interested in craft beer, Market Garden is a…

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Michigan Beer Tour - Part 4

Michigan Beer Tour – Part 4

Are you sick of Michigan Beer yet? Let’s get to it. We started the day with a Mexican breakfast, cactus included, at a little restaurant down the street from the hotel. Then off to Bell’s Brewery for the afternoon tour. We went to their Eccentric Cafe, with anywhere from 30 to 40 beers on tap, and some kick ass food. The tour was really thorough, and with the original brewery next door, you can’t…

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Sibling Revelry

Sibling Revelry Brewing made me ignore my friends

“The beer was good.” Sibling Revelry Brewing only has four beers on tap, and that’s a real problem. Because this beer is good, guys. Really good. Barely a month old, the family-operated Westlake brewery takes you back to the basics with their beer in a way you didn’t know you needed. They keep it simple – their draft list reads like a craft beer beginner guide. Dark Ale, Pale Ale, IPA, and Spring…

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Michigan Beer Tour - Part 3

Michigan Beer Tour – Part 3

When I left you, we had just finished arguably the most perfect tour at New Holland. After the tour, we stopped on campus at nearby Hope College, walked around a bit, and had lunch. Then we were on our way to what we thought  was an open cider mill (Virtue Cider), but struck out. A pretty big bummer, but what can you do! We drove on to Kalamazoo, MI and finally found our hotel after a few missed…

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In Part 1 we explored Grand Rapids, MI. Had I known how much we’d fall in love with that city, I would have planned to spend a little more time there. Alas! We got up, grabbed a gas station breakfast, and headed to Holland, MI (just southwest of Grand Rapids) to visit New Holland Brewing. They’ve got a couple locations, but we decided to go to their production facility and distillery for a formal tour. Best. Decision. Ever.

A little background, we’ve been on a lot of brewery tours. I mean, a LOT. Joe leads brewery tours where he works. We’re both trained and experienced museum docents. We know a good tour. This was a GREAT tour.

They lead you around the not-small facility and walk you through every part of the process, letting you sample everything along the way. Want to eat a hop? Bitter, but go for it. Chomp on some grain? Do you want one that tastes like coffee? There’s just barely enough time to finish your beer sample before they’re ready to give you another. You get up close and personal with their souring program, something Joe finds particularly fascinating.  After we tried all the beers currently available, we moved on to the exciting bonus part of the tour. The distillery! The equipment (like a prohibition-era distiller from New Jersey), the bourbon barrels, the finished product, you see it all. And don’t worry, if you want to try each and every liquor they make, you can help yourself to samples.

A generous tour, given by people who clearly love what they do. I would go on this tour again, and I strongly encourage you to make the trip!

Obligatory shot

Prohibition-era distiller

Room full of bourbon barrrels

Michigan Beer Tour – Part 2 In Part 1 we explored Grand Rapids, MI. Had I known how much we'd fall in love with that city, I would have planned to spend a little more time there.

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Ok. I’m pretty good at gift giving. Unfortunately, I peaked early with this one, and I’ll probably never top it. For Joe’s 2014 Christmas gift I arranged a beer tour of Michigan aka craft beer lover’s heaven. For the next few months we (ok, mainly me) combed through web guides to make our list of spots to check out. Grand Rapids, New Holland, and Kalamazoo were calling us, and in March we set off.

First stop, Grand Rapids! We got in late but starving, so after we checked in at our hotel we headed into downtown Grand Rapids for a couple drinks at HopCat. A great craft beer bar and restaurant with plenty of bar space and seating, I was digging it. This was our first introduction to the MANY Michigan breweries we’d encounter over the next few days. Still, we had a big day ahead of us so we called it a night after a couple rounds.

HopCat! Can’t remember the beer.. sorry

Up bright and early (kind of) the next day, we headed to a diner for an embarrassingly big breakfast and then straight to Founders Brewing Company. They know how to do it, seriously. Two bars, tons and tons of table space, and just about the nicest bartenders you’ll ever meet. Founders is pretty readily available in Cleveland, so half the thrill was being at the physical location of a brewery we both really love. Plenty of taps with seasonals and their year-round brews, I challenge you to find something you don’t like.

After Founders, we headed to a very walkable part of the city, and stumbled upon one of my favorite little breweries, Harmony Brewing Company. The space is small but welcoming – the little touches count here. The food was perfect for a midday beer and snack (I’m pretty sure Joe still has dreams about their warm olives).

Those olives, that salad!

  Worth Note: Grand Rapids has Free Art Fridays, where local artists leave pieces around the city for you to find and then keep, for free! We just happened to find a piece on our way to Harmony, and it’s one of my most favorite things.

Joe holding our Free Art Friday find!

After Harmony, your girl needed a little caffeine. We found a local coffee shop and took a moment to enjoy our surroundings and make a game plan. The plan led us to Brewery Vivant, a brewery in an old chapel – stained glass windows included! This place was BUSY! They have a variety of drafts, but I was drawn to their lighter options, which did not disappoint.

After imbibing probably a bit too much, we retired to the hotel for a little nap, some pizza, some Netflix, and to go over our plan for the next day!

Michigan Beer Tour – Part 1 Ok. I'm pretty good at gift giving. Unfortunately, I peaked early with this one, and I'll probably never top it.

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Dogfish Head

Another beer pilgrimage, this one was major. After finishing my Masters in May, Joe and I celebrated with a trip east culminating in a stop at Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware. Sam Calagione (founder) is Joe’s beer hero, and finally making it to “his place” felt pretty cool. Everything about this spot is amaaaaaazing. From the tree house to the photo booth, you immediately get the vibe…

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The Pilgrimage.

After a night in Chicago, a night in Iowa, and then back to Indiana, we made it to 3 Floyds.

This place had been on the bucket list for quite a while and it did not disappoint. A little crowded and no place to stand and enjoy a drink while you wait for a table (my only complaint), the food was well worth the wait. Their pickled watermelon and coffee-rubbed beef tacos are incredible, so incredible, that I still think about them over a year later.

Since we only get a few Three Floyds brews here in Cleveland, we wanted to be sure to try everything on tap, and although it’s their policy to only serve one beer at a time (per person) our server was willing to flex the rules a bit once we told her our mission, which is always appreciated.

After we finished our meals and had sampled all the brews we could, we walked the few steps to their shop and picked up some beers to down later at the hotel/take home to our friends.

If you’re in the area and willing to navigate through strip malls and warehouses, 3 Floyds is a MUST.

Giant tank thing?

These half pints are a dream if you’re trying to sample as many drafts as possible

3 Floyds The Pilgrimage. After a night in Chicago, a night in Iowa, and then back to Indiana, we made it to…

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Pittsburgh Beer Tour

I can hardly call our time in Pittsburgh a beer tour, but since we were only there for 18 hours, I think we did ok. After checking in to our hotel, we were famished and thirsty, so we headed to the Pittsburgh Public Market. We walked up and down, making mental notes of what bars to stop in after we had a bite. We landed at Roland’s, a seafood place with a big bar and pretty decent bottle…

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Columbus Beer Tour

We visited some college friends in Columbus in December 2014, so of course we used the trip as an excuse to visit as many breweries as possible. We arrived in the evening and headed straight to the bars, where I drank entirely too much and didn’t eat nearly enough. The next morning was looking bleak. Had I ruined the day already? Enter Columbus Brewing Company and their spectacular Bloody Mary’s.…

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Slingin' Drinks

Slingin’ Drinks

What do you do when your SO has to work a cycling festival all day? Roll up your sleeves and volunteer to join him, of course. Back in September, NEOCycle happened in Cleveland, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie. “The Midwest’s biggest urban cycling festival” took place mid-September, and the weather couldn’t have been worse. Both days were cold, rainy, and windy, but the cyclists persevered! I…

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Six Pack Saturday!

Saturday is great. Arguably the best day of the week. Which can only mean one thing. It’s time to build a six pack and sample the newest, funkiest beers you can find! I head to our local liquor store when I’m in the mood to build a six pack, but most major grocery store chains (Giant Eagle, Kroger) give you the option to build your own, too. There are a few things to keep in mind when putting…

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Fresh Brew Friday!

The Brewer’s Girlfriend take on #fbf (flashback Friday), our first Fresh Brew Friday is from Against the Grain Brewery and Smokehouse in Louisville, KY. The can so nice, we shot it twice Sold in 4 packs, and with good reason. This beer is FRESH and hides its 8.2% ABV well. There’s a little of the hoppy bitterness you’d expect from an IPA, but it’s just so damn well balanced. Nothing too crazy,…

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Today's #fbf (fresh brew Friday) is this sassy can from Against The Grain Brewery in Louisville, KY. Cheers! #ricosauvin #dipa #craftbeer #thebrewersgirlfriend #againstthegrain #girlswhodrinkcraftbeer (at Against The Grain Brewery)