Beer SPLAPP!

SPLAPPA!

Welcome back…why thank you, it’s great to be back!  It has been a short hiatus since the last SPLAPP.  Frankly, I have been busy not splapping.  Which, in turn, means you have been extremely bored and desiderating another entry.  So here it is!

I enjoy a beer every now and then.  And when I do, it isn’t Bud Light Lime because that beer is atrocious.  Ever since a visit to Deutschland, I have not only acquired a taste for good beer, but also taken on a label of being a “fine beer enthusiast”.  In light of revealing this part of my life to you, I have decided to share some finely crafted beers that I currently enjoy.

1. Jolly Pumpkin Bam Bière – An artisan farmhouse ale that is golden, naturally cloudy, bottle conditioned and dry hopped for a perfectly refreshing balance of spicy malts, hops and yeast. (http://www.jollypumpkin.com/artisanales/beers.htm) – I am a big fan of Jolly Pumpkin beers, which generally are Belgian inspired, so expect to see a few more in this list.

Picture courtesy of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

2. Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza – Brewed in the Franco-Belgian tradition of strong golden ales.  Spicy and peppery with a gentle hop bouquet and the beguiling influence of wild yeast. (http://www.jollypumpkin.com/artisanales/beers.htm) – The second of my go to beers.  The New York Times rated this as one of the best beers in America in 200-something.  I was told this beer becomes a little bit more sour as it ages, so if that suits your taste, try to find a bottle form an older batch.

Photo courtesy of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

3. Jolly Pumpkin – An artisan amber ale brewed in the Flanders tradition.  Deep amber with earthy caramel, spice, and sour fruit notes developed through natural barrel aging.  Unfiltered, unpasteurized and blended from barrels ranging in age from two to ten months. (http://www.jollypumpkin.com/artisanales/beers.htm) – I like to go to this beer when I want to step outside of the box.  The sour fruit notes, spice and caramel really give this beer a nice flavor, and at times seems similar to a wine (I have no knowledge of wines, so maybe I am wrong).

Photo courtesy of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

4. Franziskaner Weissbier – All of Franziskaner’s weiss beer products – Hefe-Weisse Hell and Hefe-Weisse Dunkel – are top-fermentation beers noted for their agreeable carbonation levels and zesty wheat flavour. The consistently high quality of our products makes Franziskaner weiss beers a refreshing taste sensation of a special sort. All Franziskaner weiss beers are brewed in strict adherence to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. (http://www.franziskaner.com/3_products/3_1_product_spectrum/index.htm) – This might very well be my favorite beer.  On tap, or from the bottle, this really hits the spot for me and I could drink it all day.  I prefer the Hell (light) over the Dunkel (dark), but both are top quality.  If you haven’t had this, your quality of life is one notch below what it should be.

Photo courtesy of some random blog that probably stole it from another website

5. Founders Cerise – You’ll have a soft spot for this one. Using only fresh Michigan tart cherries, this beauty tantalizes with intense flavors combined with a no hesitation malt bill. Adding fresh cherries at five separate stages of fermentation achieves the ultimate balance between tartness and sweetness. (http://www.foundersbrewing.com/the-lineup/cerise) – I can drink this like water.  For serious.  My first experience with this beer was down south in Cincinnati, and I fell in love at first sip.  The infusion of cherries is fantastic, and Founders really hit the right balance between tartness and sweetness.  Unfortunately, this beer is only available from May through August.  Only 4.5 more months…

Photo courtesy of Founders Brewing Company

Of course there are many more beers that I truly enjoy, but for the record, one of them is NOT BLUE MOON.  A few more local beers that I enjoy but haven’t included in greater detail are:

• Arbor Brewing Company Brasserie Blonde Belgian
• Arbor Brewing Company Sacred Cow I.P.A
• Bell’s Christmas Ale
• Blue Tractor Bearded Pig Pilsner
• Grizzly Peak Steelhead Red
• Great Lakes Brewing Company Edmund Fitzgerald

If you have any other beer suggestions, please post them in the comments section.

*Descriptions in regular type are taken from brewery websites.  I would have written much more elegant descriptions of each beer, as you know.