Bevs, Bites, & Bars

I enjoy having good drinks & good food at cool places. Let me tell you about it!

[bevsbitesandbars]

Sunday afternoon. Bell's Special Double Cream Stout. Enough said.

~Cheers,

 Jules!

[bevsbitesandbars]

Sunday afternoon beer & football!  I decided to try another raspberry beer today while flipping between the Lions & Saints games- Raspberry Ale  from Dark Horse Brewing Company.  This is a  perfectly fine beer, however, I prefer the raspberry brews from Founders & Perrin to this.  Do I regret buying this? Not at all.  Would I buy it again? Probably not.

~Cheers,

 Jules! 

[bevsbitesandbars]

I tried another pumpkin beer last night-Pumpkick by New Belgium.  It was pretty good.  It has just enough pumpkin spice with a great tart cranberry finish!  It might be my favourite pumpkin beer yet.  Give it a try if you get a chance!

~Cheers,

 Jules!

[bevsbitesandbars]

October 18 & 24, 2014

The Michigan Tap Room

3750 Bay Rd, Saginaw, MI 48603 [phone]

www.stardustfun.com/beer

  It makes me happy that I have so many great places in my area to choose for a night out. Two weekends in a row I have gone to Michigan Tap Room-last weekend for beers with my best-friends & last night with my son for dinner & a beer. Two weekends in a row I have not been disappointed.  Michigan Tap Room is located inside the Stardust Bowling Alley so sometimes it is a bit noisy in there, but it's still a great place to hang out.  There are comfortable sofas & chairs, a nice, long bar & several TVs that are always showing a variety of sports. The bartenders & waitstaff are very friendly & very knowledgeable and even though they are primarily known for the craft beer they have on tap, they also make a pretty good Bloody Mary!  

  The last  two times I have been in the Tap Room I have ordered Totally Roasted by Vandermill in Spring Lake, Michigan.  It's official description mentions cinnamon & pecan neither of which really jumps out at me, but that's not to say I didn't like it.  In fact, I am very fond of how tart it is. (Yes, I am in that minority of people that actually enjoys sour beers & ciders!)  The food was great, as well.  The Tap Room deserves much more praise than I have given it here so just go check it out for yourself! I know that you will not be disappointed!  

~Cheers, Jules!

[bevsbitesandbars]

I drink to make other people more interesting. - Ernest Hemingway

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October 10, 2014

Milkshake Stout from Rochester Mills was my second beer last night.  When I was in the party store contemplating buying this, I sent a test to my best friend asking if he thought I would like it or not.  He replied with "Yes, it's awesome. It tastes like happy milkshakes!"  so naturally I had to get it!  Well, it doesn't really taste like a chocolate milkshake, but it is really good.  I am a big fan of Special Double Cream Stout from Bell's and this comes pretty close to that, though I found it to be a little more bitter than Bell's.  If you are a fan of stout & chocolate you will probably be pretty happy with this.

Cheers,

 Jules!

[bevsbitesandbars]

October 10, 2014 

I tried McKenzie's Seasonal Reserve Hard Cider for the first time last night.  Wow!  This is probably the best cider I have ever had!  It's like apple pie in a bottle!  You should get some this weekend! (I know I will be buying more!)

Cheers,

 Jules!

[bevsbitesandbars]

October 4, 2014 - The Machine Shop

The Machine Shop

3539 S Dort Hwy, Flint, MI 48507

[phone]

www.themachineshop.info

  Saturday night I was at the Machine Shop in Flint (yet again!) for a show-Tension Head, Anti-Mortem, & Butcher Babies.  I can not say enough good things about this place! I simply LOVE the Machine Shop!  It's an awesome place to catch both local & national acts!  The sound & lightning crews really know what they are doing so everyone always looks & sounds their best.  After most shows the bands stick around to meet and/or party with the fans-a fact that does not go unappreciated.  (I have gotten to meet Vinnie Paul, Chad Grey (and the rest of Hell Yeah), & Lzzy Hale -among others -at The Shop!) 

  The staff is cool and they usually have a great selection of beer available, too.  I was happy to discover that on this occasion they had Perrin's Razzberry Blonde on tap.  It's SO delicious!  (What can I say?  I like fruit beer!) They had several pumpkin beers on tap, too, which my friend ordered & let me try. They were pretty good, as well.  

  In short, if you want to see some great bands in a very cool venue while drinking some good beer...go to The Shop!  No, seriously! Do it!  You won't regret it! 

Cheers,

 Jules!

PS- Check out Tension Head on facebook (www.facebook.com/officialtensionhead) & instagram (@tensionheadband)! They rock! \m/

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August 27, 2014 - Hamilton Street Pub

308 S Hamilton St, Saginaw, MI 48602

[phone]

www.hamiltonstpub.com

 I was at Hamilton Street Pub last Saturday night to see my friends in the band Tension Head play. (Check them out: www.facebook.com/officialtensionhead Thanks!)  I hadn't been to the Pub in over 3 months and I have to say that I really missed it.  I love the atmosphere & I love the staff! The Pub is located in the Old Town section of Saginaw-surrounded by great architecture and history.  (Some say the buildings in the area are haunted-I'll let you be the judge of that!) On this particular night, the place was packed, the music was good (of course!), and we all had a great time! My drink of choice for the evening was Redd's Apple Ale -  a favourite of mine!  (In case you have not yet noticed, I really dig hard cider!) I highly recommend checking out the Pub if you are in town.  They regularly showcase great local bands & as an added bonus, they have great food, too! The only 'bad' thing I can think of to say about the Pub is that the bathrooms are less than great....in fact, it's kind of a joke among my friends & I, but it hasn't stopped me from going there for the past 7 years nor will it stop me in the future!  

Cheers,

 Jules!

[bevsbitesandbars]

  My son brought home a 6-pack of Widow Maker Black Ale from Keweenaw Brewing Company tonight & am I glad he did!  This is one delicious beer!  It's dark, smooth, & smokey.....yum!  Do yourself a favour, go get some! Now!  

Cheers,

 Jules!

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Hideout Brewing Company - August 29, 2014

3133 Plaza Drive, Grand Rapids, MI 49525

[phone]

www.hideoutbrewing.com

 Hideout Brewing was the last stop of our day on August 29th.  I LOVED this place! (We all did!) It's kinda hidden (pun intended!) away on a side street so you probably wouldn't stumble onto it by accident.  Luckily, we were with friends who knew just where they were going. The Hideout has a neighborhood bar feel - lots of character & absolutely no pretentiousness here! The bartenders were friendly & knowledgeable and did I mention this place has character?  All my friends enjoyed their beer selections while I enjoyed draft root beer & cream soda!  (The best I've ever had, actually!)  To top it all off, they had free popcorn! (Like that could ever be a bad thing!)  Hideout Brewery is at the top of my list of places I want to visit the next time I am in Grand Rapids & it should be on yours, too!

Cheers, 

Jules!

[bevsbitesandbars]

Grand Rapids Brewing Company - August 29, 2014

Grand Rapids Brewing Company 

 1 IONIA AVE. GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49503

[phone] 

www.grbrewingcompany.com

  Grand Rapids Brewing Company was next up on our little tour.  It is the first USDA certified organic brewery in Michigan & one of only 7 in the entire country.  Pretty impressive.  What wasn't impressive was the beer.  Both of my friends got flights so they could try a variety of what GRBC has to offer & the general consensus was they were all pretty lackluster. They can't say if it is because the beer is organic that they didn't care for it or if it's just because they don't like the beer from this brewery.  As for myself, I ordered a Bloody Mary & was equally disappointed.  I have had a lot of Bloody Marys in a lot of bars over the years, but this was the first one I have ever had that was made with beer. Yes, I know this is a brewery & that mixed drinks are not their specialty, but swapping the vodka for beer (even partially) causes a significant change in taste and I really think customers should be aware of what they are getting when they order.  The pub itself had a cool look-sort of industrial-and it was very clean.  Would I go back again? Maybe....they had some food on their menu that sounded pretty good! 

Cheers,

 Jules!

[bevsbitesandbars]

Brewery Vivant - August 29, 2014

 Brewery Vivant

925 Cherry St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506

[phone]

www.breweryvivant.com

 Brewery Vivant might possibly be the only place in Grand Rapids where you can seek absolution & craft beer at the same time!  According to their website the building that now houses the brew pub was once a chapel for a funeral home!  It's very cool inside-exposed beams, stained glass windows, and rustic tables with benches.  I didn't actually try any of their beer, but my friends all agreed that it was very good.  However, it is one of my least favourite breweries that we visited.  I found the whole place-waitstaff included- to be rather pretentious.  I mean, calling french fries 'pommes frites', putting them in a small cup & charging $5 for them doesn't make them better than any other bar that serves them for less. Please keep in mind that this is just my opinion ( and that of 2 of my companions).  Like I said, it's a cool place...just not the place for me.

Cheers,

 Jules!

[bevsbitesandbars]

Gave this a try last night & honestly, I was disappointed.  I have had Angry Orchard at bars-on tap-and I liked it, but I did not care for it in a can.  I think I will stick with Redd's Apple Ale or Woodchuck from now on.

[bevsbitesandbars]

“I think I need a drink.’ ‘Almost everybody does only they don’t know it.” ― Charles Bukowski

[bevsbitesandbars]

Friday Night with Friends

 After a rather bad day I met a couple friends for a drink last night.  We ended up at Timbers Bar & Grill. (www.saginawtimbers.com) They had a nice selection of craft beers on tap & I was shown a nice wine list, too.  In the end I chose Gunga-Din Cider by St. Julian Winery & I was glad I did.  It was in the same vein as Redds & Woodchuck though I found it a bit smoother with an even milder taste. I also had some pretzel bread-sticks while we were there & those were quite good as well.  As for the actual bar & grill, it's very typical.  There is nothing that really stands out about it-good or bad.  If I had one criticism of the evening it was that the service was less than stellar & some of the waitstaff seemed less interested in helping customers than socializing with others at the bar. A situation that is easily remedied and not something that would keep me from returning another night. 

Cheers,

-Jules!

[bevsbitesandbars]

Perrin Brewing Company - August 29, 2014

Perrin Brewing Company

5910 Comstock Park Drive NW, Comstock Park, MI 49321

[phone]

www.perrinbrewing.com

 The next stop on our brewery tour was Perrin Brewing Company- one of my two favourites from this trip!  While I was trying to decide what to say about it, I asked the friends that were with me what their general impressions of this brewery were. One said, "everything at Perrin seems shiny & new" while the other said they "serve some solid beers".  I have to agree with both of those statements. I really liked the design of the brew pub-it's a bit country, a bit industrial, and a lot cool!  Plus, it's very clean (including the restrooms) and I like that a lot, too!  I had 2 of Perrin's delicious beers while we were there: Grapefruit IPA & Razzberry Blonde.  Now, I normally do not like IPAs-I am just not a fan of the bitter hops taste-but this Grapefruit IPA is so good!  It's very refreshing & fruity.  The Razzberry Blonde is very good, as well.  It's sweeter than the Rubaeus from Founders & in my book that is not a bad thing!  I can honestly say that I am already looking forward to the next time I can get back to Perrin! (And next time, I'm bringing some beer home with me!)

So, in short, if you are in Grand Rapids, make it a point to go to Perrin. You won't regret it. 

Cheers, Jules!