It has come to my attention that Kalamazoo is on the map, again.
The last time was is 1942, when the Glen Miller Orchestra played
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%28I%27ve_Got_a_Gal_In%29_Kalamazoo">I've
Got A Gal In
Kalamazoo (lyrics).
Now, Ratebeer.com has included TWO Kalamazoo beers on their
href="http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/Ratings-Top50.asp">"top rated"
list:
- Westvleteren Abt 12
- Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter
- Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout
- Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout
- AleSmith Speedway Stout
- AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout
- Rochefort Trappistes
- Bells Expedition Stout
- Bells Bourbon Barrel Double Cream/Expedition Stout
- Surly Darkness
Bell's Brewery originally was known as the Kalamazoo Brewing
Company. While their new facility is in Comstock, Michigan, they
still have operations in Kalamazoo.
Speaking of oddly named Michigan towns, Ratebeer.com also calls our
attention to the Michigan
Brewer's Guild 12th annual Summer Beer Festival (Friday, July 24,
2009 - Saturday, July 25, 2009)...in
href="http://www.cityofypsilanti.com/">Ypsilanti,
Michigan. If you go, be sure to check out the
href="http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&q=ypsilanti+brewery&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&view=text&ei=2lcfSuTFB5WciwPawKivBw&cd=1&hl=en&sll=42.258553,-83.607028&sspn=0.042215,0.028700&latlng=42250156,-83609865,2929851001627387768&sig2=VbqSGyYaO4l6TQKIDIHfzA">Corner
Brewery at 720 Norris St. If you go a week early, you also
can participate in the Shadow Art
Fair.
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Great to see this. Bells brews great beer, and the Eccentric Cafe is a wonderful place to enjoy them. Stop by if you're in town.
We pedestrian drinkers sorta like Oberon too.
What's with the domination of stouts and other dark beers on that list? A couple years ago it was all IPAs and other highly hopped ales. All of those are fine once in a while, but not to drink on a regular basis. I'd like to see much more competition in brewing fine, mellow, nicely hopped Pale and Amber ales.
I'm a Michigan native who was never able to get much into Bell's beers, though I have to admit that I have never seen the two on this list. That, of course, might have something to do with the fact that I now live in Belgium. I, for one, am not dismayed to see so many stouts on the list. Not only are those the Bell's beers I'm most likely to enjoy (on draft, at least), but it's so hard to find a decent stout here outside of a Guiness at an expat bar. Anyway, I'm a homer and my beer tastes are ever changing, so I feel obligated to give Bell's another chance every once in awhile. I will look for these when I visit my family at Christmas.
The Belgian entries -- Westvleteren 12 and Rochefort Trappistes -- are of course anything but stout. They're both quite heavy, but a bit sweet. The Westvleteren in particular is a rare treat, even in Belgium -- the only place to buy it legally is at the monastery itself, so whenever I have had it I have paid â¬10 for a single 250 mL gray-market bottle....