New Beer Friday, Ludington Bay Edition (June 9)

Patti & Tom Buchanan

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

If you're traveling in the vicinity of Ludington, Michigan, this summer you should make it a point to stop by the recently opened Ludington Bay Brewing Company. Located directly across the street from Jamesport Brewing Company, this new brew pub offers an extensive menu of well prepared food and the solid lineup of beers gives craft beer aficionados one more reason to pay a visit to this beautiful community on the shores of Lake Michigan.

My wife Barb and I visited Ludington Bay a few weeks ago. After snagging two seats at the crowded bar we were disappointed to hear that we had just missed good friend and head brewer Tom Buchanan. We tempered that disappointment with a couple of Tom’s beers — a hefeweizen for me and a Rye IPA for Barb. Both were excellent.

After perusing the menu we decided on a tasty appetizer of smoked wings followed by an equally tasty chicken pesto pizza. We had another beer and just as we were getting up to leave Tom and his wife Patti walked into the pub.

It was nice seeing our old friends again. After getting a tour of the 20-barrel brew house we reminisced about old times and, of course, had another beer. Visit Ludington Bay’s website for hours and more information.

New and Returning Beer

• Bitburger Radler, $1.49/16oz - "Unmistakably sparkling and with a fine touch. In equal parts from Bitburger Premium Pils and fresh Lemon Lemonade Bitburger Radler tastes with 2.5 per cent alcohol volume not so sweet. Its typical Bitburger-Pils flavor lends its unique fine note and makes it an ideal thirst extinguisher" (source).
• Left Hand Traveling Light, $2.09/12oz - "Golden, crisp, dry and refreshing with herbal hops" (source).
• Left Hand A Blessing & A Curse, $9.99/22oz - "This double IPA delivers a synthesis of hops from opposite hemispheres with an aggressive disposition of citrus, pine, and tropical fruit characteristics for a delightfully juxtaposed consequence. Count your blessings, accept the curse" (source).
• Short's Exeter, $2.39/12oz - "Exeter is an American Sour Ale fermented with strawberry and lemon. Ruby red in color with an initial head that dissipates quickly, Exeter has a big sour fruit aroma with just a hint of lemon.  A mouth puckering tart strawberry and sour lemon flavor is complemented by a growing sweetness. The finish is very dry" (source).
• Short's Strawberry Short's Cake, $2.39/12oz - "Strawberry Short’s Cake is a Golden Ale brewed with the addition of strawberries and milk sugar. The flavors of shortcake and fresh strawberries transform this beer into rose-colored party nectar that is pleasingly sweet with hints of cream. Biscuit flavors and aromas arise from the use of large amounts of Victory malt" (source).
• Great Lakes Steady Rolling, $1.69/12oz - "Inspired by the Great Lakes region (our big backyard), our single hop Session IPA is brewed for days when you can only guess the time based on where the sun sits in the sky" (source).
• Great Lakes Light Keeper, $1.69/12oz - "Inspired by Marblehead Lighthouse (the oldest operating on the Great Lakes) our Blonde Ale's effervescence is guided home by a shimmering beacon of dry and fruity hop flavors" (source).
• North Coast Alt Nouveau, $1.99/12oz - "Alt Nouveau is a decidedly hoppy take on the style, reviving a brand the brewery first released in the mid-nineties. The Art Nouveau style illustration on the label is inspired by the artichoke plantings at North Coast’s partner, Fortunate Farm, in Caspar" (source).
• Lagunitas Lagunator, $4.79/22oz - "It’s a dry-hopped California Common with a massive malt character, rounded out by a bitter balance from some experimental hops from the Yakima Valley" (source).
• Oddside The Implication, $4.49/12oz - "Citra Triple IPA" (source).
• Southern Tier Choklat Oranj, $4.99/12oz - "Choklat Oranj is the fifth beer currently in our highly regarded Blackwater series. Warlock, Creme Brulee, Mokah and Choklat have RateBeer scores of 97, 98, 99 and 100, respectively. Choklat Oranj is a stout brewed with chocolate and orange peels, opaque black in color, 10.0% abv, and a delicious dessert beer. Perfect alone, or enjoyed as a float. Scoop organic vanilla bean ice cream into a snifter or pint glass and top with Choklat Oranj. It’s impossible to be disappointed" (source).
• Greenbush Broken Promise, $2.19/12oz - "In the land of hop contracts, you can't always get what you want.  Lucky for us, when brewing our Wheat IPA we found Zythos hops, which lend a serious citrus burst to this fine brew" (source).
• Arbor Bavarian Bliss, $1.89/12oz - "U.S. Open Beer Champion – named “Best Hefeweizen in America” by the Craft Beer News Service.  Classic aromas of banana, clove and floral citrus blossom. Fruity, spicy aromas show a rich yeasty character that follows through on a smooth, medium-bodied palate with a delicately spicy finish" (source).
• Dark Horse Kamikaze Kaleidoscope, $1.79/12oz - "Kamikaze Kaleidoscope appears hazy straw in color with a bright white head thanks to the healthy amount of wheat in this friendly summer Wit, making it very approachable. Sweet wheat and citrus aromas come to the scene next with a slight hint of Wit yeast that makes this such a unique and drinkable beer. Subtle flavors of Orange and Lemon lace in nicely with a big wheat mouthfeel and a slight tartness thanks to the Wit yeast used in this beer. Finishing dry and clean, this beer will definitely be on your list of summer beers to crush from now on" (source).
• Griffin Claw Mr. Blue Sky, $2.19/16oz - "American wheat ale that is crisp and refreshing, light in appearance with a slight haze" (source).
• Saugatuck Mandarina IPA, $1.89/12oz - "An Imperial IPA with a great malty backbone and a huge hop flavor.  Bright copper color and a medium to heavy mouth feel pair with a nice thick head.  Hop aromas of sweet fruit with a tropical citrusy twist to it" (source).
• Stone Enjoy By 7/4, $2.99/12oz, $8.99/22oz - "Our all-important, hop-driven quest to deliver the most devastatingly fresh IPA on the planet facilitated a paradigm shift in 2012 with the launch of Stone Enjoy By IPA. Not only did we brew this beer with more than 10 different hops, we brewed it specifically NOT to last. Acclaimed for its groundbreakingly short shelf life, this intense double IPA brought forth a whole new conceptof what constitutes “fresh” — guaranteeing fans the ultimate level of hoppiness. This defiantly independent batch you have in your hands is no different. It, like its predecessors before, is a celebration and declaration of the fresh beer revolution" (source).
• Stone Mocha IPA, $2.99/12oz - "Clearly, style lines have been crossed. Is it half-IPA, half-stout? Not quite. It’s definitely all IPA, but it’s also the best of both styles, making this love child of a beer simply just a beautiful, pleasure-seeking meld of imperial IPA and mocha indulgence. How did we come up with this inexplicably delicious creation? Well, that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that it exists and that it’s here for you now, thanks to our deliberate disregard for brewing norms. Some things are not meant to be known, just enjoyed...thoroughly" (source).
• Stone Ghost Hammer, $2.99/12oz - "A fermenting beer never slumbers. Consequently, there is always scattered activity tending our precious beers throughout the dark hours. In these late nights and wee hours that hallowed responsibility falls to the shoulders of the overnight Brew Crew. These brewing soloists brave the long nights, often alone, to do what needs to be done. Most areas of the brewery are dark or in shadows. Throughout the night the cellars resonate with the occasional knocking of expanding and contracting pipes. It can be a bit spooky to hear the brewery creak and groan as if possessed by a spirit randomly knocking about with a mallet. This IPA, liberally hopped with Loral, honors our intrepid overnight team by naming it after their mischievous poltergeist companion – the Ghost Hammer" (source).
• Uinta Ready, Set, Gose, $1.59/12oz - "This tart and salty ale smells of fresh lemon rind and coastal sea breeze. Wheat malts give this beer flavors of freshly baked bread and coriander" (source).
• Uinta West Coast IPA, $1.59/12oz - "Our bold and citrusy West Coast-style India Pale Ale—brewed using four different hop varieties—features pronounced aromas of pineapple, mango and pine" (source).
• Unibroue Elderberry Ephemere, $2.09/12oz - "Belgian Style Fruit Flavored Wheat Ale. Bottle refermented ale" (source).
• Evil Twin Low Life, $2.59/16oz - "A clever woman once said; ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’. On that note we threw in a young, unacknowledged hoppy pilsner gave it a limp, wrinkly flavor and finished it off with an insulting high price that will give you a foul feeling in your mouth. That’s why we name Evil Twin Brewing’s Low Life the Golddigger of Beers" (source).
• Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break, $3.39/16oz - "The Roman Empire had a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ - festive food culture, extravagant architecture and spectacular live entertainment. Some might argue the Emperors were brutal, mad and hungry for power, and the people vain when taking baths and working out all day. Listen - that’s still all part of the secret Imperial ingredient - keep it cool, clean, confident, arrogant and flamboyant" (source).
• Omnipollo Shploing, $4.19/12oz - "INDIA PALE ALE Brewed with marshmallows, graham crackers, salt and lactose sugar with mango and vanilla added" (source).
• Prairie Paradise, $8.99/12oz - "Coconut Vanilla Stout. It’s about to get really hot outside. How about a cold glass of refreshing Imperial Stout" (source).
• Stillwater Cellar Door, $2.29/12oz - "Brewed with white sage" (source).
• Stillwater Big Bunny, $2.09/12oz - "Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout" (source).
• Way Beer Jabuti Gose, $6.9/12oz - "Beer Jabutigose is a beer that stands out for the use of Sea Salt from the region of Mossoró, in addition to Jabuticaba, a Brazilian fruit. It is a sour" (source).
• Maui Bikini Blonde, $2.09/12oz - "A clean, crisp & refreshing Helles, perfect any time" (source).
• Maui Big Swell, $2.89/12oz - "Tropical citrus hops burst from this dry-hopped India Pale Ale" (source).
• Maui Coconut Hiwa, $2.89/12oz - "A robust dark ale with hand-toasted coconut & hints of mocha" (source).
• Maui Double Overhead, $2.89/12oz - "Double Overhead IPA is a fresh handcrafted double IPA featuring copious amounts of hops. Laden with hops from begining to end and not overly bitter, it’s hop aromas and flavours give hints of Guava, Passion Fruit, and orange spice which blend well with the silky malt flavours. "Big braddah to the Big Swell IPA" (source).

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