Thumb Brewery Caseville Michigan

Thumb Brewery opened this summer.  Located on 6758 Pine St., in Caseville, Michigan.  The building is an old house just one block off of the main street that goes through town (M-25).  Look for the Village Park in the middle of town; it has a white gazebo.

They have 24 beer taps; plenty of choices for us who like quality beers.  The best selection of quality beers in the upper part of the Thumb.  But, don’t worry they must have Bud Light in bottles – I think I did see a couple of bottles being served. 

Check them out online: thumbbrewery.com; facebook.com/thumbbrewery

When I visited the other day they did have two of their own beers on tap; an IPA and an Oatmeal Stout.  I asked them what the names were and they said, ‘we have not named our beers yet.’

I told the bartender that they should name their beers after the towns in the Thumb area. How about the towns, the counties that make up the Thumb area, the events or the history of the Thumb. 

For example:

Port Austin Pale Ale

Caseville Cream Ale

Cheeseburger in Caseville PBJ Stout - yes peanut butter and berries

Hoppin’ Harbor Beach IPA

Imlay City Imperial IPA

Sebewaing Stout

Oak Beach Oatmeal Stout

Pigeon Pilsner
Ubly Uber Pilsner

Lexington Lager

Lewisville Lively Lager (Imperial)

Lapeer Light Lager

Bad Axe Black Lager

Ruth Red Ale

Brown City Nut Brown

Bay Port Brown Ale

Port Hope Porter

Port Sanilac (Silly Porter; Sizzlin Porter; Smoky Porter)

Pinnebog Peanut Porter

Almont Amber Ale

Elkton ESB

Owendale Oktoberfest

Sandusky Summerfest
Rose Island Rye

Watertown Wheat

Named after the counties that make up the Thumb:

Huron County Hefeweizen

Sanilac County Christmas Ale

Tuscola County Tripel (Belgian Style)

Lapeer County Limited Edition _______

St. Clair County Chocolate Stout

Ubly Dragway Honey Draught
Owendale Speedy Spicy Lager

Thumb Farmers Farmhouse Ale (sorry not named after a town)

Mt. Pleasant Train Wreck: Lunch Time Review

Mt. Pleasant Brewing Company

Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, USA

Mtpleasantbrew.com

8.2% abv

12oz bottle

Amber ale brewed with maple syrup & honey

I remember having this ale a few years ago in a bar in the town of Elkton, Michigan. I remember that sweet amber ale taste. 

Appearance: bronzy amber body, heavy mist for clarity with maybe a one finger off-white head that leaves some spotty lacing

Aroma: a sweet grainy amber ale like aroma

Flavors: grains; toasted caramel malts; the maple syrup and honey are adding to the sweetness but, I can’t say, ‘hey that’s maple syrup’ or ‘hey that’s honey;’ the hops add a prickly bite to the herbal like bitter note; dry musty white pepper likeness coming from the alcohol on the back  

Mouthfeel: prickly wool like; fine moderate carbonation; sweet on the mid; dry bitterness on the back and finish; an earthy herbal bitterness lingers; dry; full-medium; the syrup & honey must be adding some weight to the tongue;

I paired this with a Smoked Gouda and Mushroom Burger (mixed into the burger) topped it off with grilled portabella mushroom, red pepper, pinch of hickory smoked sea salt, and  Merlot sauce. 

To the Point: Train Wreck – sweetness on the front collides with the bitterness on the back; trying to have balance but, they are not melding together; I like this ale – I would buy it again; I have to say I like it better on tap than in the bottle; this ale is very good with a sandwich

Frankenmuth Brown Hound Dunkel Lager Review

Frankenmuth Brewery

Frankenmuth, Michigan, USA

5.1%abv

22 IBUs

12oz bottle

Appearance: dark brown body with a two finger light beige head; leaves no lacing

Aroma: dark bread; dusty grains; lightly nutty

Flavors: the black bread and dusty grains seem to lead the way with a hint of sweet caramel malt and then a toasted nut on the back with a fine dark chocolate finish

Mouthfeel: mild-moderate carbonation; hint of sweetness; dry on the mid and finish; lightly bitter; nice roasted notes

Those damn Dachshunds get all the glory and fun

To the Point: a pleasing Dunkel Lager; nothing special; easy to drink; would be perfect with a sandwich – uhmm – grilled Ruben for me!

Lake Erie Monster Dinner Review

Great Lakes Brewing Company

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Greatlakesbrewing.com

9.1% abv

12oz bottle

$8.99 a four pack from Lager Mill in Frankenmuth

Grilled ginger apple glazed Mahi Mahi.

Mix some ginger, garlic, honey, Kraft balsamic vinaigrette sweet & complex, Worchestershire sauce, I diced up a Pink Lady apple; mix together and let the apples sit in the mixture for 30 minutes or longer;

then pour the liquid part on the Mahi Mahi and save the apples to place on top on the fish filet at the end of grilling.

Appearance: misty golden body with a one finger white head.

Aroma: spring time fruit blossoms, sweet pink grapefruit, caramel bread

Flavors: really follows the nose; soft and sweet pink grapefruit up front; tropical fruit with pink grapefruit leading the way; followed by the caramel bread; floral notes swirl around; grapefruit bitterness on the back along with a dash of musty white pepper

Mouthfeel: the sweet malts help to balance this Imperial IPA; extra-fine carbonation; almost creamy on the first half and then flannel on the second half and a nice wool like feel on the finish; lingering floral/tropical on the palate

To the Point: Damn, I like this beer; at 9.1% it is eassssy to drink; Excellent; a MUST buy; tasty hops balance by some pleasing malts; Now go to the store and buy some

Diner Pairing: the ginger and garlic spice mix well with the tropical notes of the IPA; the touch of honey in the sauce works with the sweet notes of the ale as well

Mad Hatter IPA Dinner Review

New Holland Brewing

Holland, Michigan, USA

NewHollandBrew.com

I planned a Grilled Shrimp dinner to pair with my Mad Hatter IPA

Grilled shrimp, red pepper, portabella mushroom, green zucchini

Shrimp: Olive oil, lemon sea salt on one side, lime sea salt on the other, basil, ground white pepper.

Veggies: Olive oil, ground mix pepper mill, Italian seasoning

Grill with applewood chips, bed of rice – today I am using black rice and sprinkle with Asiago cheese.

I wish you could taste this. 

This dish is perfect with the Mad Hatter IPA.

Appearance: deep amber body with a bubbly two finger egg shell colored head

Aroma: floral nose coming from the hops, dry dusty grains

Flavors: the ‘dry-hopped’ style is coming through with notes of floral and citrus floral; dusty grains, toasted barley;

One last bite

Mouthfeel: active carbonation keeps it lively; dry from start to finish; moderately bitter, nice toasted malts add a hint of sweetness under the floral notes,

To the Point: this is a nice tasting IPA; worth trying; easy to drink; pairs well with seafood;

Hatter Series – Click on the links below

Black Hatter IPA

Michigan Awesome Hatter IPA

White Hatter IPA

Rye Hatter IPA

Imperial Hatter IPA

Oak Aged Hatter IPA

Rodenbach 2011 Vintage Oak Aged Ale Review

Palmbreweries.com

Steenhuffel, Belgium

Limited Edition

Oak Barrel No. 95

7% abv

750ml bottle

$18.99 from Lager Mill Frankenmuth

Appearance: ruddy brown with big cherry juice highlights; not much on the head

Aroma: sour mash; cherries; slight hint of oak

Flavors: sour cherry mash; hint of oak

Mouthfeel: sour and tart notes; mild carbonation; cola like; lingering tart

To the Point: rather simple; sour/tart cherry with a hint of oak; I was expecting more flavor; a pleasing sour cherry ale; can’t say I would buy this again 

Stone Smoked Porter Vanilla Bean Review

Stone Brewing Company

Escondido, California, USA

Stonebrewing.com/porter/vanilla

Limited Winter Edition

5.9% abv

1pt 6oz bottle

On sale: $3.00 a bottle

Super Fine Wine & Liquor in Canton

Why: ‘Winter Edition’

But, it is still very good

Appearance: black body with a two finger tan head; spotty lacing

Aroma: the vanilla bean jumps out followed by a smoky coffee note

Flavors: the vanilla bean, smoky coffee note follows to the taste along with a creamy dark chocolate

Mouthfeel: semi-creamy feel; mild-moderate bitterness; fine fizzy carbonation; medium medium-full body; lingering roasted notes;

To the Point: I am sure glad I bought a case; I’m going back for one more case;  

Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel Review

Brasserie D’Achouffe

Achouffe, Belgium

9% abv

75cl bottle

$12.99 – The Super Fine Wine & Liquor Store in Canton

Belgian Tripel Ale

Tomahawk, Amarillo and Saaz hops

Appearance: misty golden Canadian cream body with a two finger white head; a spot here and a spot there of lace; better lacing on the second glass when I got more sediment into the pour

Aroma: very aromatic nose; citrus, herbal toasted biscuit; the nose is very nice but, I just can’t come up with a specific note and the only descriptor I like is ‘aromatic’ for this aroma

This is one beautiful glass of beer

Flavors: soft citrus meat, herbal tea, hearty golden biscuit; sweet grains on the front, mild bitterness on the mid and finish; a dash of white pepper on the mid;

Great head retention

Mouthfeel: soft, delicate style; mild-moderate bitterness; super fine fizzy feel from the carbonation; medium body; lingering soft and clean citrusy like bitterness

To the Point: super pleasing; while I have found this very hard to review I really like this ale; I am going back to the store to buy a few more bottles and enjoy them before I say I am going to put this on my top shelf list; the aromatic, alpha type hops used gives this ale its clean and delicate style; this is a must try and don’t buy just one

Black Label Beer

Carling Black Label Beer

G. Heileman Brewing Company

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

I still remember those old TV commercials

“Hey Mabel, Black Label.”

“Today, Carling Black Label is still brewed at Miller breweries under contract to Pabst …”

http://heymabelblacklabel.com/id23.htm

I have also seen that Molson Coors owns the Carling Black Label name.  So, who brews this beer – I don’t know and I don’t care.  I am surprised anybody would take ownership to brewing this beer. 

Black Label is not the best tasting American Adjunct Beer around but, it is not the worst either.  I’ll take it over some other ones.  It is just fun to try for ‘the memories’. 

I found my 12 pack at the Lager Mill Store in Frankenmuth.  Carling purchased the Frankenmuth Brewery back in the late 50’s and then sold it off when their sales were on the down slide when Miller and Bud started to dominate the market in the 60’s by making cheap beer.  

Fabrikor Cabinet from Ikea

Fabrikor Cabinet

Ikea.com

This retro medicine cabinet makes a great cabinet to put your beer glass collection.  I have this behind my side bar in my tiki basement.

Measures: H: 59"; W: 22-1/2; D: 18-1/2

Costs $200.00 - Direct link click here

Stone’s Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale Review

Stone Brewing Company

Escondido, California, USA

Arrogantbastard.com

7.2% abv

12 oz bottle; four pack

$12.99 Super Fine Wine and Liquor in Canton

Ale aged with American oak wood chips

I have had this before and never reviewed the ale.

Appearance: brown body with amber highlights; one finger light tan head; spotty lacing

Aroma: nice malty sweetness swirls around some citrus hops and fruity tones; closer to pine wood than oak; a hint of oak shows up when the ale warms up

Flavors: think of Arrogant Bastard but better; piney hops tantalize the tongue followed by citrus hops adding some nice flavors and then a rich caramel malty note tries to add some balance; the citrus notes remind me of white grapefruit and grapefruit rind mixed with a hint on pineapple; as the ale warms a hint of oak shows up;  

Mouthfeel: 0000 steel wool like; light creamy feel on the front and then a fine fizz hits the mid palate and a dry piney note drags across the back of the palate; pine needles and white grapefruit bitterness; very dry on the finish;

To the Point: a wonderful complex nose followed by an excellent explosion of flavors; I would buy this again