the new old hell-yeah
Dear Ann Arbor/Ypsi Beer Enthsiasts:
If you haven't been to Arbor Brewing Co. in the past month or so, you REALLY need to stop there and have a pint. I don't know what it is they did, but 3 months ago I was wondering whether the beers were just going to continue a downward spiral into boringness. But then KA-THWOCKO! Just the other day I was there, and boy howdy... they sure did do something about the beers. Put some new stuff on the menu too (hooray for the IPA Chicken with goat cheese sammich)
Three new ones I hadn't had before, but fully endorse: Downtown Brown (not a diva beer, but very drinkable pint after pint). HXL - a nameplay on the Huxell, but XL because it's a high-gravity double-strength version of the Huxell Best Bitter. Too heavy to have lots of, but tasty fer sure. And saving the best for last: the Duggie Style Rye. Fuckin' hell, y'all. Even it's smells have temporal complexity. The smell has a start and finish, and they work together so well. Taste? Well, that's even a better part you'll have to discover yourself.
And not only the new stuff, but it seems they've freshened up the Porter too. I used to think Grizzly Peak had a better porter and ABC had a better stout. I think ABC has re-taken the Porter crown on this one. Smoky and with a little bit of a snap on the tongue. Niiice.
I know the brewmaster is unlikely to be reading this, but on the off chance he is: An absofuckinglutely STELLAR job with these brews. Keep 'em coming. Glad to see new stuff. Glad to have ABC again be a destination for me and not just "when I'm in the neighborhood".
Grizzly Peak brewmaster? You'd best sharpen up your game if you don't want to get dropped.
2 comments:
Which one is that? We went to two breweries in town on two my trips. One was the Grizzly and the other was on the same street a few blocks away but looked like it serviced the college crowd--I didn't have any beer that night but I had a pretty pathetic apple pie.
Yup, Arbor Brewing Co. is the other one on the same street a block away. Weird to have two prewpubs in town and they're basically neighbors. Kinda odd too that Shalimar moved to a spot right across the street from Shehan Shah, making it competing Indian restaurants within 50 feet of each other. (I'm still pissed that Shehan Shah seems to have lost that battle)
Arbor Brewing has a less *fancy* clientele. Looking for atmosphere, mood lighting or a gorgonzola filet mignon? GP's the place to go. Looking for killer beer and snarky bathroom graffiti? ABC. Don't know much about the apple pie. I always end up getting the Jamaican Jerk Burger and garlic fries (or pierogies) whenever ordering food at ABC. Of course, the chicken/goat cheese has my love now too.
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