Some of us, like Matt, who have been going to school for five years or more know that more than one week of consecutive schooling is counterproductive. Sure, there are distractions on campus, but on the whole, one needs to get away to keep one's sanity. That's why the Drinking Buddies have developed the brewery tour.
For this last trip, we wanted to capture some of the dynamic methods Michigan breweries had to offer. We also wanted to drink good beer. In both cases, we really lucked out at New Holland Brewing Company and Arcadia Brewing Company, two companies that have great plans for their great beers.
New Holland Brewing Company is appropriately located in Holland. The brewery is separate from the bar/pub, so we toured it first before heading off to the bar. The brewers were working on a batch of Black Tulip when we arrived. Master brewer John Haggerty gave us a taste of the product directly from the filter - awesome.
One of the best examples of the company's brewing mastery is the Raspberry Black Ale, a beer that smells like a cross between jelly and one of the flavored syrups at IHOP. This fruity brew is well balanced and drinkable, something that most beers of its nature are not.
A result of New Holland's progressive approach is the brand-spanking new distillery set up at the downtown bar location. The plan is to brew and distill craft liquors to serve on premise, but before they can get started, there's plenty of governmental red tape to deal with. Brew master Brett VanderKamp showed his enthusiasm for the new equipment like a kid with a new toy.
"It's a natural extension of the brewing process. We are taking the current product and refining it further. And it's fun," he said.
With all his forward progress and edgy beer, it was a culture shock to visit the more conservative Arcadia Brewing Company. Arcadia, known for its traditional British-style ales, is located in downtown Battle Creek and offers a bit of a classic brewing technique in the heart of Cereal City. We arrived at 8:45 a.m. to an empty but stylish British-esque pub. It was classy and spacious, but not enough to overstep its bounds as a brewpub.
Why arrive at a pub at 8:45 a.m.? No, we don't have a drinking problem. We were there to volunteer our help for the bottling line that happens every Friday morning. Like clockwork, the bottling machine (made in the 1960s) and the labeling machine (made in the 1950s) clank to life at 9 a.m. and a new batch is made ready to sell.
Our dreams came true as we were handed fresh-off-the line beer to enjoy as we worked. Luckily, it wasn't heavy machinery. Our task was to take empty bottles off giant palettes and load them onto the conveyor belt to be sanitized, filled with beer, capped and labeled.
We were greeted by Bryan Wiggs, one of three main brewers at Arcadia. Although his title somewhat loses its translation for those outside the brewery.
"I'm a brewer, mechanic, janitor - but brewer covers all these things," he said.
The tradition of ales that Arcadia holds is exemplified in the brewing equipment it uses. It is a custom-built system constructed by Peter Austin, a 90-year-old brewer from jolly old England. Saving you the extensive history on the man, let's just say that he knows a thing or two about good beer and makes a lot of money sharing his knowledge.
"He made it as simple as possible. We don't have many (electronic) meters," Wiggs remarks. "We do a lot of crafting in terms of skill. And with the small batches, like in anything, you get better quality."
Part of this system of simplicity includes using the same yeast for all the beers.
With the total open fermentation process that Austin creates (allowing the tanks to be open to the air during fermentation), it is necessary to keep the yeast the same to avoid cross-contamination of yeast strains, which would result in very nasty beer.
Tradition has both good points and a few downsides. The Nut Brown and Angler's ales weren't bad, but we think the taste is limited by the Arcadia process. On the other hand, there were a few stand-outs. The London Porter is one of the best porters we've ever tried. It was creamy and smooth for being carbonated without nitrogen, with a vanilla flavor that avoided being overly sweet. Although Ryan isn't a fan of Scotch ales, we both agreed Arcadia's Scotch Ale is one of the best regionally. These beers are definitely benefactors of the years of experience put into their creation.
It never ceases to amaze us that in our little state, such an eclectic mixture of beer can be found. So take time to enjoy it - your Friday morning class will always be there for you when you get back.
Just because you're drunk doesn't mean you can't e-mail us at drinkingbuddies@beer.com.
