100 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall
Friday, March 21, 2008
Wednesday night turned into a train wreck. Before I knew it, it was 2:30 in the morning, the lights were on in the bar and I realized with a queasy feeling that by the time I got home, I'd get a whopping 4 hours of sleep before I had to gt up again with a 2 year old quivering with happy, bouncing energy.
Thursday, I decided, was truly going to suck.
I had some amazing beers Wednesday night at my new favorite beer bar, Brannigan Brothers. Their selection is incredible and their new General Manager, Marc, knows his beer. And saying that is understating his knowledge and love for it.
So today, instead of a review of a single beer, I am reviewing a bar.
Brannigan Brothers is located at 210 S. Washington Square in downtown Lansing. Recently, it made a few major changes, including the hiring of the new General Manager and the hiring of the University Club of Michigan State's former Chef. The menu is now a challenging affair, with a eclectic mix of pub grub and a "specials list" worthy of the higher-end restaurants in the Lansing area.
But enough about the food. Let's get to the beer.
Here's a smattering of their extensive beer list.
His taps rotate beers from:
Ace
Strongbow
Arbor Brewing
Arcadia
Atwater
Bells
Dogfish Head
Dragonmead
Erie Brewing
Flying Dog
Founders
Laguenita
Leinenkeugle
O'Hara
Sherwood
Short's
The Livery
Unibrue
The usual (Miller, Coors, Bud, Pabst, Guinness)
Impressive. Great beers, and he has made a point to get to know the brewers and thus makes sure he gets the really good beers from those breweries that other people don't get. Founders Breakfast Stout on tap? Yup. Secured himself 3 kegs of it.
He has an equally impressive selection of "Big Bottles (bomber-sized bottles):"
Avery
Breckenridge
Chimay Tripel (White)
Delirium Nocturnum
Deus Brut Des Flanders
Flying Dog Collaborator Doppelbock
Founders Blushing Monk
Gouden Carolus
Great Divide Hades
New Holland
Ommegang (including 3 Philosophers Quadrupel)
Rogue (including XS Imperial Stout and Imperial Red)
Saison Dupont
Southern Tier
Stone (including the RIS)
Unibrue
Victory Golden Monkey
Wytchwood
Wow, wow, and more wow. One could get plaowed just on the first 3 bottles.
And then there's the bottle list. Instead of listing every brewery and type, I'll just list some of my personal favorites:
Avery Mephistopheles
Breckenridge Vanilla Porter
Brooklyn Double Chocolate Stout
Corsendonk Pater
Darkhorse Sapient
Dogfish Head 120 Minute
Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout
Duvel
Founders Devil Dancer and Breakfast Stout
Great Divide Titan IPA
Great Lakes Conway's Irish Red
Ommegang Hennepin
New Holland Lucid and Poet
Unibrue Trois Pistoles
Victory Storm King
...and so many more that I skipped to save time and space.
Marc takes the time to cellar certain beer, and serve beers as close as fridge space and commercial limitations allow him to serve them fresh and..correctly. He looks at every detail, right down to what kind of glas the beer should go in.
So there it is, folks. Get thee to Brannigan Brothers and get thy drink on.
7 comments:
My last lingering fingertip-straining hold on sobriety was based on the knowledge that there was not a good beer selection within walking distance of my office.
This could get ugly...
Yeah. The only good beer at Kelly's is Guinness, and that's not enough to hold myattention. Thus, sobriety was easy.
But now?
Brannigan Brothers had a pretty interesting Irish food menu when they opened, then the went to typical "bar food".
Now it sounds like I need to give them another shot.
Maybe when Kelly's moves, they can expand their beer selection.
I really would have liked to have been there when Smitty walked in a first saw their new beer selection.
That would habe been priceless.
I really would have liked to have been there when Smitty walked in a first saw their new beer selection
It was like those diamond commercials. The woman holds hr hands to her face. She can't believe her eyes. Her hands quiver as her eyes widen and slowly fill with water. Tears stream in great rivulets down her cheeks. She holds her newfound prize close; hugging it, loving it. All the while, her mouth is agape in what is part smile, part gasp, like she has found her youth again.
That's kinda what it was like.
Very nice. I went out with a friend Thursday night to a place in NYC called House of Brews. Had a Chimay -- on tap! -- and a Ruination Ale in bottle. Also an Ommegang Hennepin which I suspect had to be in the bottle but for some reason I keep thinking it was draft (always a good sign when you can't remember something). Some local brewery's nut brown ale in between the Ruination & the Hennepin which explains the memory lapse. A full-flegded ABV fest for sure.
Yum.
Well, since you mentioned Guinness, I'll let you know that, now that any food or food-type product or beverage containing yeast is verboten to me, I am bequeathing to Joel a six-pack of Guinness that I purchased but is now just sitting in my fridge mocking me. Damn yeast!!
Post a Comment