ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN
Much like nearby Detroit, this University of Michigan hotbed offered incredible brewpub selection August ‘04. Marvelous ARBOR BREWING flaunts cozy booth-laden bar area, backroom darts-jukebox section, wide ranging on-tap microbrews (Arcadia, Avery, Bell, Mendocino), terrific line of bottled Belgian styled ales (listed in alphabetical section), and multiple diversified on-site brews by Doug Jukubiak.
Lighter fare included soapy wheat-husked yellow-fruited pale ale Big Ben House Mild (for amateurs); dryly bitter-hopped Huxell Best Bitter Pale Ale; subtly fizzed Band-Aid-nosed salami-like Smoked Lager; bright clove-banana-soured Bavarian Bliss Hefeweizen; Cascade-hopped herbal tea-blared Red Snapper Special Bitter; and tangy dark-fruited Triple Stone ESB.
Darker fare included smoky tobacco hop-charred Olde Number 22 German Alt; tartly citrus-soured off-dry Sacred Cow Cask Conditioned IPA; frothy black-hopped chocolate-coffee-roasted Milestone Cask Porter; and dry roasted Faricy Fest Irish Stout (with its ample coffee-cocoa bean-ashy tobacco canvas).
On August ’06 afternoon trip, sampled creamy black chocolate-y brown-sugared mocha-dried anise-dabbed plum wine-finishing Russian Imperial Stout.
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