BREWERY VIVANT

United States Brewpubs,

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

Inside an ivy-vined red brick church (with green trim) on Cherry Street at the outskirts of Grand Rapids, Belgian-inspired BREWERY VIVANT fits perfectly within its quaint neighborhood. Open since December 2010, this sacrilicious stain-glassed sanctuary with a 20-barrel system serves not only a wide variety of in-house tapped beers but also a bunch of canned versions (for sale on-site or at local beer stores).

Accessing the chapel entrance, my friend Paul and I reach the 12-seat altar bar through a promotional lobby (where canned beers, clothing and ephemera are sold). Several rustic community tables, hanging lanterns and corner booths decorate the cozy oak-framed cathedral.

A Belgian flag hangs from the front balcony and three more community tables and other furnishings adorn the outdoor beer garden. Rooster-laden wood boards provide beer menus and the projection screen at the front wall shows Michigan State football at noon this brisk Saturday in November ’12.

Our friendly hostess leads us to the altar to take our food order. We try the deliciously humungous pretzel-bunned 8-ounce tenderloin burgers (with caramelized onions and bacon). Soon after, attentive bartender Shawn Hudson brings me the five in-house beers I couldn’t buy in cans for the ride back to Jersey.

Head brewer Jacob Derylo, formerly of famed New Holland Brewery, delivers some stylishly hybridized brews, many of which rely on citric soured tendencies this initial autumn visit.

For a soft-toned starter, Wit Knight offered fresh-watered lemondrop souring over orange-oiled wisps.

Whiskey-soured 2nd Annual Sgt. Peppercorn Rye brings lemon-pitted orange rind bittering to caramelized rye malting and subdued peppercorn spicing.

Colliding a sour ale with a harvest ale, Grand Pumpkin allows lemon-rotted souring to overwhelm vegetal pumpkin spicing, white-wined green grape esters and tealeaf earthiness.

Lightly beechwood-smoked Ancho Rauchbier places its soothingly soured citric mantra across ancho-peppered mocha and peanut-shelled soapstone.

Smoothly aggressive Rye Porter lets pumpernickel-rye breading infiltrate tobacco-roasted chocolate nuttiness and peanut-skinned dry coffee undertones.

And mocha-bound Organic Brown Ale sidles cacao-seeded stove burnt coffee notes next to walnut-charred hop oils.

In the Beer Index, find Brewery Vivant’s Big Red Coq, Escoffier Bretta Ale, Farm Hand French Farmhouse Ale, Solitude Abbey, Triomphe Belgian IPA and Zaison Imperial Saison.

www.breweryvivant.com

MARTHA’S VINEYARD

Beer Store

Martha's Vineyard

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

“A unique wine and liquor store,” indeed! On a corner in the northeast corridor of Grand Rapids on Union Avenue is fabulous Martha’s Vineyard – not the Massachusetts island but a nifty gourmet shop opened since 1987. A wholesome looking boutique-styled shop, MV sells a large variety of local Michigan brews as well as the finest global microbrews and wines. Match that with extraordinary food such as specialty cheeses, cured meats, fruit preserves, homemade pastas and rich desserts and you’ve got one of the best humble street corner delis in the Midwest.

While perusing the exquisite beer section, I came away with several previously untried Michigan-based libations from Atwaters, Bell’s, Brewery Vivant, Dark Horse, Detroit Brewing, Founders, Frankenmuth, Mt. Pleasant, New Holland, North Peak, Short’s and Unity Vibration.

www.mvwines.com

(BLUE MOUNTAIN BARREL HOUSE) DARK HOLLOW IMPERIAL STOUT

Beers A-Z

Smoothly silken slow sipper, aged in oak barrels, brings wood-charred bourbon spicing to chocolate-browned vanilla sweetness and wine-soaked dried fruiting. Lightly creamed molasses malting enriches raisin-pureed black cherry compote midst before reaching dark chocolate cordial cherry peak (contrasted by slight ashen earth reminder). Bourbon, burgundy and brandy boozing fades off. Toasted almond, hazelnut, coconut, purple grape and chocolate mousse illusions round out the busy backend. Sweet anise waft adds black licorice presence not detectable in tapped version. On tap at Capital Alehouse, oak-charred dried fruiting enriches bourbon-wined mocha frontage. Fudgy molasses creaminess thickens oaken vanilla, dusty cocoa and milky coconut illusions. Chocolate-covered cherry and raisin notions as well as wispy dark rum undertones find tertiary space.

  

HAAND BRYGGERIET ‘DARK FORCE’ IMPERIAL WHEAT STOUT

Beers A-Z

Opulent ‘Double Extreme Imperial Stout’ brings indeterminable wheat influence to molasses-smoked dark-roasted malting and peaty hop-charred nuttiness. Well-balanced black chocolate, black licorice, black coffee and vanilla conflux defines creamy mahogany-hued full body. Rum-spiced bourbon-burgundy wining, sweetly soured raisin-prune-cherry niche and soy-sauced espresso milking found beneath thick mocha surface.  

NORREBROS JULEBRYG

Beers A-Z

Ornate Danish-styled Christmas Ale offers fig-sugared raisin sweetness to molasses-sapped caramelized rye malting and mildly coarsened earthy hop astringency. Ginger-spiced clove, cinnamon and nutmeg seasoning provide mild wintry warmth alongside subdued bourbon-burgundy wining. But fruit-caked cherry, prune and plum illusions need deeper penetration.

   

EMELISSE RAUCHBIER

Beers A-Z

Amazingly approachable Bamberg-styled smoked beer offers serene smoked beechwood pleasantry to sweet-spiced chocolate malts. Sooty campfire char deepens oncoming Canadian bacon and cured meat illusions. Sweeter than less defined rauchbiers that suffer from getting washed-out and losing initial smoked pleasantry.