Your source for eating (and drinking!) locally in West Michigan
Kent Harvest Trails is your opportunity to visit West Michigan Farms. See where your food comes from, pick up local fruits, vegetables and baked goods, and enjoy loads of fun farm activities! Kent Harvest Trails 2012 starts September 15 and goes through October 31.
The Michigan Brewers Guild (MBG) is proud to announce that its popular Detroit Fall Beer Festival, held at Eastern Market, is expanding into a 2-day event in 2012. Festivities will take place on Friday, October 26 (5-9pm) and Saturday, October 27 (1-6pm). The event is once again held in conjunction with metrotimes. Some 50 Michigan craft breweries offer samples of more than 300 different beers throughout the weekend.
Friday is expected to be a lighter crowd, giving festival-goers a more relaxed atmosphere in which to sample. Saturday – which traditionally sells out in advance of the event – is expected to be at capacity again this year.
Tickets for each day are $35 in advance ($40 at the gate, if any tickets remain); they are available online at www.MiBeer.com, at select member breweries and at a limited number of retail outlets. For a list of ticket outlets and other festival updates visit www.mbgmash.org. Each ticket includes 15 drink tokens, each redeemable for a 3-ounce sample of beer. Additional tokens are available inside the festival grounds, for 50 cents each.
The festival is held, rain or shine. Festival attendees must be 21 years of age or older and have valid ID to enter. Designated Drivers are encouraged and DD tickets will be available on line and at the gate for $5 each. Designated Drivers are not permitted to drink beer.
The Motor City has a long-standing brewing history, and in recent years it has been revitalized thanks to a growing interest in the craft beer movement. Eastern Market is one of the nation’s oldest farm markets and the area is rife with brewing history. In its heyday, there were more than 40 breweries in the Detroit area and malt silos still stand as a testament to the rich brewing history – making it the perfect backdrop for the Detroit Fall Beer Festival.
The entertainment line-up for this year’s festival will be announced at a later date, on the Guild’s Facebook page.
As one of its perks, MBG Enthusiast Members are admitted to each festival one hour earlier than the general public. This membership is $45 per person, per year and may be purchased in advance online here. (NOTE: Enthusiast Memberships WILL NOT be sold/renewed at the gate). Additional benefits include discounts at participating member breweries, VIP brewery tours scheduled throughout the year, and a free t-shirt proclaiming your enthusiasm for Michigan Beer.
The Michigan Brewers Guild festivals are eco-friendly events, with cups, plates, cutlery and napkins all made of compostable materials. Festival attendees are asked to aid in the proper disposal of all refuse throughout the festival at one of the many recycling stations placed around the grounds, helping to reduce the overall waste sent to landfills to less than 10%. Volunteers will be on hand to assist at the recycling stations, making sure all the recyclables are properly sorted from the food items.
The Leelanau Peninsula has become well known for its Riesling and other crisp, cool-climate whites. What is often overlooked however, is just how good the red wines are!
To help everyone go beneath the surface, Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail is excited to announce a free & fun event to bring attention to the red wines of Michigan’s Wine Coast. The Hunt for the Reds of October will take place the weekend of October 26-28, 2012. For the entire weekend, 12 wineries will be offering free tasting of a diverse selection of red wines: dark & spicy Cabernet Francs, smooth & floral Pinot Noirs and a diverse range of vinifera and hybrid reds that are representative of Leelanau’s vineyards.
“From the vineyard managers to winemakers to cellar masters, I think we’ve all developed methods that are allowing us to make the best reds possible on the Leelanau Peninsula. Our wines are maturing in all aspects due to the patience and understanding that experience brings to every phase of the winemaking process,” says Ryan Sterkenberg, owner of Gills Pier Winery. ”Of course, having three straight outstanding vintages in 2010, 2011 and 2012 doesn’t hurt a bit either.”
We invite you to sample some of the fruits of these and other vintages the last weekend of October or another time. The event is free to all who know the secret launch code: “The Hunt is on!” Get details and updates at www.lpwines.com/redwine. (click for high-res poster)
Bel Lago will be pouring their 2010 Tempesta: a perfect storm of a select harvest of robust grapes from an excellent growing season. Cabernet Franc, Regent, Dornfelder, Lemburger, and other carefully selected varieties were aged 18 months in American and French oak barrels to create this richly flavorful, complex red wine.
Black Star Farms offers their Vintner’s Select: a merlot-based blend of select small lots with unique characteristics. This premium dry red is full-bodied with rich dark fruit flavors that are complemented by hints of cocoa and spice. It is reminiscent of a Bordeaux-style blend and pairs well with robust meals including braised meats, stews and rich sauces.
Chateau de Leelanau will pour their 2011 Hawkins Red: Elegant and smooth, this light bodied red has an unbelievable strawberry nose and finishes with a dry peppery kick!
Chateau Fontaine will pour their 2011 Woodland Red: A blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah with aromas of rich, ripe fruit, nuances of blackberry and plum; the taste is luscious raspberry and pepper accented with soft tannins.
Ciccone Winery will offer their Due Rossi, a 2011 NEW Release! Blend of Marechal Foch & DeChaunac. This hearty semi-dry blend exhibits rich ripe flavors of plum and blackberry with a touch of pepper in the finish.
Forty-Five North offers their 45 Red: A blend of 35% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon & 30% Pinot Noir, aged in French oak for 11 months. Notes of blackberry and dark cherry with soft tannins up front and bit of spice.
Gill’s Pier will be pouring their 2010 Estate Cab Franc/Merlot: A French barreled, full-bodied Bordeaux style wine with deep flavors of black currant and raspberry with a hint of mint. Excellent finish. Extended cellaring option of 5-15 years.
Good Harbor will pour their Collaboration: A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Marechal Foch, Leon Millot, Chambourcin, Dechaunac. First the dark fruit aromas will catch your attention only then to be surprised by the cocoa and cedar nuances that follow. If it’s possible to be bold and elegant together, this wine has achieved just that. A rich, dry, complex wine.
Good Neighbor Organic will pour their Black Velvet: smooth, yet light bodied with 12.5% ABV, and just a hint of pepper.
L. Mawby offers a red disguised as a white, our Blanc de Noirs, from Pinot Noir. Enjoy this imposter as your search for red reds continues.
Longview Winery’s 2008 Barrel Reserve Cabernet Franc spent 18 months in French oak barrels and 2 years in the bottle. The reward for patience is clear – a ruby red, mouth filling and full-bodied red wine displaying blackberry, plum and spice with hints of vanilla and cocoa.
Verterra will pour their 2011 Reserve Red, a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot aged in French and American Oak hybrid barrels.
Grand Rapids Coffee Roasters Saturday Experience began as a way to give friends and family members a chance to sample our coffee and blends while we received feedback to improve our roasting and blending skills. As we perfected the process, more and more people came into our shop until one day we decided to open up every Saturday, 10:00am-3:00pm, to the public. The response has been extremely positive! We’re seeing many customers come back on a regular schedule to get their fresh roasted coffee, often bringing their friends and families in for the Saturday Experience. Some customers have worked with us on their own personal blends while others are turning into self-described “coffee snobs”. Although Grand Rapids Coffee Roasters is a roastery, not a coffee shop, we wanted to make your coffee sampling experience comfortable as well as memorable so we have tables, chairs and even started a “mug club” so that you may enjoy your coffee in an eclectic coffee mug. Feel free to bring in any clean coffee mug to add to our ever growing collection. We also have free wireless internet so computer geeks are welcome too.
Our Saturday Experience includes at least three brewed coffee samples for you to try as well as espresso shots and, on special days, free chocolate samples from Awesome Chocolates. We will custom roast any of our Select Single Origin coffees so that you may take them home right out of the roaster while the beans are still warm. The Saturday Specials start at $18.50 for a 2lb bag and $27.50 for a 3lb bag.
Another customer favorite is our Gourmet Flavored Coffees. These can be purchased fresh roasted for $22.00 for a 2lb bag and $33.00 for a 3lb bag (see web site for available flavors). If you prefer not to wait for your coffee to be roasted, you can preorder here on our web site or call your order in and arrange a time on Saturday to pick it up. Stop by this Saturday and see why nobody in Michigan sells fresher coffee than Grand Rapids Coffee Roasters!
Drink More Coffee…Drink More Coffee…Drink More Coffee
New Holland Brewing offer brewery and distillery tours at our Production Brewery every Saturday. No need to reserve your spot in advance
Brewery tours are at 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Tours are $10 per person and include samples of our beer as well as a take-home New Holland pint glass. Distillery tours are offered at 1:30 pm. they are $5 per person and include samples of our spirits.
Tickets for both brewery and distillery tours may be purchased at the pub in Downtown Holland (66 East 8th Street) or may be paid for at the Production Brewery when you arrive for your tour (cash only). Tours are sold separately.
Summer tour hours begin May 7 and run through November 19. Summer tours are at 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm (Distillery only at 1:30 pm) and 3:00 pm on Saturdays only. Fall/Winter tours will be in effect November 20 through April 30, and are scheduled at 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm on Saturdays only.
Hope to see you soon!
Admission: $5.00 Distillery/$10.00 Brewery
Want to learn about what makes Brewery Vivant beer so special? There is no better way than to learn from the very people whose passion put that beer in your glass. Tours are also a lot of fun. Impress your out-of-town guests by bringing them down to see how your local beer is made.
Official Brewery tours are given every Saturday at 2:00 and 3:30. No reservations needed, just show up. Must be 21 years or older to take the tour. Cost of the tour is $5 and includes beer samples. All tour attendees get 10% off coupon from the company store. Use it for shirts, hats, beer glasses, or take a 4 pk or case of beer home with you.
Enjoy an evening out doing something truly special: cooking, eating and enjoying food in front of a warm, October fire. Appetizers, fresh pasta and sauces, desserts and the adult beverages that you choose to bring. A relaxing and fun evening with Fellow Foodies…and no cleanup!
Register by calling 616.987.9597 or visit our website at http://
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Thank you for stopping by Eat Local, West Michigan! I hope you find lots of inspiration for eating (and drinking) locally, whether that means cooking produce from local farms to feed your family or checking out the latest microbrewery or restaurant. [Read More …]
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