Keweenaw Brewing Company round-up

One of my more memorable vacations of the past few years was my visit to the Upper Peninsula. The UP (pronounced "You Pee" DON'T LAUGH) comprises roughly a third of Michigan's landmass, but contains only about 10% of it's population. It's also one of the most unique areas of the United States: culturally distinctive, geographically isolated, and possessing a wildness usually only found in Western states. Home to gray wolves, and now possibly cougars, it is a must-visit destination for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in Great Lakes culture. It also inspired one of my favorite Sufjan Stevens songs!

One of the few craft brewing operations in the UP is the Keweenaw Brewing Company out of South Range, MI. They would be notable for this fact alone, except that they do another unusual thing: their beers are sold in cans! Those Yoopers! Always gotta be different! Canning is seldom done in craft brewing operations, for reasons that I'm not sure of. Canning is cheaper than bottling, and cans can be taken outdoors - something that is probably a big selling point given the UP's outdoors-centric lifestyle.

But being different ain't enough! Are these canned concoctions any good?



Name: Lift Bridge Brown Ale
Variety: Brown Ale
ABV: 5%
Price: ~$8 six pack

Lift bridges, such as the Portage Lift Bridge featured on the can, are a type of bridge rarely found in the United States. Most tend to be older, built during an era of iron and steel and without the benefit of modern architectural engineering or space-age materials. Bridges are also among Michigan's most beloved structures, second probably only to lighthouses. So hey! Why not put one on a beer?

This particular brown ale pours like a cola; rich brown color, lots of fizz, and a foamy tan head. Scent is very sweet and yeasty. Taste is about as equally sweet with a bit of nuttiness, but the overall package is quite watered down. It tastes OK out of a glass, but made me say "Bleagh" when I tried it straight from the can.

Rating: 4/10 - Some hints of flavor, but not as rich as a brown ale should be.



Name: Pickaxe Blonde Ale
Rating: Golden Ale
ABV: 4.7%
Price: ~8 six pack

Hey, if St. Pauli Girl has proven anything, it's that people will buy beer if it has a foxy lady on the label.



Pours a clear, straw yellow with an off-white head. Scent is very, very light - somewhat bread-like with a little bit of hops? The taste is very fizzy and light, but generally kind of unpleasant. Tastes quite cheap. Not as cheap as actual CHEAP beer, mind you, but it could be more than it is.

Rating: 2/10 - Not a blonde you want to take home with you.



Name: Red Jacket Amber Ale
Variety: Amber Ale
ABV: 5.1%
Price: ~$8 six pack

Is it just me, or does the guy on the can look like the old Tampa Bay Buccaneers logo?



Not that there's anything wrong with that!



Pour is a clear reddish-amber with an eggshell-colored head (is there a difference between eggshell and off-white?) Scent is heavily malted with a hint of hops, but, like the previous two beers, the smell is mostly intangible. Tastes like a typical amber with light, fruity malts and a touch of bitterness. I'm not crazy about ambers to start with, and this one doesn't stand out, sadly.

Rating: 4/10 - Hey, remember when the Bucs won a Super Bowl? Seems like forever ago, don't it?



Name: Widow Maker Black Ale
Variety: Schwarzbier
ABV: 5.2%
Price: ~$8 six pack

Last but not least is the darkest of the lot, Widow Maker Black Ale. Apparently this was named after a mining drill that had a high death rate for the men that operated it. It was also apparently ridden by a saucy tart in a red dress!



Hey, it looks like a stout! Thick and dark with a caramelized head, this would fool you if you hadn't read the label first. Scent is that of roasted malts, molasses, and a little bit of chocolate. The taste and body is very light and drinkable, with some pleasing nutty flavors to accompany the roasted malts. Surprisingly tasty, and easily the best of the bunch.

Rating: 7/10 - Worthy of a six-pack purchase.

E-mail me at mibeerguy@yahoo.com to tell me I was too harsh on ol' Keweenaw.

P.S. Here's some shots from my vacation to the UP. SINCE I KNOW EVERYONE LOVES VACATION PHOTOS SO MUCH.

Recipe Review: Blues-Bustin' Beef Stew

Yes, it's true folks. I love winter. And while it doesn't OFFICIALLY start until December 21st, we all know better - it starts the EXACT moment that Halloween candy is marked 50% off. So welcome to winter, folks!

And while I love winter, it can be a downer of a season sometimes. The trees are bare, most of the songbirds have left, and all the ladybugs are dead until spring.



OK, yeah, I promised. No more depressing stuff. But there's no denying that the coldest of seasons can also be the harshest. Fortunately, I've got a hearth-and-soul warming recipe to chase those chills away!

Blues-Bustin' Beef Stew
Recipe Link: None! This is a recipe given to my fiancee by one of her friends, so you can only find it online right here!

Ingredients
* 1 to 1 1/2 pounds cubed stew beef - mine from Lamb Farm in Manchester, MI
* 2 medium yellow onions
* 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes - mine by Eden Foods in Clinton, MI
* 1 clove garlic
* 1 cup dry red wine
* 3 tablespoons cooking oil
* salt
* pepper

Required: One large crock pot, one large non-stick pan

Preparation
I have to note that this recipe is just the BASIC list of ingredients. One of the great things about crock pot dishes and stews in general is you can toss in just about anything you like, so long as it fits the dish's profile. Secondly, MY GOD LOOK AT THIS ONION.



For Pete's sake, this is the largest onion I've ever seen! It's seriously the size of a softball and feels like it weighs more than a pound! I'm 6'4" with very large hands, so that should give you some idea as to this monster's scale. So when I say 2 MEDIUM ONIONS I suppose I also mean 1 RIDICULOUSLY LARGE ONION.

OK, let's set Onionzilla aside for a second and start on the dish. First, take the cooking oil and coat the bottom of a large, non-stick pan. I almost exclusively use olive oil, but anything that heats and sputters will do the trick here. Turn the range up to MEDIUM and wait a few minutes for the pan to heat up.



Dump the stew beef into the pan, separating the cubes as necessary. This will make them easier to flip over.



Salt and pepper the beef while it cooks. I'm a kosher salty guy, and I loooooves the pepper, but you can scale how much you use to your own preferences. Like I said, feel free to improvise!

After about two minutes, flip the cubes so that the browned side faces up.



Mmmmm, don't that look grand? Salt and pepper the beef again, and then cook for another 2 minutes or so. We're not trying to cook the beef completely, mind you! We just want it nicely browned a bit so it's not totally raw when you toss it into the crock pot. WHICH YOU SHOULD DO RIGHT NOW (but don't turn the heat on yet). Drain the excess fat from the pan, and return it to the range.

Now it's time for the onion! Chop it up to a size of your liking - I prefer larger pieces for this recipe since there's nothing better than a big, caramelized piece of onion soaking up all kinds of stew juices.

Transfer the chopped onion(s) into the freshly drained pan.



Turn the heat up to MEDIUM and let the onion pieces become nice and brown. This'll take about 20 minutes, so feel free to peel the garlic clove while you're waiting. When the diced onion is browned to your liking, add the whole clove and cook for about three more minutes.



When it is done, ALL TOGETHER NOW, toss it into the pot.



Don't toss the pan in the sink, we still need it! Take the can of tomatoes and dump that whole mess right on in.



I suppose you could dice your own tomatoes if you like, but I HATE dicing tomatoes, so I'm taking the lazy route. Sue me.

Now we're going to need that cup of red wine. This is the part where I tell you guys about some great Michigan wine, right? VERY WRONG SIR. I HATE wine. I don't drink it, I don't get it, and I don't want to pay more than $5 for it. So I'm using some "Four Buck Chuck" Cabernet Sauvignon from Trader Joe's.

But feel free to use whatever awful thing you want. I REALLY won't judge you.



Eugh. Looks about as good as it smells. But trust me! We're going good places here.

Bring the foul mixture to a boil, but DO NOT REDUCE. Instead, CROCK POT. DUMP INTO IT.



There! You're done! But is it just me, or does this feel a little lacking? Stew is supposed to be filling, and I just don't know if tomatoes and onion is going to cut it...



That'll do it! Throw in some hastily peeled golden potatoes from Homer, MI and some carrots and baby, you got a stew going! This is the part where you could REALLY go nuts. Celery, cabbage, leeks, kale, beets... whatever weird vegetable you happen to like, I guarantee it would fit in with this recipe.

But it isn't cooked yet! Set the crock pot to LOW and let the whole mixture simmer for about 7-8 hours. Yes, you heard me. What part of "slow-cooker" don't you understand? So feel free to go about your day or watch some really long programming. Perhaps the latest Ken Burns' documentary? Or nearly a full season of The Wire or Mad Men? Or you could be a big weirdo and, I dunno, read a book or something dumb like that.

*magic Internet fastforward*



It's done! Oh, doesn't that look beautiful? Just looking at that makes my hypothermia slightly less torturous.



Serve over a bed of rice or mashed potatoes for a hearty winter meal that any bitter soul will enjoy. Savory and rich with delightfully tender bits of beef, this is a deceptively simple and cheap recipe - you'll be amazed at how much flavor is created by so few ingredients. Double-up the recipe and make a big pot the next time company comes for the holidays - you'll be the chef that saved Christmas!

Rating: 9/10 - Pure comfort food that's easy and fun to make. It beats the blues, but nothing can beat it!