It Was The Worst Of Times, But The Best Of Beers

I wonder if this is like the hypothesis of the best music is made when the economy is worse - is the best beer made in the hardest hit states? Because the NYT loves itself some Michigan beer.

See: A Delicious Free-for-All

That Cooks' House Is So Hot Right Now

The Cooks' House is getting a lot of well deserved press.

See MyNorth: A Day Inside The Cooks' House, a Remarkable Traverse City Restaurant

and Food & Wine: Michigan: In Defense of B-List Wine Country

The food scene is also dynamic, embracing all things artisanal and farm-to-table. The two-year-old Cooks' House, for instance, is a tiny storefront restaurant that serves seasonal dishes worthy of an A-list wine country, like a slow-cooked pulled pork sandwich dressed in a sweet barbecue sauce and tucked into a crusty artisan roll.

Short's Is Expanding Their Line Just In Time For Christmas

Now this would make a great stocking stuffer!

Via MLive: Short's Brewing Company to release eight beers in bottles starting Thursday

Cup A Joe – Coffee Cream Stout.
Kind Ale – Fresh Wet Hop Beer.
Mystery Stout – Molasses and Cocoa.
Uncle Steve's – High-alcohol Irish stout.
Liberator – Double IPA with Huma-Lupa-Licious (IPA) base and twists of Nicie Spicie (spiced wheat ale), Hangin' Frank (strong ale) and Stellar (hoppy twin brother of Frank).
Uber Goober — Peanut Oatmeal Stout.
PB & J – Blend of Uber Goober and Soft Parade (fruit rye ale).
Good Humans — Double brown using exclusing [sic] malts.

Great Lakes Potato Chip Company

TCBN reports on a new company launching in Spring 2010 from the same people who brought Pangea's downtown.

See: Introducing our newest food export...

Come April or May, you’ll be introduced to the Great Lakes Potato Chip Company, the brainchild of Ed Girrbach and his son Chris, owners of TC’s Pangea’s Pizza.

The duo plans to build the company from scratch, will purchase a building within days, and produce three chip varieties before the summer tourism season begins.

Traverse City's Winter Farmer's Market In The Mercato

Our family has a tradition of walking to the Sara Hardy downtown Farmer's Market every Saturday morning in the summer. This year we may be able to start a new tradition as Traverse City now has an indoor market to extend the season for consumers.

The Mercato at Building 50 over at the Commons is hosting the market.

See the Record-Eagle: GT Commons launches winter farmers market

And featured there are chestnuts from serial entrepreneur Ella Cooper's Croft Chestnuts.

More on these chestnuts at Northern Express' Tastemakers.

MyNorth Lists The IPA's Of Northern Michigan

The original India Pale Ale was created in order to not spoil when beer was shipped from London to the colonists in India. See: History Of India Pale Ale

Now it is regarded as the "beeriest" of beers.

Follow the Hops Trail to Northern Michigan Microbrews

Black Star Farms Shares Their Hot Spiced Cider Recipe

Via A Celebration of Autumn!

1 bottle Black Star Farms Hard Apple Cider

6 oz. water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

a couple sprinkles of ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and give it a good stirring. Heat gently (for approx. 30 minutes), but do not boil, and do not stir again. Skim off the spices on top, serve and enjoy.

Innovation

I read at the Accidental Hedonist a post by Kate about what makes Belgium beer so unique. See: Belgium and Beer
And I think she nailed it when she wrote

As I look at the beers of Belgium, I realize that one reason their beers stand out is their willingness to add anything to the brew to see what the end result will be. While Germany has their brewing traditions steeped in the Reinheitsgebot, a regulation that restricts what ingredients can go into a beer, the Belgians have no such law holding them back. Fruits, herbs, and spices can and do make their way into various mash tuns throughout the country. The Beer Judging Certification Program recognizes fifteen different beer styles that can be considered Belgian. That's quite an accomplishment for a country that's smaller than the state of Maryland.

Then there are the Belgian beers that are takes on other regional types. There are breweries in Belgium that make their own stouts, pilsners, and India Pale Ales. So not only are there the traditional Belgian Beers, there are also brands that reflect the other cultures.

To frustrate other international brewers even more, not only do the Belgians make all of these beers, they tend to make them very well.

What struck me is how what is said of these Belgium brews could just as well apply to Michigan brewers. Especially northern Michigan's own Right Brain Brewery and Short's Brewing Company.

The willingness of the breweries to experiment is what has led to their success. They were the most popular tents at the TC Microbrew and Music festival and as Rick Coates recently wrote in the Northern Express

Both Short’s and Right Brain are among the most innovative breweries in the state. Both breweries have built their success not only on quality but by stretching the envelope when it comes to expanding and interrupting beer styles. Right Brain recently had a Wasabi ale and a couple of years ago Shorts made a Wild Mushroom ale with local mushrooms.

Northern Michigan is a nice place, and having these brewers who do not hesitate to try new recipes makes it even more so, it is a lesson many of us can apply to our own lives.

Use Thermotherapy To Keep Fresh Berries From Getting Moldy

Via the NYT: Prolonging the Life of Berries

For thicker-skinned blueberries, a Canadian study recommended a 140-degree treatment for 30 seconds. I tested it twice, with samples of around 150 berries each time. That heat took the bloom off. It melted the natural wax that gives the berries their whitish cast, and left them midnight blue. It also cut the number of moldy berries from around 20 per sample to 2.

So this is like inviting berries to the James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party.
"Should I get in the hot tub?
Yeah!
Will it make me wet?
Yeah!"

Eddie Murphy - James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub

Domenica Marchetti Writes Again About Her Northern Michigan Vacation

First it was Cherries, now she writes about Leelanau Cheese's Raclette at her "Say Cheese" blog hosted at the Washington Post: Say Cheese: Raclette Born in the USA

Bellaire's Shorts Brewery Lines Up Four (maybe five) Year-Round Brews

Via Mlive: Short's Brewing Co. update: Soft Parade bottles hit shelves, $250,000 expansion underway

As it attempts to meet production needs for its four main beers -- Huma, Pandemonium, Brown and Soft Parade -- Short's is tentatively hoping to add one more year-round bottle, The Magician, the dark red London ale.
Newman-Bale said they're also considering adding seasonal bottle releases with the winter brew, Cup 'O Joe, the coffee cream stout, and The Liberator, Joe Short's 30th birthday brew, a "pretty intense" double Huma. It could happen by November or December, he said.

I Like Cherries

Note to Ms. Marchetti, those of us who reside "Up North" love our raw cherries too!

See NPR: Pucker Up For Sour Cherries

It wasn't until the late 1980s that sour cherries entered my orbit again, when I headed to Detroit to take my first newspaper reporting job. By day I chased local news, but on my own time I chased local foods. I soon discovered that the northwestern part of the state along the shores of Lake Michigan (fondly known to Michiganders as Up North) is the sour cherry capital of the U.S.

*Bonus* Audio Two's "I like cherries"

Container Gardening With Hops

Yes, it can be done. See Homegrown Evolution: Hops in Containers
Perfect for the home brewer.

Foraging For Mulberries

I love mulberries. I love getting a purple juice stained hand when picking them. Around Traverse City the mulberry trees are still producing juicy berries. In past years I've picked mulberries around Cherry Festival time. But what to do with all this bounty? How about a mulberry tarte tatin.

See Goodeater: Urban Foraging: Mulberries

The Atlantic Food Channel posted an apple tarte tatin recipe too.

Feeling Hopy

The Old Mission Hop Exchange has a web site up!
See: OldMissionHops.com

The Old Mission Hop Exchange was conceived in 2007 by four area farmers who recognized the emerging need for locally grown, sustainable hops to serve the craft brewing industry of Northern Michigan including both commercial breweries and home craft brewers. Old Mission Hop Exchange is joined by area hops farmers to literally plant our way to success filling a niche so critical to the discerning beer brewing devotee.

Web Resources For Foodies

When I am looking for recipes or food advice online my first stop is usually the Good Eats Fan Page where there are full transcripts of all of Alton Brown's 'Good Eats' episodes.

Then I'll check MarthaStewart.com.

Here are some additional resources as compiled by ReadWriteWeb: Eat Right Web: 18 Great Cooking Resources

Great Year For Sugaring

From the Record-Eagle: Maple syrup numbers are way up

Maple syrup production in Michigan reached its highest level in more than six decades this spring, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The same cold weather that's delayed the development of other crops and produce around the state has been ideal for syrup producers, who enjoyed an extended sap run this spring.

And speaking of maple trees, see: Maple Seeds Ride Self-Generated Tornadoes

Get On The Juice

Tart cherry juice that is. In what will be welcome news to norther Michigan's tart cherry farmers, new research indicates tart cherry juice can help post-exercise recovery.

See PhysOrg: Is cherry juice a new 'sports drink?'

The study showed people who drank tart cherry juice while training for a long distance run reported significantly less pain after exercise than those who didn't.

Black Star Farms Has Opened An On-Site Cafe

And it is called Fire and Vine. Here's what they say:

Our new Fire & Vine, a vineyard cafe, market & bakery, celebrated its opening day on Saturday. Chef Corey is preparing pizzas and sandwiches in our wood-fire oven. There's also a traditional Raclette plate on the menu featuring Leelanau Cheese Company's award-winning Raclette cheese melted over boiled potatoes and roasted vegetables of the season. Corey's turning out some cool salads as well. Our wine is available by the glass or bottle.

Our market features processed foods from local producers including Cherry Republic, Food for Thought, Brownwood Farms, Sisson's, and Naturally Nutty. The health & home area features Michigan products from Up North Candles, Leelanau Lavender Breezes, and Creation Farms.

Gold For Black Star Farms' 2008 Dry Riesling

See: Gold at Riverside International Competition