2019 was a dynamic year for the Michigan beer scene: we welcomed some new friends and bid a teary farewell to others, but overall, a lot of great beer was enjoyed by a lot of lucky beer drinkers over the last 12 months.
2020 already looks to be bringing more change to the scene, with new breweries in the planning phase all over the state. Ones we're really looking forward to include: a new nano-brewery in Westland from one of MBT's favorite brewers; the long-long-long-awaited opening of Howell's newest brewery; and a fresh take on an old favorite as new owners revamp and expand one of MBT's most beloved watering holes. (These are what they refer to in the gossip business as "blind items.")
As we at Michigan Brew Tours bid farewell to 2019, we were able to squeeze one more tour into the year. Last weekend, we led an adventurous group of craft beverage enthusiasts on our Mead, Cider & Kombucha tour of Ferndale.
Urbanrest's kombucha has become so popular that they are expanding production, much to our (and our guests) delight. Three delicious, fruity booches were sampled at Urbanrest along with some savory charcuterie. As always, our host Jenna shared with us her hospitality and knowledge, giving the guests the behind-the-scenes tour (though we did miss you, Scoby).
Shawn at Schramm's dazzled us with melomels and metheglins and knowledge-bombs as we tasted our way through some of the best mead anywhere. The guests sampled varieties of raw honey and marveled at the distinct diversity of flavors the bees produced. Thanks to Shawn and Jackie for the hospitality and expertise.
Finally, B. Nektar provided some of their stellar flagship mead, Zombie Killer, along with a pair of delicious selections that Matt picked out special for the tour group. Love the atmosphere at B. Nektar and appreciate the hospitality and attentiveness of Matt and Meghan.
As we say "goodbye, 2019" and "howdy, 2020", we've already got the first few tours of the year coming up fast. There's still a few spots available for our Western Oakland Co. Tour on Saturday, Jan. 4 and we just added a slew of new tours to the calendar as well.
Hoping you all have a Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you on a Michigan Brew Tour soon!