Why wouldn’t October’s beer of the month be named Oktoberfest?

We couldn’t think of a good reason either.

Pigeon Hill Brewing in Muskegon produces this “lightly hopped beer (which) has a semi-dry finish that nicely complements its light-to-medium body. A light caramel and malty sweetness provides a pleasing smooth flavor.”

With an overall score of 3.57 out of 5 on BeerAdvocate.com’s scale, Oktoberfest is right in line with some of our past winners.

The beer come in at 20 IBUs and has an ABV of 6.0%.

“This is a pretty nice looking Marzen with a slightly higher amount of medium sweetness and a little bit of an apple cider-like aroma that ends with a fairly smooth & crisp, slightly creamy taste on the lighter side.” reader StoutHead said back on October 18, 2017.

Superspak had earlier chimed in with “tastes like a step between Pale Festbier and Amber Marzen overall. Clean and flavorful Pils/Munich malts, just enough bitterness for balance, and solid noble hop flavor presence. A very enjoyable offering, and great style example.”

Check out our October beer of the month while it lasts at:

PIGEON HILL BREWING COMPANY

•   500 W. Western Ave., Muskegon, MI 49440
•   @pigeonhillbrew
•   www.pigeonhillbrew.com

The September 2017 Beer of the Month is Lift Bridge Brown Ale from Keweenaw Brewing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. An ode to the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, one of only 26 vertical lift bridges in the US, which spans the Keweenaw Canal between Houghton and Hancock. It is reportedly the widest and heaviest double-decked lift bridge in the world.

So, we’ll lift a full glass and cheers to this American Brown Ale with its “rich, dark brown color, complex malt flavor” and hints of chocolate and caramel with a mild hop finish.

From bulk_carrier on ratebeer.com, “the appearance was a dark amber close to brown color with a finger’s worth of sustaining white foamy head. Some lace. The aroma had some toast, caramel, toffee, earthy hops, light grassiness. Ends with a little bit of woodiness. The flavor mildly leaned towards the malts trying to pull in some light sweetness. But some light roast and some bitterness came in for a decent balance. Nice malty aftertaste. Some wood dryness and earthy hops in the finish. The feel was about medium bodied with a decent sessionability about it. Good carbonation. ABV felt right. Overall, pretty good brown ale to me. I’d have again if I could get it.

Looking to take a trip north to Michigan Tech to drop our your college student? Keweenaw Brewery’s taproom is located in Downtown Houghton on the north side of Shelden Ave. (US-41). They feature a daily selection of fresh beers brewed right on the premises. They even provide roasted peanuts for guests in their welcoming environment. The 3400 sq. ft. taproom includes two bars, a seating area around a fireplace and an outside deck.

But don’t confuse Lift Bridge Brown Ale by Keweenaw Brewing with Lift Bridge Brewery in Stillwater, MN. Stillwater is home to a lift bridge with spans the St. Croix River northeast of St. Paul, MN, a mere 300+ miles away from Copper Country.

The newest brew at Keweenaw is Point Trail Ale. The beer was crafted specially to benefit the Copper Harbor Trails Club, which maintains 40 miles of single track trails in the Keweenaw Peninsula. 25 percent of profits from Point Trail Ale will support constructing its namesake, the new Keweenaw Point Trail. The trail is “going to be, eventually, about 30 miles. We currently have phase 1 and phase 2 on the ground for a total of about 8 miles. We’ve got another 16 miles in the plans, and that’s what this product is going to help support is the next 16 miles of trail,” said Lori Hauswirth, executive director of Copper Harbor Trails Club.

Cloudy, hazy and a tiny foam cresting the top with a golden finish.

While that sounds like a late fall day on the south pier in Grand Haven on the shores of Lake Michigan, to us it’s the perfect portrayal of what the offseason hoops and hops should be.

Ladies and gentlemen, let us introduce you to Odd Side Ale’s Dirty Dank Juice. It’s their take on a New England IPA, the second consecutive month the staff here at BeerCityHoops has chosen the Nor’easter-style brew (following Old Nation’s M-43 in July). As Odd Side’s website describes it, “low bitterness gives way to juicy hops and a smooth, creamy, hazy beer.”

We, in fact, were enveloped by the the orange, citrus and other fruity tones as the Dank poured freely from our first cans into the suggested tulip glasses at the Dirty Water Tavern, our “meeting room” of choice here at the office. Dirty Dank Juice has a 7% ABV and 55 IBUs.

The Dirty Dank Juice rates in at an 87 on BeerAdvocate.com and a 92 on RateBeer.com, with an overall 3.8 out of 5.0 in 12 ratings.

While many on the beer rating sites claim this may or may not be a “true” New England, we’ve come to believe that if you believe, you can call it what you want. The mellow finishing notes hide the overall feel of being bitter, playing soft and medium in the end.

Medium in body, kind of sticky in texture, and above average in carbonation.

The Odd Side Ales Dank collection includes renditions in Pink Guava, Mango, Passion, Amarillo, Pineapple (which hit stores in early August) and Mosaic.

At the brewery, located at 41 Washington Ave. in downtown Grand Haven, Odd Sides works with Electric Hero Sandwich Shop, which will deliver lunch or dinner right to you while you experience the odd side of Coast Guard City, USA.

Last year, North Peak Brewing out of Traverse City, MI took home the Hoops’ 2016 offseason title.

Our July choice for Beer of the Month, M-43 New England IPA, is from Old Nation Brewing’s “New Orthodox” IPA series.

Last week, we were at HopCat in Grand Rapids on our “best burger and beer combo” tour and had the opportunity to do some taste testing out of both a can and off the tap.  While we enjoy a great can of beer, especially in one of our koozies, the M-43 tends to settle a bit near the bottom and we recommend having them pour you a draft when possible.

M-43 is a juicy IPA made using a slightly different process than the normal IPAs we’re familiar with. The brewers use oats to secure the juiciness near the end of the beer. It is also dry-hopped during fermentation.

This beer is hazy and cloudy in features. M-43 gets its haze “not from yeast, but rather from an interplay of lipids from the malted oat and oils and acids which naturally occur in the hand selected Dry hops”, according to the Old Nation website.

M-43 uses a combo of Calypso, Amarillo, Citra and Simcoe hops for it’s 6.8% ABV and 65 IBUs.

BeerAdvocate.com rates it as a “world class” 96. With 242 ratings on their website, M-43 brings home a 4.45 average on a scale of 5.

Old Nation Brewing is located in Williamston, MI, about 90 miles east of Beer City, USA.

From the Old Nation website:

“The First release in Old Nation’s “New Orthodox” IPA series, M-43 is designed to accentuate the deep and complex character from the combination of Calypso, Simcoe, Citra and Amarillo hops. Citrus and Tropical notes of Pineapple, Mango and Grapefruit come through in the huge, yet surprisingly delicate aroma. The flavor backs these aromas with a soft, pillowy mouthfeel. Hop bitterness is not particularly intense, which leads to a very drinkable, New England IPA even non-IPA fans love. The Haze is not from yeast, but rather from an interplay of lipids from the malted oat and oils and acids which naturally occur in the hand selected Dry hops. This beer is a perfect interplay between top grade malt and hops, MI water and brewing technique which cannot be faked.

Hops aren’t cheap, but M-43 is worth every penny!”

We agree.

Looks like porter, taste like hops

What can’t we say about our June 2017 Beer of the Month from the newest brewery to open up in Beer City, USA?

City Built Brewing, located at 820 Monroe NW near the Grand River just north of the Sixth Street bridge, serves up a pretty mean 6.66% ABV Nordic-inspired black IPA made with juniper and cardamom.

Cascading Into Darkness (pictured at left) is a black/Cascadian dark ale that hits like a rainstorm in Seattle and causes the same facial expression your dad gave you after describing the third change in your college major back in sophomore year. “Damn!?!”

Yes, it looks like a porter, dark and deep. But it finishes like an IPA, floral and hoppy. If you know the Hoops crew, (if not, just follow along with our Beer of the Month blog) IPA’s are our deal. And this beer is a big one in our books.

With 110 check-ins on untapped.com, it’s 91 ratings average out to a 3.78 overall score for the 65 IBU concoction from brewmaster/co-owner Dan Petroelje.

With the honor of knowing co-owner Ed Collazo beforehand, our group experienced a great night on the town in the former Sackner Products building now run by 616 Development that also houses the 616 Lofts, Beer City Barre, Fido & Stitch and Field & Fire.

The menu is Puerto Rican-inspired delicacy, prepared for the local Grand Rapidian or any weary traveler, including this dedicated writer, pen hoarder and inspiration of ours.

GET THE TACOS! It doesn’t matter what kind you would order, (pork, shrimp, chicken, cheeses or veggie) you must try them all. The Hoops crew also got a bit cheesy by ordering the Queservesa, a warm housemade beer cheese with sofrito and cheddar jack, which is served hot with house tortilla chips. Then, order another round of food and drinks.

Congrats, City Built Brewing!

The BeerCityHoops Beer of the Month for June 2017 is Cascading Into Darkness!

Tweet at us using the hashtag, #IAmBeerCity

  Don’t forget to check out the City Built online store for all your swag!

Hey, bud-dy!

We’ve got a new bodacious beer of the month and we’re proud to announce that for May 2017 the crew will be Linc-ing up with Wheezin’ The Juice IPA from Grand Armory Brewing in Grand Haven, MI.

Whether you’re surfing the turf or shredding a mean wave on Michigan’s west coast, make sure to get yourself, Cashmere and Rajni over to the taproom. Housed in the 111-year-old Armory Building, located at 17 S. Second St. in the heart of Grand Haven’s downtown district, the Grand Armory is just blocks from the waterfront and Lake Michigan’s beaches. The taproom has 20 taps and offers many styles of ales, hand-crafted ciders, old-fashioned sodas and wine.

This 6.3% ABV, 37 IBU brew is represented as “a juicy IPA for nugs, chillin, and grindage. The Mosaic and Citra dry hop makes you feel like you’re in Encino, sneaking slushee pulls right off the machine”, this juicy IPA is an honorable tribute to the performance of a young duo named Pauly Shore and Brendan Fraser in the iconic stoner classic, Encino Man.

With a menu that satisfies without having to be microwaved in sneaky fashion, the Grand Armory kitchen boasts “huge & awesome sandwiches” including the ‘Merican and a spring specials menu.

Any way you look at it, “I’ll be back” for more.