November 2017: Bockefeller by Atwater Brewing

BOCKEFELLER wins November!

Atwater Brewing Company’s Bockefeller has been named the November 2017 Beer of the Month by the  BeerCityHoops staff.

Brewed to flavor the season, Atwater’s Winter Bock “boasts the body and deep malt flavors matched with a warming, but well blended hint of alcohol”, according to their website. This brew chimes in with an ABV of 7.00% and IBU rating of 25.

Over on Untappd app, 68 users check in monthly with 7,151 unique hits and 8,686 totals hits for Bockefeller.

BeerAdvocate.com gives the winner 3.75 out of 5 score with a VERY GOOD rating. One user described it: “Pours an orange amber color with decent head. Kinda taste Like a Mai Bock. Starts out with a mild caramel honey flavor maybe hints of bread only slightly sweet. Then turns a little bitter with some hop notes. The very final finish ends more sweet. Somewhat smooth over all.”

 

October 2017: Pigeon Hill’s Oktoberfest

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

Allen Durham wins back-to-back Best Import award in Philippines Basketball

For the second straight season, Allen Durham has taken home the award for Best Import in the Philippines Basketball Association.

After taking home the award last season, the former Grace Bible College standout returned to the islands this year and averaged 27.8 points, 19.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists while helping the Meralco Bolts back to the PBA Finals. Durham shot 49% from the field, 45% from behind the 3-point arc and 70% from the free throw line in nearly 40 minutes per game during conference play.

Meralco returned to the PBA Finals against rival Ginabray but find themselves in a 2-0 deficit heading into Game 3 on Wednesday.

Durham is the first player since Gabe Freeman, the winner of the Best Import in 2009 and 2010, to win back-to-back awards.

Nikki Thompkins named head coach of Grand Rapids Galaxy

When the Grand Rapids Galaxy open the 2018 Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League (WBCBL) season there will be a new voice in charge of the sidelines. Nikki Thompkins, a 1990 graduate of Creston High School in Grand Rapids, will take over the reigns as head coach.

Nikki Thompkins Galaxy
Galaxy owner William Kelly, head coach Nikki Thompkins and GM/VP Darnell Hollis

When asked about the future of the Galaxy, Thompkins hopes to “build on the success of our inaugural season last year. We have revamped the staff but still bring a winning attitude to the new season. We look forward to a new style of play, increased sponsorship, great attendance and more community involvement.”

New GM/VP of Operations for the team, Darnell Hollis, made the move official today, announcing it on social media. Hollis, also a Creston HS graduate, spent last season as an assistant coach with the Galaxy.

“I loved playing for Creston High School. I’m a proud Polar Bear!!”

Thompkins starred for the Polar Bears before heading off to Central Michigan University (1991-1994). She ranks 12th on the Chippewa’s all-time scoring list with 1,258 points, averaging 12.0 points per game. The Galaxy will surely be practicing their shooting and rebounding early and often this season. Thompkins still ranks at the top of the list on CMU’s field-goal percentage rankings at 54.3% for her career. She holds the 10th place spot for rebounds at 780, or 7.4 boards per game.

Thompkins played alongside Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame recent inductee, Carla Sterk, during her time at CMU.

She then spent eight years as a professional player in Isreal, Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey. After her experiences working out with WNBA teams and training with UTS Sports Training, her passion for the game shows she is ready to lead the team to a successful season.

During last year’s City League Pride Weekend, an event put together by former Union High School All-Stater Michael “Pops” Sims (Marquette University), Thompkins led the Polar Bears squad to a tourney championship and was named MVP. When asked about the weekend, Thompkins showed her inner spirit and competitiveness, “That was awesome. It was great to represent my school and win. Bragging rights!!! I loved being the only female and dominating the guys! haha”

Hollis knew he wanted Thompkins to coach this team from the very start. “I wanted Nikki to be the coach when I was offered the job. My number one goal was to bring a coach that has passion and love for this game. When you want a team to win and have the passion it starts with the coach. I couldn’t think of a better person than Nikki,” Hollis told us in an interview. “I watched her in practice last year and listened to her talk about the game. I new she could lead a team and help develop a team to continue their career of playing professional basketball. Not to mention both of us being Polar Bears (Creston High School) helped a lot.”

The Galaxy are in good hands on the floor and in the office. Maybe a WBCBL championship isn’t so far, far away after all.

The 3-Point Turn: The Legacy of Michael Sanders

Finding a way through the world after the loss of a loved one is quite possibly the most difficult task to take on. Elizabeth Sanders has accepted that challenge and excelled at making sure her late husband’s legacy lives on.

Michael Sanders was an avid basketball player who grew up in the Wilcox Park neighborhood. His love for the game was only matched by his devotion to his family. After his cancer diagnosis in 2014, Michael fought the good fight and made sure that Elizabeth knew she was loved and would be taken care of. That fight lasted 18 months. On July 26, 2016, this world lost that fighter. But his legacy lives on.

Elizabeth set up a Patronicity campaign aimed at raising $12,500 in Michael’s name to be donated to update and reinvent the basketball courts at Wilcox Park, a place Mike was known to trash-talk the best of the trash-talkers. On September 11th, the campaign went live. Within three days, the goal had been reached and the Michigan Economic Development Coalition had agreed to match the $12,500 for a grand total of $25,000. But, the campaign was not over yet. With an closing fundraising date of November 10, 2017, we still have the opportunity to help raise funds for even more projects at Wilcox Park. While the original goal was to honor Mike and update the courts, there’s possibility of upgrading the bathroom facilities, the lighting and more. Oh yeah, there’s going to be a bench for us old fogies.

Campaign raises over $12500 in 3 days in honor of Michael Sanders

While Elizabeth is doing all she can to keep Mike’s legacy alive, she’s also jumping at the chance to chase her dreams, something her husband was adamant about. She’s currently researching and schooling herself in Thai Massage and Yoga (you’ll see her soon at Yoga Fever in GR), running and writing the flyoverwidow blog and looking to self-publish her new book (yet to be titled).

Listen to the podcast to hear her real emotions and the love that she has in her heart.

Maybe you’ll join us at the dedication on the basketball court at Wilcox Park and trash-talk the writer of this article. Hopefully, you’ll join us on the brick roads of Eastown to raise a glass and cheers Michael. We hope to see you there.

 

(photo courtesy of Abbey Moore Photography)

September 2017: Lift Bridge Brown Ale – Keweenaw Brewing

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.

Happy Birthday, Steve Scheffler!

Happy Birthday to Steve Scheffler!

Scheffler starred at Forest Hills Northern during the mid-1980’s and made the All-State team in both basketball, as a center, and football, as a defensive tackle.

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Scheffler was recruited in both sports, including interest from Michigan’s Bo Schembechler. Despite not playing much during his first two years at Purdue, Scheffler’s determination and grit led to his rise as a Boilermaker. After making the Sweet Sixteen as a sophomore, Purdue went 15-16 during Scheffler’s junior season, one that coach Gene Keady leaned heavily on the center. Senior season stats of 16.8 points and 6.1 rebounds, Purdue made it to the NCAA Tournament, losing in the second round to Texas.

Scheffler was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2nd round (39th overall) in the 1990 NBA Draft. He spent one season with Charlotte before the parties split ways. Scheffler would have stints with both the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings before finding a home in Seattle.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5601200-tales-for-boilermaker-country

Joining the Supersonics for the 1992-92 season, Scheffler was on board for the Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp years. The Sonics lost to in the Western Conference Finals that year to the Phoenix Suns, but would stay afloat in the title chase for the next 4 seasons.

Scheffler made 4 appearances during the 1996 NBA Finals against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls won the series 4-2.

For the Sonics’ 35th anniversary, a poll conducted found that Scheffler was their favorite 12th man.

Scheffler now owns and operates his own marketing business in Grand Rapids, MI.

August 2017: Odd Side Ale’s Dirty Dank Juice

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

Grand Haven pier hazy
(photo credit: Elyse Merritt)

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 Dank Collection

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.