Dolly Konwinski photo

Dutton Days is in a league of its own

IMG_5356When we finally figured out who was the designated driver for the day, the crew headed out On the Mitten Road last Saturday for Dutton Days in southern Kent County.

The 15-minute drive to Dutton, MI for their annual parade, beer tent and festival took IMG_5387us to Railtown Brewing, who renamed their Bike Ride Blonde as Brody’s Blonde for the day. Railtown was donating $1 from every pint sold to the Hope for Brody fundraiser, there were also growlers for sale dedicated to the cause. Gim Lee and the guys at RB were serving some limited editions in the beer tent.

Arts and crafts vendors, jewelry artists and local IMG_5357businesses were on hand to get to know the public. We never made it over to the Motorcycle and Car Show or the Kids Zone, but found a gem in local legend and Grand Rapids Chicks star Dolly Konwinski. Dolly had pictures, cards and books available for sale and autographing. After we talked for a bit about her days teaching kids andumpiring games, including some of my own, through Kentwood Baseball Little League, I was lucky enough to get a photo with her.

June: New Holland’s Extra Time Pale Ale

BeerCityHoops is proud to announce our June 2016 Beer of the Month is New Holland Brewing‘s Extra Time Pale Ale.

It’s the creation of New Holland Head Pub Brewer Steve Berthel and features Michigan-sourced ingredients and is the perfect beer to enjoy before, during, and after cheering on GRFC.

Bob's BarThis past weekend, the team headed down to Bob’s Bar to chase the Grand Army and follow the mob down to Houseman Field for the match against Detroit City FC.

Check out our video from amid the Northern Guard, Detroit City FC’s fan base.

April Beer of the Month: Citra Warrior Imperial IPA from Railtown Brewing

It’s absolutely no coincidence that we’ve picked Citra Warrior Imperial IPA from Railtown Railtown BrewingBrewing as our April 2016 Beer of the Month during the same week that our friends at Behind The Mitten have named it Beer of the Week. Honestly.

We’ve been waiting to honor a brew from Railtown for a couple months now and recently found out about their new bottle release coming Monday, April 18th, the super fruity and hoppy Citra Warrior Imperial IPA. It made this choice a no-brainer.

Brewer Justin Buiter has put together a big, balanced dry-hopped concoction that leaves you wanting more. Made with locally sourced honey, it’s citrusy enough to make this guy sneeze, and finishes smooth.

Coming Monday at 3pm, Railtown will open its’ doors and hope to keep the mobs calm. Better get there early and save me a place in line.

It’s March Madness!: New Holland’s Mad Hatter

I grew up in a Michiana town…no, that’s not it.

‘Cause I’m free. Free fallin’. Again, no. That’s Tidwell’s agent.

Those pigeons down there in Market Square, not the Bird in Indy we’d chase around.

If Stan Van Sundae forms that “f***ing wall”, no one’s backing down.

 

Truth is, when it comes to the BeerCityHoops March Beer of the Month, New Holland’s Mad Hatter tells all contenders to “come around here no more”. Not that I don’t love a good Joe Walsh rendition of Rocky Mountain Way, but akin to the cold brewed mountain river water MillerCoors calls beer, I’d rather fill our casks with something more along the lines of a Stevie Nicks version of “Silver Springs” from southwestern Michigan like New Holland’s IPA.

Just go get one and enjoy it. Maybe you can take it away from someone who doesn’t love it quite enough to see its worth. Tom Petty gets it. Stevie Nicks gets it. Hopefully, you get it, too.

Off-season Beer

February Beer

January Beer

 

February Beer of the Month: The Brew from Grand Rapids Brewing and 101.3fm

Happy Valentine’s Day, Beer City! 

IMG_3320BeerCityHoops is proud to finally* announce our February Beer of the Month is The Brew, a collaboration between Grand Rapids Brewing Co. and local radio station, 101.3fm.

GRBC has found the right mix to co-mingle the craft beer scene and the classic rock soundtrack of Beer City, USA. They’re using rye to give this one a spicy grain character and adding organic Michigan hops for a refreshing kick, according to the bottle. The ABV is 7.6% with an IBU rating of 62.

 

*=We parked in front of B-Dubs on Ionia Ave., hazard lights on in the loading zone, at 8:43pm on Valentine’s Saturday. Ran across the street to GRBC to get The Brew in bottles for takeout, knowing that it might be packed and take more than the (daytime) allowable 20 minutes to “load/unload”, but made it out of there before 8:51pm! The GRBC staff rocks! 

 

 

 

 

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Talking hoops with Thomas Kelley

The Beer City Hoops crew was blessed with the opportunity to talk to Union Red Hawk star alum and MSU graduate team manager Thomas Kelley. We had some questions about the state of basketball in GR, what kids can look forward to as they make the climb from high school to the real world and, as always, the ever-elusive list, “Who is GR’s Top 5?”.

What do you think about the work GRPS is doing in bringing attention to the district and showing off the level of athletic competition recently?

“It’s a great thing for the city of Grand Rapids. With Ottawa Hills having the Floyd Mayweather Classic and now Union having its’ Showcase. Great thing and a great opportunity for the youth to show their talent.”

Kelley went on, talking about his time as a Red Hawk, “My time at Union was great. Always looked forward to going to Union since I was young. My parents went there. Uncles, aunts, pretty much everyone in my family attended Union. So the Red Hawk blood runs deep for me. As soon I as I stepped foot in there, I wanted to do my best to bring the basketball culture back like that had in 80’s. A lot of my childhood friends attended Union as well, so I felt very comfortable. The staff was great also. From Ron Maybin as the athletic director, Mr. Walker and Ms. Chambers being an influence to all of us. Made the transition easier.”

The varsity boys basketball team is off to a great start and getting a lot of attention from the media. What do you tell the kids as the season moves towards the playoffs?  

“(The) biggest challenge about the high school playoffs is simple. ONE AND DONE! It’s different than the professional ranks. Played in Europe for 15 years. So (over) there, we used a series for a playoff format. So you can make adjustments. But high school, it’s just like the NCAA tournament. It’s the best team on that given night, which can be tough if a team gets hot. Have to be able to make in game adjustments right then and there. No time for another game. If you can’t, you’re done!”

Kelley went on, “My advice to kids. Take advantage of your window. Don’t rush things. Soak up all the knowledge you can. Take advantage of the sources around you academically and athletically. Hey, because most high school kids think they know it all. Been through it and we do not.”

Geno was a bit reluctant, but went with family, friends, legends and teammates, yourself included. Care to name your local top five players?

“Top 5 is so hard. A lot of people can make a case. Going back for me, my uncle Donte Kelley, who is a Redhawks himself. He was a heck of player. Also my cousin, Jamie Cole, who went to Creston, had a great high school career. But for me in my time… Tough. My 5 would myself with Geno Carlisle, Thomas Kilgore, Ennis Young and Justin Jennings. All 5 from high school right into college went Division 1.”

Any last thoughts?

“Want to give a shout to Brandeon Guyton, the high school coach at Union, trying his best to turn things around, and the Athletic Director Justin Walker. They are doing a good job. Shout out to GRPS as well.”

And with that, Kelley said his goodbyes and headed off for a contest at Northwestern with MSU hoops.

Livin’ the dream on Tom Izzo’s bench. Carry on, Red Hawk!

January Beer of the Month: Founders’ Azacca IPA

Azacca IPA from Founders’ Brewing Co. is our January Beer of the Month!

After our monthly meeting of some friendly minds (we don’t seem to schedule the same group well), the five of us in attendance came to the conclusion that this seasonal offering would be January’s winner.

Our subsequent trip to The Tin Can would solidify our choice, as someone in our party (it was The Good Doctor) decided to buy a round of $1 Black Label beers.

Azacca IPA is named after the Haitian god of agriculture. The Azacca hops intense tropical aroma hints of citrus and mango, according to the label and my undying need to drink beer that makes me sneeze. The backbone, sweet with a caramel malt, supports the fruit character of the beer. Again, from the label.

The 7.0% ABV and 70 IBUs help keep you warm when you pour this burnt orange heavenly delight.

 

Talking hoops with former Union star Geno Carlisle

The 2nd annual Red Hawk Showcase is right around the corner.

Geno Carlisle with the Portland Trail Blazers
Geno Carlisle/Portland TrailBlazers (photo: Willamette Weekly)

One of the best high school teams in West Michigan will host a full day of basketball on February 6th at Union HS on Grand Rapids’ west side.

I recently went back and forth with my childhood friend and former Union Red Hawk star Geno Carlisle to talk about his time at Grand Rapids Union and the grind that kids playing now can look forward to in college and beyond.

With the Red Hawks’ boys team ranked #1 in the area on my list, the former Northwestern and Cal-Berkeley star addressed his start at Union after transferring across town from Ottawa Hills,

“My time at Union was exhilarating to say the least. It presented me with a feeling of both fascination and uncertainty. This was mainly because two rivals I’d grown up battling, Thomas Kelly and Thomas Kilgore, would soon become allies. I adapted very quickly to my transition to Union. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of culture, the size of the school, as well as how well I got along with mostly everyone on the team. It was a school full of spirit and personality that started from the principal Mr. Maben to the Athletic Director Mr. Walker and on down to the teachers. They really had a genuine concern for their students and athletes alike!”

Carlisle went on, turning to the dominant basketball team,

“As far as our basketball team, we were loaded! So much so that I don’t even think we realized it. We had 3 future D1 guards for major Universities with Thomas Kelly, Thomas Kilgore, and myself. Athletic wingman like Terry Peak, dead eye 3 point shooters like Akai Smith, and a great head coach in Ernie Johnson. We really had a lot of good times both on and off the court.”

With the Red Hawks, ranked #20 in mLive.com’s HS rankings, coming off a 54-33 loss to #12 Muskegon, this 7-2 Union squad has a couple steps to climb to play with the state’s best. Carlisle told me,

“I think the biggest challenge in high school playoffs is the feeling that if you lose, your done. I’m not sure how it is now but back then, in city league championships and regionals, if you lost it was over. So there is a much greater pressure to perform. At the same time, those are the moments you live for so the pressure just turns to adrenaline. That’s when the cream rises to the top.”

You don’t just get to get there, to the top, that is. Carlisle advice on continued improvement and dedication,

“My advice for kids to get better is to continuously work on their game. All facets… I use to have my mother drop me off at the YMCA around 7 am on Saturday morning and I will stay there until 9 or ten pm. I would pick a spot and shoot 50 shots or 100 from that one spot until I like the way the ball swished. Then I would spend hours dribbling, imagining I was surrounded by my rivals. I would imagine the crowd. Fall asleep on the court…”

“And after that quick nap?”, I asked.

“Wake up and then play and practice some more. I was obsessed and in love with the smell of the ball and the gym. In love with the stories that I’s heard about great players. I would meditate and imagine myself doing the things I’d heard about. That’s what’s missing with players today. They think drills will make them great but just because you can use a paint brush it doesn’t make you an artist. You have to have a love in your spirit to the point that it’s no longer work but a fascination. The most important advice I would give a kid would be confidence. I wasn’t the best in high school but you couldn’t make me believe that. From 11yrs old til the time I left I thought I was the most prolific scorer and unstoppable dribbler on the planet and no one could convince me otherwise. I was overconfident but it was also based on my training. Confidence and hard work is everything.”

Carlisle should know a bit about confidence and hard work. He chased his dreams, starred in high school and college and made his way to the pros. Yes, even the NBA.

I went on to pester him to give me his GR Top 5, but he’d only go as far as,

“It’s very hard to Rank a top 5 because I was always fascinated by players that came before me, like my father Clarence and uncle Elmo Carlisle. I would always hear about legends before me so I would always go old school for my picks.”

Forcefully, I leaned on the keyboard and pressed for more.

“If I had to pick 5 while I was playing,

  • Thomas Kelly – Union
  • Thomas Kilgore – Union
  • Ennis Young – Ottawa Hills
  • Jermaine Carter – Creston
  • Shawn Kneeland – East Kentwood

in no particular order.”

That’s three teammates, a rival and a neighbor.

He made the GSCeltic Top 10 in GR list, most likely because of his infectious smile, and Geno always has a minute for an old friend from the streets of childhood and a “Hi!” for my dad every time we talk. That’s why I love this dude.

Check out a loaded lineup of high school basketball on February 6th at GR Union HS.

Tickets are $10 for the entire day.

  • 1pm: Stevensville-Lakeshore vs. Wayland
  • 3pm: #16 Detroit Allen Academy vs. Northpointe Christian
  • 4:30pm: New Haven vs. Lowell
  • 6pm: Detroit Cornerstone vs. #20 Union
  • 7:30pm: Saginaw vs. #5 Godwin Heights