Michigan Brewing Company - High Seas India Pale Ale

The brewers at MBC manage to brew a balanced, hop aggressive India Pale Ale by using hefty amounts of three malt varieties and a bit of wheat for enhanced body and head retention. Expect massive hoppiness on the nose, with notes of resinous pine, grapefruit rind and mint. This is no thin hop bomb, but an IPA backed by the full faith and credit of US malts. Notes of pine abound, grounded by rich, sweet and grain-heavy maltiness. You can feel the hops as their aromatic characteristics tickle on their way up the nostrils. Look for the flavor to be expectedly hop-heavy, evocative of alcohol-soaked grapefruit with some grains and caramel notes evident. Goes down thick and hearty, with ample caramel malts acting as firm ballast against the ever blossoming hoppy bitterness. You'll get a massively bitter finish, but it manages to stay smooth as it slides down and warms the belly. Goes great with spicy gumbo or jambalaya.

The Michigan Brewing Company is located about 20 minutes east of Lansing, Michigan, in the city of Webberville. It was once easy to miss the place due to its location: behind a gas station. When owner Bobby Mason opened the brewery, he did it on a shoestring budget, opting to start up in a family-owned garage/maintenance building located next to an expressway service station. Customers literally had to drive through the service station to visit the small pub at the brewery (Ding! Ding! "Fill me up Bobby!"). The Michigan Brewing Company was designed as a brewery, not a restaurant, as there was a tavern and tasting room on the premises, but no kitchen. You could always find a barrel full of fresh peanuts, but if it was a meal you wanted, you had to pack it yourself or order a pizza! In late 2006 they expanded to a new facility about seven times the size of their last brewery, conveniently located a mere 300 feet east of the old brewery. You can get a meal now—they have a kitchen—a really good meal at that, and, of course, their great brews at the appropriately named "Pub 122," their on-site tavern. Just take exit 122 off of I-96 to get there. And Michigan state law was recently revised to permit them to distill and sell spirits on site—so now you can find Michigan B.C.'s gin, vodka, and other spirits. You won't hear the "ding! ding!" on your approach to their new tavern, but with all these options, we still consider it a full-service station. For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (517) 521-3600 or check out their web site at www.michiganbrewing.com.