May 9 - Arcadia Ales Loch Down

My first sip of today's beer came on an empty stomach; and this fellow is potent.



Loch Down is a Scotch Ale, which means two things: it has an 8 percent alcohol by volume, and it is tasty. It goes down smooth, then has a... different after taste show up shortly thereafter. It's not necessarily hoppy, or dry, or heavy... just different. I don't really know how to describe it. I don't think I've tasted something like this before.

But it's from Arcadia! Which (like yesterday's beer) comes from Battle Creek!

May 8 - Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

What can I say about IPAs that I didn't say last year?



This day's IPA comes from Dark Horse Brewing Company in Marshall, which is just east of Battle Creek (which itself is east of Kalamazoo). The Crooked Tree IPA isn't bad, but it's just not my cup of tea. Sorry for the uneventful post, but it's a new beer, at least.

May 7 - Snake River Zonker Stout

As a gift to his groomsmen, my brother got each of us a subscription to the Craft Beer Club, and my second shipment came today!

Among the items in the box were Snake River's Zonker Stout. (Yes! In a can!)



It had almost everything that stouts are known for: dark color, rich aroma, and full body. However, to my surprise, it wasn't a heavy beer. It finished really smooth, and about two-thirds of the way through I started comparing it to Yuengling's Black and Tan (which means it was delicious).

I am really excited for the timing of the arrival of my shipment, because that gives me four free days (including this one) of beers that I have never had before.

May 6 - Sam Adams Summer Ale

A beautiful sunny day? Check. A round of golf? Check. Qdoba for lunch? Check.

Afternoon beer? Check. Sam Adams Summer Ale.



Sometimes wheat beers or shandies are too sweet (like Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy), but the Sam Adams was just the right amount of sweet, and it was crisp, and is the ideal beer for sitting on your porch in the summertime (or spring!).

It did seem to have a higher carbonation than other beers, and this Summer Ale pretty much sent a burp back up after every sip (and no, that was not because of the Qdoba).

May 5 - Motor City Honey Porter

I went out to dinner for my mother's birthday to the Vinsetta Grill, and picked one of the two things that I hadn't had yet. (I know! Slim pickings!) So I chose the Motor City Honey Porter.



It tasted darker than I expected, the honey moniker was maybe a bit misleading, but it was smooth all the way. It had a bit of a hoppy aftertaste, but it paired well with the hamburger I had!

May 4 - New Holland Full Circle

Hooray! One of my friends got married! It was awesome, very cute, and so sweet. I felt very privileged to have been a part of that special day for them (and I caught garter, watch out).

Of the many delicious beers they had available (plus pizza!), one of the two I had not had last year was New Holland's Full Circle.



I didn't really look at the label when trying to figure out what type of beer this was, so imagine my surprise when I went in expecting a bitter taste and instead got a lighter hop taste with a crisp finish. A very pleasant surprise, and it was a perfect beer to pair with the pizza (and the spectacularly lucky 70-degree, sunny weather that we had at the park).

And a very big congratulations to my friend! (Who is also a reader of this blog!)

May 3 - Frankenmuth Munich Dunkel

Last summer, I went to the Ann Arbor Beer Festival*, and one of our stops was at the Frankenmuth Brewery booth. I know whatever I drank then did not taste nearly half as good as the Munich Dunkel.



This was a huge surprise of deliciousness. I've had dark lagers that don't necessarily taste dark, but have just been dark in color. The Dunkel did have a wonderful, smooth dark taste, and I will remember this beer next time I want a full six-pack of anything.

*The Beer Festival was one of the greatest days of my life.

May 2 - Big Sky Moose Drool

Our phones and internet went down at work, so there was literally nothing we could do until they fixed the problem. Our boss gave us the OK to go outside and play wiffle ball. I blasted a grand slam over "the fence."*

To today's beer! Big Sky Brewing Moose Drool!



It had been about a year an a half since I'd last had Moose Drool, and I was excited from the moment it touched my lips. I love brown ales. So full of flavor and smooth.

And the bottle cap even gave words of wisdom:



This wasn't the beer I had planned for today, because I wanted to tell the wiffle ball story and didn't want to double up with the story that comes with (what I plan to be) the next beer.

*The fence was really just the edge of the curb. When it got too dark in the field next to our building, we moved to be under the lights in the parking lot.

May 1 - Bell's Two Hearted Ale

After work we went to Uccello's, which has the greatest late-night deals imaginable. We got a pitcher of Bell's Two Hearted Ale for $6. Most places will sell you a pint for that much.



(They also sell $3, nine-inch pizzas with three toppings. And half-off appetizers.)

There was no real method of picking Two Hearted as the first beer; I just picked up the menu, and pointed blindly at the list, and this ended being the one. And a yummy one. It was smooth and crisp (and not as dark as the picture shows).

Welcome Back!

For the second year in a row, I will participate in my personal Beer-a-Day May!

As I did last year, for the entire month of May, I shall drink one beer of a different variety each day.

Each day on this site, I will showcase the beer drank that day. My hopes are that I will not double up on anything that I drank in last year's challenge, but I might find choices on some days a bit limited.

I still plan on going to one particular Meijer, which sells individual bottles of beer. Already in my first visit, the selection I grabbed was quick and without much thought, avoiding beers from last May, but not necessarily beer that I have never had before.

Grand Rapids is a fantastic city for beers, and now that I have been here for over a year, I am much better acquainted with the locations of such fine establishments that can assist me in this endeavor.

Again, I encourage any and all suggestions, and essentially nothing is off the table.

Bottoms up!

-Tim