Bell's

I never been a huge beer fan; actually it took my a while to get to the point where I could appreciate and enjoy beer. I feel that I have my brothers-in-law to thank for that. :) But last night, I was just hanging out with some friends, and we decided to get a few different types of beers to try. Of course, being college students, price is one thing we look at, and we were able to find a few for a good price.

1. Dundee's Honey Brown Lager

My friend, Ben got this beer, and it's pretty good. It's more of a medium to heavy beer, but it has a nice smooth flavor. It's a nice accompaniment for a sandwich, and we served it with a portobello mushroom sandwich, which was very good. Great general all-around, inexpensive beer.

2. Rising Moon Spring Ale (Blue Moon)

I've always enjoyed Blue Moon beers. They are well-made and taste good. This is their seasonal beer for spring. It's a pale ale that's been made with lime verbena leaves and lime. Now, I'm a huge lime fan, so I really enjoyed this beer. But something I was debating with a friend, would the beer have been better with just a lime wedge in it? Or with the lime flavorings? I suppose it's up to whoever is drinking it. But, this is a good seasonal is you like a lighter flavor with just that hint of lime.

3. Bell's Amber Ale

I caught sight of this beer at the store and was immediately intrigued because it's made here in Michigan; in Comstock actually. I'm really into eating local foods and drinking local beers and wines; I think it's a great way to support the economy around you, and especially for microbreweries like this, you usually get a good quality beer because people take a lot of pride in what they're doing.

Anyway, this brewery is off of 94, closer to the west side of the state, but after looking it up, they've been around since 1983. They are one of the oldest microbreweries in the Mid-West. Also, it looks like they have a restaurant, you can take tours of the brewery, and do beer tastings.

As for the beer itself, this was by far my favorite. It wasn't too heavy, but it's definitely not a light beer. I don't think it paired extremely well with the portobello sandwiches, but it wasn't bad. I would rather have served this a beef stew probably.

Overall, my goal in this post was to show you some of the good beers around right now. And to encourage you to drink something local! Check it out, most grocery stores will sell local beers, or smaller time stores. Find something new and see if you like it. :)