The Week in Beer: Post-Thanksgiving Shopping Goes Better with Beer

Photo by Charlie Essers.

Put away those Thanksgiving leftovers and get ready for the manic rush of commerce that always attends the month of December, at least around these parts. Hurry up and buy something for your spouse, your dad, your sister, your Great-Aunt Hortense and anyone and everyone else worthy of some Christmas cheer.

It’s your civic duty, or the terrorists have won. Just don’t forget while you’re fighting the crowds (and the terrorists) to take time out to enjoy a little cheer yourself, preferably in the form of a mugful of holiday seasonal craft beer. Or, heck, combine the shopping and the drinking. Here are a few ideas on how to do just that.

Friday, Nov. 26
» The Corner Brewery, 720 Norris, Ypsilanti, opens up at 2 p.m. and gets your holiday shopping season started with its annual Holiday Sale. Glassware, Mug Club memberships, gift sets, gift cards and apparel are to be had from 10 to 40 percent off. Plus, at 6 p.m., a small-batch Rat Pad beer, Black FriPA, will be released. The sale lasts through Dec. 3.

» In Ann Arbor, at Arbor Brewing, 114 E. Washington, beginning at 11:30 a.m., it’s Black Magic Friday, also with the same aforementioned sale on merch, as well as discounts on carry-out beer and happy hour pricing on the newly released Black Magic Coconut Porter all day long.

Saturday, Nov. 27
» Wolverine Brewing, 2019 W. Stadium, opens early (9 a.m.) for the last Michigan football game of the season, an away jaunt to the locus of evil in the world, Columbus, Ohio. The Ray’s Red Hots hot dog cart will return to sell some Chicago-style wieners, and you can wash them down with beer specials while peeking at the TV through your fingers at the potential debacle kicking off at noon.

Wednesday, Dec. 1
» At 4 p.m., check out the Flamboyant Wild Red Ale release at Corner Brewery. Flamboyant is one of a series of five regular Belgian-style sour ales produced at Corner, beginning its life as Jackhammer Old Ale before being aged in oak casks inoculated with the yeast that creates the sourness and then being bottled and aged for at least two more months. The result is a brew with a bright mahogany hue, moderate carbonation, and a burst of complex fruity, spicy, tart, and earthy flavors with a quenching acidity. Available in 750-mililiter bottles.

Notes on the Napkin
» Craft beer examiner Joshua Kay explains how to pair local beers with your Thanksgiving feast — or leftovers.

» Jolly Pumpkin Café now has 330-mililiter bottles of La Roja, which have been conditioning nicely since April. Next time you’re in, try getting your sour on with one of these!

» Some upcoming special events to note on your beer calendar:

• Dec. 3: “See Howe It’s Done” Beerware Art Exhibition by Jay Howe (6 p.m., Corner Brewery)
• Dec. 7: Rare Beer Auction (7, p.m., Jolly Pumpkin Café & Brewery, 311 S. Main)
• Dec. 11: Krampus Costume Ball (8 p.m., Corner Brewery)
• Dec. 11: LSBC Second Anniversary Party (Liberty Street Brewing Co., 149 W. Liberty, Plymouth)
• Dec. 11: “Little Chill” Rooftop Party (Jolly Pumpkin Café & Brewery) 

Look for more details on these events in future Week in Beer installments.