[EID Events] Detroit Beer Week

DAILY DBW SPECIALS

$15 Food + Beer Combinations at Traffic Jam + Snug, October 17-27 (check their Facebook page for hours)
All during Detroit Beer Week, Traffic Jam + Snug in Midtown is offering a $15 pick-and-choose pairing menu featuring any of their beers paired with one of the following dishes featuring their very own house-made beer, house-made cheeses, and house-made breads, all day every day through October 27! So local it comes from the same address!

Sammie, Soup + Beer Combo Special at Mudgie's, October 17-27 (check their Facebook page for hours)
For the full run of Detroit Beer Week, Mudgie's is offering a $15 combo deal for a sandwich, soup and beer combo all day every day! Sandwiches will be made with beer-braised meats and soups with beer bases. Plus Mudgie's will have different daily specials made with beer infusions for Beer Week!

Beer Flight + Pulled Pork Slider Special at St. Cece's Pub, October 17-27 (check their Facebook page for hours)
All through Detroit Beer Week, St. Cece's Pub will offer beer shot flights (2-oz. pours of each of their eight draft beers) paired with pulled pork sliders for only $10! This special is good for lunch AND dinner.

Rock City Eatery Food + Beer Specials featuring Dark Horse, October 17-27 (check their Facebook page for hours)
All during Detroit Beer Week from October 17-27, the newly-opened Rock City Eatery in Hamtramck will offer food + beer pairing specials featuring Michigan's most metal brewery, Dark Horse Brewing Co.!

Afternoon Delight Daily at Woodbridge Pub, October 17-27 (check their website for hours)
For the full Detroit Beer Week run October 17-27, Woodbridge Pub will run the "Afternoon Delight" with $2 off drafts from 3-6pm, 7 days a week. They'll also have a draft beer and appetizer special combo for $10, all day every day!

Three-Course Menu at the Jefferson House for $20, October 17-27 (check their Facebook page for hours)
For Detroit Beer Week, Chef Justin Vaiciunas at The Jefferson House has created a three-course menu with Michigan beer pairings for only $20. This special DBW menu is available every day for dinner only.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17

Griffin Claw's Brewmaster Dan Rogers at Woodbridge Pub, 7-9 p.m.
Celebrate the launch of the fifth annual Detroit Beer Week at Woodbridge Pub with Brewermaster Dan Rogers of Griffin Claw Brewing Company (GCBC)! Dan has won dozens of gold and silver medals from the top beer competitions in the country during his time at Big Rock Chophouse and Brewery. From 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, October 17, we'll sample different Griffin Claw beers as Dan tells us more about the new Griffin Claw brewery, his signature beers, and a little bit about his brewing process. This is a very rare opportunity to speak one-on-one with the man himself!


FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18

Short's Tap Takeover at Foran's Grand Trunk Pub, 4-9 p.m.
On Friday, October 18, Foran's Grand Trunk Pub will host a tap takeover with Short's Brewing Company from 4-9 p.m. featuring Funkin Punkin, Noble Chaos, Bourbon Barrel Aged Pig Pen, The Curl, Spruce Pils, Soft Parade, and Huma-Lupa-Licious.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20

Orange + Black Party at Woodbridge Pub, 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.
On Sunday, October 20, join us at Woodbridge Pub for a fall seasonal orange + black party! New Holland Brewing Co. will take over the taps with pumpkin beers, stouts and porters (get it????) plus there will be special themed culinary and cocktail concoctions all day. Get in the "spooky" spirit starting with brunch and going all the way through dinner with Pie-Sci! There is no charge for admission and you don't HAVE to wear orange & black to come...but you know you want to!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21

New Holland Double-Header at Woodbridge Pub, all day
For two nights straight Woodbridge Pub will feature special New Holland Brewing Co. events. On Monday, October 21, the second night of the New Holland double-header will be its own double header, with a New Holland beer and shot special - get any New Holland beer on draft (except for Dragon's Milk) and a shot of New Holland Artisan Spirits Beer Barrel-Aged Bourbon for $7. Monday night is also their weekly Slow Jams!

Kill All the ZomBEES at Foran's Grand Trunk, 4-8 p.m.
On Monday, October 21 from 4-9 p.m., join us at Foran's Grand Trunk Pub as we break out the bottles of B. Nektar for a night of zombie killing featuring Vanilla Cinnamon, Cherry Chipotle, Necromangocon, Orange Blossom, and Wildberry Pyment all in bottles and Zombie Killer on tap.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22

Wheelhouse Detroit Progressive Bike Dinner, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Join Detroit Beer Week and Wheelhouse Detroit Bike Shop on Tuesday, October 22 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. as we go on a progressive bike dinner through the city of Detroit! We'll start with a first course at Mudgie's Deli (with beer). We'll then move on to St. Cece's Pub for pulled pork sliders (and beer). And from there it's on to The Jefferson House for dessert (and beer). All in all you're getting a full three-course dinner with full beers at each venue, plus a guided bike ride through the city and along the beautiful Detroit Riverwalk with Wheelhouse Detroit!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23

Jolly Pumpkin Night at the Sugar House, 5 p.m.
Celebrate Detroit Beer Week with The Sugar House by drinking some beers from Jolly Pumpkin Brewery! Great deals on bottles all night, plus beer flights, special vintage beers and a brand new flavor never before on draft, and even some hard-to-get Leelanau Brewing Whaleback White!!!

Arbor Brewing Company Tap Takeover at Foran's Grand Trunk Pub, 4-9 p.m.
On Wednesday, October 23, Foran's Grand Trunk Pub will host a tap takeover with Arbor Brewing Company from 4-9 p.m. featuring Violin Monster, Bollywood Blonde, Sacred Cow IPA, Yipsi Gypsy, Buzzsaw, Phat Abbot.

Wednesday Night Trivia with Beer Fest Ticket Giveaways at Woodbridge Pub, 8-10 p.m.
On Wednesday, October 23, head to Woodbridge Pub for their Wednesday Night Trivia starting at 8 p.m. The grand prize is two pairs of tickets to the Michigan Brewers Guild Fall Beer Festival on Friday, October 25!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24

Bell's Tap Takeover at Foran's Grand Trunk, 4-9 p.m.

On Thursday, October 24 from 4-9 p.m., Foran's Grand Trunk Pub will host a tap takeover with Bell's Brewery, Inc. (Official) featuring: Hopsoulution, Wheat Love, Raspberry Ale, Spiced Stout, Java Stout, Q - Falls, Pianiste, Two Hearted, and Best Brown. There will also be surprise daily bottles in very limited quantities.

Cans for Cans at Green Dot Stables, 5 p.m. to midnight
Hit up Green Dot Stables on Thursday, October 24 for "Cans for Cans," when $1 of every can of craft beer sold will go to benefit breast cancer support.

Arbor Brewing India Beer Dinner at Woodbridge Pub, 6:30 p.m.
On Thursday, October 24, join Arbor Brewing Company owners Matt and Rene Greff at a very special beer dinner at Woodbridge Pub! The Greffs recently opened Arbor Brewing Company India in Bangalore, India, a sister brewpub to their Ann Arbor original, open since 1995. We're honoring this expansion onto another continent with an Indian-themed vegetarian-friendly beer dinner at Woodbridge Pub featuring recipes from the India brewpub and from their own personal recipe collection. This four-course dinner will be paired with some of Arbor's signature beers, including Bollywood Blonde.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25-SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26

Michigan Brewers Guild Fall Beer Festival

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27

Beer Fest Hangover Brunch at Woodbridge Pub, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Nurse your Beer Fest hangover the right way: with bacon, Bloody Marys and beer! Woodbridge Pub is hosting a Beer Fest Hangover Brunch on Sunday, October 27 from 11am-3pm, following the two-day Michigan Brewers Guild Fall Beer Festival fiasco in Eastern Market Corporation. Bring in your ticket stub from Fall Beer Fest to receive 15% off your total bill (including booze). Each person MUST have ticket stub to receive discount!

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

ICYMI:
~Rock City Eatery opened. [EID]
~(revolver) opened. [EID]
~Schramm's Mead opened. [EID]
~Hatch Detroit 2012 finalist Detroit Vegan Soul (D.V.S) celebrated their grand opening on Saturday in West Village. Co-owner Boyd says, "(D.V.S. is) both unapologetically vegan AND unapologetically soul food. We do soul food but veganize it. We see our food as being a good transition food into a plant-based diet, introduced in a way that is familiar and comfortable." [Model D]
~Do you remember when I posted that atrocious Craigslist job posting saying it was for Marais and everyone piled onto it basically swearing off the place and the people behind it? Well, I was wrong. Really, really wrong. [EID]
~Big news about Union Street. [EID]
~There's a lot of damn events all happened at the same exact time. [EID]

Premiering October 3, Cooking Channel's Chuck's Eat the Street "Motor City Meals" episode featuring SLOWS BAR BQ, Hygrade Deli, Mercury Burger Bar, La Pita, and Peaches and Greens. Pretty good cross-section of Detroit's food culture, I have to say. [Cooking Channel]

St. Cece's celebrated their two-year anniversary. [St. Cece's FB]

Effective immediately, Treat Dreams will have a cart at all Lions home games. They'll be serving four ice cream sandwich flavors which will change each week. [EID FB]

My cartoon alter-ego is Aeon Flux. Have I mentioned how much I love A2GastroBoy? [A2GB]

In case you haven't been paying any attention, like at all, here is a list of what has recently opened and will open soon. [Detroit News]

PROST! 'tis the season for the Dakota Inn Rathskeller, celebrating 80 years this year. Beer steins, chicken hats, and dirndls galore. [Detroit News]

Pizzeria Biga will be changing its name of all current and future locations in all associated social media profiles and marketing materials to Bigalora: Wood Fired Cucina. This is due to a trademark issue with the word "biga," and as the company continues on their aggressive expansion plans they needed something that could be trademarked. Speaking of expansion, Bigalora Ann Arbor is scheduled to open at the end of October. [Freep]

Here's a look at some of the changes that have gone down at Bastone Brewery and Pizzeria Biga - Royal Oak. [Freep]

Republica is now open in Berkley. Here's a bit more about it from Berkley Patch from a couple of months ago. I'm not sure that Greek salad really qualifies as a food revolution, but it does look pretty cool inside. [Berkley Patch]

Someone wrote something about Detroit; outrage ensued. [HuffPo]

Here's a great story about an awesome couple, which includes a nod to their second location opening in New Center in the coming months. Looking forward to it, Cafe Con Leche! [Detroit News]

I often get distracted by pizza while driving. You know, there's laws against texting and driving, but there are no laws against PIZZA and driving. [Freep]

Good or b-a-a-a-a-a-a-d idea? *snort* [MLive]

The Onion has inadvertently announced Little Caesars next marketing strategy. [The Onion]

Hour Detroit's Chris Cook talks about the growing prominence of Michigan wines on a national level with Michigan Radio. Michigan wines have come a loooooooooooong way, and in the last 5 years have really seemed to find favor in the greater world of the oenophile. [Michigan Radio]

Planning a trip to the east coast anytime soon? Well, you can still get your local Michigan liquor there - Valentine Distilling Co. has expanded distribution to the east coast. [Promote Michigan]

Learning how to say "no" to fussy eaters (or, just find dinner guests who aren't such assholes). [HuffPo]

Beerie
~MLive sure did get a LOT of mileage out of this "Michigan's Best Brewery" thing. [MLive]

~Pop beer science says these beers from Founders Brewing Co., Bell's Brewery, Inc. (Official), and others are the best in the world. It reads like pretty much every other "best beers in the world" list, but this one has SCIENCE behind it. [Business Insider]

[NEWS BITES] Dine. Drink. Detroit.

Wine at Great Lakes Coffee. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

Detroit Restaurant Week is coming up September 20-29. (This year is kind of a big deal with the addition of the already sold-out Guns + Butter pop-up.) Now, we've all been through this before, and I'm not talking about the three-course $30 prix fixe dinner menus. I'm talking about the race for reservations. The disappointment when your restaurant of choice is booked for the evening you're free. Having to settle for your seventh choice. Trying to wrangle together groups of friends who all have different availability and want to go different places. Trying to have a normal dinner at one of these places during these 10 days, forgetting exactly what 10 days they actually are, and finding them unable to accommodate you. Yes, for all the fun there is to be had, it can also be a bit stressful. Especially for those of us (hi) who are loathe to ever plan anything in advance.

Fear not! For now there is Dine. Drink. Detroit. #DineDrinkDetroit brings together 13 slightly-less-than fine dining establishments offering a combination of food and drink for $15 - no reservations, just a special offering available at each of these locally- and independently-owned establishments.

The first-ever #DineDrinkDetroit will be held October 10-16. More details for this event will be forthcoming but for now, mark your calendars for an extra special week of celebrating all that which is dining and drinking in Detroit!

#DineDrinkDetroit is the brainchild of Scott Rutterbush from Great Lakes Coffee and Kate Williams of Rodin. 

[HOT LIST] Best new patios

Red Crown.

Another summer, another slew of "best patio" lists. I'll let you in on a little secret: these lists don't change much year to year. The Rattlesnake keeps being located on the Detroit River and the Whitney keeps having a garden and the Old Miami keeps having a big-ass lawn with a koi pond.

But this year, things have changed. New places have opened. A LOT of new places. And these places have built patios. Really nice patios. So instead of the same old reminder that the Rattlesnake's patio has a nice view of the Detroit River (and it does! so very nice!), here's a look at the best new patios to pop up just this year (and some as recently as last week).

SIDEBAR: It seems that Corktown is becoming PATIOTOWN.

El Barzon.

#1 El Barzon Southwest Detroit
For years you've loved the food and merely accepted the ambiance, but their new enclosed patio is a thing of real beauty. If you haven't been over there recently, it's time you went back.

#2 Red Crown Grosse Pointe Park
The Grosse Pointes are becoming quite the hotbed of new restaurant activity, with a second location of Luxe recently opened, a new Atwater brewpub in the works, Dave Gilbert's new restaurant Marais getting ready to open, and all of restaurateur Mindy Lopus's new ventures opening this year. The first was Red Crown, a Southern BBQ and comfort food restaurant with an excellent craft cocktail program and an even better patio. Whether its for Sunday brunch or an evening of cocktails, this is a pretty happy place to be.

St. Cece's Pub.

#3 St. Cece's Pub Corktown
There are a few spots in Corktown that could be considered one of the locals' favorite hangouts (Green Dot, Astro, Sugar House), and St. Cece's is among them. Is it the farm-to-table food? The fireplace? The dog-friendliness? The quintessential local neighborhood pub feeling? Whatever the case, get ready to love it even harder with their fab bum-proof patio. You know what I mean.

Griffin Claw beer garden. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

#4 Griffin Claw Brewing Company Birmingham
I have a total beer boner for this place despite it being in Birmingham and all of the inherent Birminghamness that implies. (The latest news: Dan Rogers got to rights the Screamin' Pumpkin recipe back - originally his when he was brewing for Michigan Brewing Company - and is now brewing it under the same name at Griffin Claw. AND IT IS THE BEST.) Another thing to love about it is the three-season beer garden.

The Jefferson House. From my iPhone.

#5 The Jefferson House Downtown
The subtlely bum-proof patio at the Jefferson House - featuring a plexiglass partition just high enough to keep Detroit's vagrant population from intruding on your meal, which isn't so much an insensitive comment as something WE ALL FUCKING KNOW HAPPENS - may effectively be located on Jefferson as it becomes the Lodge Freeway service drive, but the design is comfortable and contemporary and the view of the GM Renaissance Center doesn't suck.

Pizzeria Biga Royal Oak.

Honorable mention:
Last year I ran a list of the worst patios in metro Detroit. Because I get really bored with this shit, honestly. So I ripped into Pizzeria Biga Royal Oak and it was kind of a big deal but now we've all moved past it and are friends, but they also made some serious improvements to the patio (including a covered floor and enclosed roof, blocking out a lot of the undesirable sound and preventing the tables and chairs from wobbling, my two biggest bones of contention). While the patio is not NEW new, in that it existed in a form last year, it's new in the sense of being totally redone, and certainly worth a redeeming mention. So, I take that one back. Go check out their patio.

Bubbling under Ottava Via (Corktown), Ashley's Westland (Westland), MotorCity Wine (Corktown), Green Dot Stables (Corktown), Brooklyn Street Local (Corktown) - new concrete poured this year

What did I miss? Leave it in the Facebook comments.

The Week(s) We Ate (The EID Week in Review Double-Header pt. 1)

I had to take some time for myself that week so this week is a double-header highlight reel.

ICYMI:
~Rubbed is opening in Corktown serving fancy European meats and sammiches. [Model D]
~All of the Hatch-ness. Here. Then here. [Model D x2]
~Hey, if we can take something and make it a MOTHERFUCKING THING, then damnit that's what we're going to fucking do. So now single-item food festivals are a thing. [EID]

And more about Hatch contestants Batch here. [Crain's]

Detroit is a kinder, gentler Brooklyn. [Crain's]

Mark Wahlberg was in town. [EID FB]

Speaking of single-item food fests, One-Eyed Betty's won the second-annual Burger Brawl. [Freep]

Midtown has a lot going on. So does downtown. [Crain's / Freep]

Check it out, a Detroit restaurant not in MidCorkDown. [Freep]

A Greek news outlet reports Greektown is doing well. Seems super-reliable. [Greek Reporter]

WE REALLY LOVE POP-UPS, FOR REAL. (And here.) [Crain's / Freep]

Ottava Via might not suck after all. [Thrillist]

St. Cece's has a rad new patio. [St. Cece's FB]

And Rodin has a pretty cool happy hour. [Rodin FB]

FoodJunky: for all your no-pants-wearing delivery needs. [Model D]

Metro Detroiters reserve the enthusiasm that the opening of a new Wal-Mart anywhere in the South is typically met with for places like IKEA, Whole Foods and the Cheesecake Factory. I suppose that puts us somewhere ahead. But really I'm not sure. (Also here. And just take a looky-loo at the opening day line here.) [My Fox News / Crain's / EID]

Bees: we need them. You can raise them. [Model D]

Another plus one for Lafayette (while American got snubbed). [Daily Meal]

Vice took meta hipster bullshit to whole new levels. [Vice]

But despite all the snarkery, Whole Foods in Midtown is doing pretty damn well. [MLive]

Plus Coolist says we're a city on the rise and picked seven businesses to highlight that, so there's that. [The Coolist]

Another Detroit bartender wins the best something at a national competition for something. [Hell Yeah Detroit]

The Whitney is donating 9 percent of its a la carte proceeds back to retired DPD policemen and firefighters for the month of August. Which, if they're lucky, 9 percent of their pensions is what they'll be left with once this bankruptcy is over. [Detroit 2020]

Vegan news: The Lunch Room in Kerrytown is now open. [AnnArbor.com]

Moo Cluck Moo is playing the David v. Goliath hand well. [Daily Meal]

News from Grosse Pointe: the City Kitchen expansion is almost complete and Marais is getting close to opening. [Metromode]

Souptastik: where the Soup Nazi might eat if the Soup Nazi were Russian. [Detroit News]

YAY northern Michigan! [Tampa Bay]

Just when you thought Taco Bell had nowhere else they could go, they went to the waffacle. [Death + Taxes]

Some people find the presence of children more offensive than the presence of dogs in restaurants. [Death + Taxes]

Beerie
~Is the craft beer bubble about to burst? Or have brewers just run out of things to talk about despite the constant demand for more stories about the uber-hot industry? [MLive]

~Badass Beer is back. [Detroit News]

~Atwater has that Deeeeeee-troit pride. [BuzzFeed]

~More on the new Upper Hand Brewery from Bell's. And how you can't have any. [ABC 10]

~And Wal-Mart is trying once again to control everything. [Business Week]

~Oh hey, people grow hops in Michigan now, it's sort of a thing. [Bloomberg]