Game Day Beer Review: North Peak Brewing Co. Diabolical India Pale Ale

(6.66% ABV). Diabolical pours a thin apple-ciderish red, with relatively little head. The predominant smell is hops, with just a hint of mellow pine needles and honey on the finish. I'm getting hops, too, upon tasting, but this beer's not overhwelmingly bitter. I also taste just a little bit of malty sweetness and some faint floral notes, and a little hint of grapefruit becomes more apparent as the beer warms.

It's a decent but not great IPA. It' definitely thirst quenching, and something very refreshing to have after spending the early afternoon of a hot summer day out on Lake Michigan.  I'll give it a B.

Game Day Beer Review: North Peak Brewing Burly Belgo India Pale Ale

(6.50% ABV). Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass, Burly is a deep, peachy-reddish color with a thick, fluffy head that leaves behind less lacing than I would have expected. There's a lot going on in the nose: I get malt and clove and coriander spices, in addition to  pine and mellow hops.


The taste is rich, and fuller than I would have expected, and ever so smooth.  It's like a Belgian-American lovechild: light, delicate mouthfeel, combined with a real IPA flavors.

I like this perhaps best of any of the IPAs I've tried recently. It doesn't feel like they're trying to blow the roof off the beer (or my mouth) with hops, and the beer's delicious aftertaste lingers lovingly on the tongue. I love the stubby bottle, too. 


It's a classic, just wish I could find it in South Florida: A.

The Third Coast: A Mecca for Craft Beer Lovers

Quick quiz for you: Which U.S. State has the second longest coast line?  Bet you'd never guess it's Michigan, unless you grew up in the Midwest.  Often derisively referred to as "fly over country" by east and west coast types, Michigan is a jewel of a state placed smack in the middle of the country, and lined with white sandy beaches and pristine turquoise water -- and lots of it.  In fact, the Great Lakes region of the U.S. holds more than 20% of the earth's entire supply of fresh water.  And to visit it in the summer time, as I recently did, is to take an unexpected beach vacation in the midst of America's heartland.

The Caribbean, or Michigan?

Boasting 400 foot tall sand dunes left over from the last Glacier Age, crystal clear water, and small beach town after small beach town (at least during the summer), Michigan is surrounded by beautiful and very accessible white sand beaches.  In fact, Michigan was a complete revelation to this particular traveler.  Yes, the water was a bit chilly -- but refreshing is probably a more apt description, at least for this South Floridian.  And the sunsets over Lake Michigan, as viewed from Traverse City, rivaled those in Key West and Naples, Florida....