BrewChief, a community run by brew reviewers from around the globe, offers a social network for beer drinkers to document their love or detest for products from microbreweries all over. As a part of its mission to have an impact in the brewing industry, the website is currently running a recurring interview series that shines a light on the underrated masters of the brewing universe: brewmasters. Recently, BrewChief took the time to interview Frankenmuth Brewery Brewmaster Jeff Coon, gaining some insight on his favorite beer to brew, what he thinks of the beer reviewing process and his advice for those new to the craft beer segment.

What is your favorite style of beer to brew?

A Märzen Oktoberfest … hands down, because it was the first beer that I learned how to make. I enjoy the tradition behind the style, it being a true lager and incorporating the multi-stepped mash process makes this brew complex and really fun to make. I brewed my first Oktoberfest in April 1972, when I was 13. From a stylistic standpoint, I believe my Oktoberfest
is true to what Oktoberfest was and is today.

What are your favorite beers outside of your own?

Outside of the brews I make there are quite a few different ones that I really enjoy. Dogfish Head 90 & 120 minute IPAs are a few brews that I think are pretty sweet and I really enjoy. Russian River Pliney the Elder is another one of my favorites. Anybody that can brew a good German style Pilsener is always nice, I love that style of beer, and I just think it’s great. I also like all the Stone Vertical Epic series brews, they’ve all been good! I’m looking forward to trying Sam Adam’s Utopias.

In Michigan, I really enjoy Founder’s KBS, and New Holland Poet (I like to age my bottles for 16-18 months). I’m also a fan of Dark Horse Plead the 5th Imperial Stout.I love talking to people about beer because it’s the most underrated celebratory beverage, my love of beer and passion for brewing grows every time I am able to introduce a new style to their palate.

Thanks to BrewChief for taking the time to interview our own Jeff Coon. Visit their website for more great beer features.

Can you hear that? It’s the sound of beer drinkers, sud suckers and brew enthusiasts stampeding through the streets of Frankenmuth to meet up at Heritage Park (located conveniently behind Frankenmuth Brewery) for The World Expo of Beer. One of Michigan’s biggest beer events, the brew festival is hitting Frankenmuth this weekend, May 18 and May 19, for a 48 hour mad dash of beer tasting and the announcement of the prestigious WEB medals.

With over 300 beers up for grabs this weekend, the WEB will show off dozens of different brews that come from not only Michigan breweries, but several world renowned brewhouses abroad, and offer distinct titles to the best of the bunch. Word on the street has it that a few Frankenmuth Brewery beers have made the medal cut, but to be sure, fans of our brewery should to come out to the event to hear the all exciting results firsthand.

So how do you get involved? Head to Heritage Park in Frankenmuth, bring $7 for admission (the money goes to charity) and take your free collector beer sampling mug around to the tent full of tables with beer gold. Enjoy the sights, the sounds and the camaraderie of your fellow beer drinkers, and soak up all things beers. For those, who aren’t as familiar with what goes into a good beer there will be several classes called “The Brewer’s Table” that will offer knowledge on pairing food with beers, and how to throw a cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres and chocolate.

Come enjoy what will be two beautiful days in downtown Frankenmuth that will leave you saying, “I love craft beer!” Also, be sure to stop by and see the Frankenmuth Brewery team as they will be handing out tastings of all your favorite Frankenmuth beers.

Bonus: Check out these hilarious hi-jinx from the 2010 World Expo of Beer and prepare for more beer fun this weekend.

It feels like summer is upon us. Maybe it’s not official yet (June 20 is the calender date), but Frankenmuth Brewery is celebrating the nice weather with Michigan beer and taking in as much baseball as we can. Ahh… baseball. From the smell of the fresh cut grass to the crack of the bat and even the annoying Wave, we’ve missed our boys of summer in the months since October.

While Frankenmuth Brewery’s alliance and love is always with the Detroit Tigers, we always enjoy watching America’s pastime, no matter who’s playing. While watching the San Diego Padres win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night, there was a phenomenal play not on the field, but in the stands. A foul ball popped up behind the dugout and an unassuming fan caught the ball in his beer. Like a true beer enthusiast, the fan drank the beer with the ball still in the cup.

In tribute to our new favorite ball catching fan, Frankenmuth Brewery has compiled a collection of incredible cup catches. From upper decks to pools in the outfield, these fans are dedicated to drinking their beers, regardless of whether there happens to be a baseball in the way.


San Diego Padres Fan Catches Foul Ball in Beer



A Red Sox Fan Makes an Amazing Upper Deck Snag With a Beer

Atlanta Braves Fan catches Ball From Outfielder

Fan Jumps in Pool: Catches Ball and Saves Beer

Next time you’re taking in a Detroit Tigers game, or any baseball for that matter, kick back with a Michigan beer from Frankenmuth Brewery. No matter what you do though — just don’t drop any of that precious, precious beer.

Did anybody say road trip? Frankenmuth is hitting the highway over the summer to bring quality craft brew from a Michigan brewery straight to your hometown. May has already proven to be an awesome month as we headed north to Mackinac Island (expect an upcoming blog post detailing the trip), and in the coming weeks there are no less than three tasting events available for all beer lovers.

The boom of microbreweries like Frankenmuth Brewery has catapulted a number of different kinds of brew to hometown business shops like Paula’s Market, located just west of Grand Rapids. The site of a Frankenmuth Brewery tasting on Thursday, May 9, Paula’s Market has seen great success selling craft beer since opening just under two years ago. “I like beer,” Paula’s owner Tom Maldegen says. “But the big beer companies are just not giving people good beer. There are a ton of good beers made right here by Michigan breweries.”

Offering up the microbrewery option to the hoards of Grand Rapids brew enthusiasts, the specialty shop, which focuses on selling all things Michigan, is one of hundreds of shops that carry Frankenmuth Brewery. “I went to the brewery when I was a kid,” Maldegen remembers. “I met up with them at a beer tasting in Grand Rapids and I just love their products.” Taste Maldegen’s favorite Frankenmuth beer, the Dunkel, and more when Frankenmuth Brewery shows off our beers from 6:30 PM to 8 PM at Paula’s. We hope that you will be able to swing by for a quality brew from a Michigan brewery.

Located smack dab in the middle of Southeast Michigan, the city of Jackson is famous for it’s world class race track, Michigan International Speedway, and now will be known as a brew mecca. For the first time since its inception, The Great Lakes Wine and Beer Fest welcomes local breweries to its ranks of beverages that will be available at the taste test event. “We are really excited to have a bigger emphasis on Michigan’s great beers this year,” MIS President Roger Curtis says. “There are many breweries in the state and word is spreading about how enjoyable their brews are.” On Saturday May 19, Frankenmuth Brewery and 17 other Michigan breweries will take part in a sampling right near the famed banked walls of MIS.

For a little fun closer to home (Frankenmuth Brewery’s home anyway), consider checking out the World Expo of Beer, a brew sampling event located right near our brewery that will feature over 300 different beers. The weekend of May 18 and 19 will see hopheads and brew hounds of all kinds gathering together in downtown Frankenmuth to taste beers from 10 countries, 13 states and 73 different breweries. We may have the home field advantage, but we would love to see all of our favorite Frankenmuth supporters out and about at the festival. Fear not though, even if we haven’t hit your town or you can’t come to visit the World Expo of Beer, Frankenmuth will surely be near you soon with a beer for you in hand.

April showers have made way for May bikes and flowers, but transporting Michigan craft beer from Frankenmuth Brewery on two wheels around town can have some disastrous results. One wrong turn or awkward stop and it can mean a complete mess and a lot of lost beer. Sure, you could take a car, but why bother when the weather is nice and the roads are beckoning with the sound of ringing bells and the clank of the bicycle chains?

Instead of waiting for your six packs and growlers to come crashing to the ground, Frankenmuth Brewery has sought out some of the coolest ways for beer drinkers to enjoy beer while biking home. Whether it be opening a bottle or gear that will hold the goods while you steer with both hands, these innovations will make this beer and biking summer season the best yet.

Walnut Studio, a hand-tooled leather shop based in Portland, Oregon, creates some of the coolest gadgets that are perfect for carrying beer, whether it’s while you’re walking or biking. For $24, Michigan craft beer lovers can purchase Walnut Studio’s Frame Cinch that is perfect for holding six packs from the middle bar on your bike frame. Forget the rusty water bottle holder currently on your Huffy! Strip it off and make way for this handcrafted beer handling beauty. Walnut Studios also makes beer holders that are capable of handling everything from 22 oz. cans up to growlers of beer from Frankenmuth Brewery.

Now that you have your beer securely attached to your bike thanks to Walnut Studios, you can cruise to your favorite drinking destination, friends house or barbecue in style. But happens if you arrive to find yourself without a bottle opener? While this blog has suggested other means of opening a bottle in the past, we also recommend that you check out a new innovation from Swarm. Taking what seems like your typical bike seat clamp, the Swarm Nectar has improved upon the design of one of your bikes most underrated features and has now included a beer bottle opener on their latest model. No longer will you have to worry about carrying a bottle opener or breaking the side of your friends table, as long as your bike is outfitted with a Swarm Nectar there is always a bottle opener present. Check out this cool video that shows how the Nectar works.

Whether if you’re riding down the trail or hitting the streets just to get back home, these new innovations work perfectly for carrying Michigan craft beer from Frankenmuth Brewery while biking around town. Take the chance to hit the open path via two wheels and, as always, enjoy your biking and beer drinking safely.

The fifth of May is upon us and what better way to celebrate Mexican culture than with a traditional Cinco De Mayo Recipe with a bit of Michigan craft beer from Frankenmuth Brewery thrown in for good measure? After all, there is no better way to get to know a culture than through it’s food and, hey, if you can you fit a few beers in there as well, you’ve got our attention.

The recipe we present you with today is a pulled chicken taco dish that utilizes Frankenmuth Brewery’s Hefeweizen Ale. Playing off the natural flavor notes of the beer, there is a hint of banana which play a pivotal role in adding flavor to the chicken. The banana is a traditional staple in the Mexican diet as the country grows the majority of the world’s supply. Follow this traditional Cinco De Mayo recipe for an amazing dish full of flavor that will be a perfect sidekick to a light Michigan craft beer like a Frankenmuth Hefeweizen.

Shredded Chicken and Michigan Craft Beer Tacos Recipe

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Frankenmuth Hefeweizen
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 large chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
1/2 lime juiced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 Avocado
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup salsa
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 flour tortillas

1. Heat a sauce pan with olive oil and sauté chopped onion until you can see through the onion. Add the spices and garlic to the onions and allow them to heat for a few minutes. Pour in chicken broth, mix the concoction all together and pull it off the stove top.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and put into a crock pot. Cover the mixture from the sauce pan over top of the chicken, pour in Frankenmuth Hefeweizen and add in jalapenos, cilantro and sugar. Allow chicken to cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

3. Once the chicken has cooked through, pull out of crock put and place into a bowl. Using a fork, shred the chicken, place it in the warmed flour tortillas and add the onions from the crock pot. Garnish with as much sour cream, salsa and avocado as your heart desires. Kick back with the Frankenmuth Hefeweizen you haven’t used for cooking and enjoy this traditional Cinco De Mayo recipe with some friends and family.

While Frankenmuth Brewery doesn’t necessarily believe in mixing beer and politics in any brewery, let alone in one of the many Michigan breweries, we will admit that we wouldn’t mind sitting down with this year’s Presidential candidates for a few brews. However, we don’t want to talk about the economy or foreign affairs with President Obama or Governor Romney. We’d just rather kick back and discuss the politics of a good beer.

According to MSNBC show Jansing and Company, the rest of the country isn’t far behind on requesting time to drink beer with the 2012 Presidential candidates. “We call it ‘The Brew Factor,’” Host Chris Jansing joked. “When we went through [each Presidential match up], the consensus was that in every case the person you’d rather sit down and have a beer with…
was the person that won.”

Informal TV polls aside, a study preempting the 2004 Presidential election done by pollsters Zogby/Williams showed that President George Bush was more likable overall than his counterpart Senator John Kerry. The study also noted that 57% of pollers agreed they would prefer to drink a beer with President Bush. As even those who have had a few too many Frankenmuth beers will remember, Bush would go on to win the office of President by a similarly narrow margin of victory later in the year.

While “The Brew Factor” may not be the best measurement of who will win a presidency, beer and politics have had their place in American history. Founding fathers like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and Samuel Adam were all brewing experts and lovers of the sudsy stuff. So, maybe in the right context, when not actually talking about the issues, beer and politics can be an essential mix in life. That especially holds when there is craft beer in the equation.

Bonus: Check out this footage from Jansing and Company where host Chris Jansing talks about “The Brew Factor” with political analyst Richard Wolffe and marketing expert Goldie Taylor.

Buying unique Mother’s Day gifts for your mom can seem like shooting fish in a barrel, but Frankenmuth Brewery is here to push you to go farther. Sure, she’s your mom. She’s going to love you whether you present her with a Rolls-Royce or a handful of weeds that you thought were flowers, right? Perhaps, but why not reciprocate the ultimate love she has always shown for you.

You could get away with scrimping on your Mother’s Day gift, but the fact is you shouldn’t. You owe her your life (literally). So, let Frankenmuth Brewery help you secure some unique Mother’s Day gifts that will steal the heart of the world’s most beautiful woman (Hint: We don’t mean Beyoncé).

In celebration of all the fantastic mothers out there, Frankenmuth Brewery will celebrate on May 13 by offering a free entree to any mother who comes to the brewery with their family to eat. Let your mom indulge herself in the homemade delicacies that she usually has to make for you when you are hungry and leave the cooking duties to our Frankenmuth kitchen staff.

Whether she selects the tantalizing Baby Back Ribs, indescribably amazing meatloaf sandwich, Bavarian Bratwurst or even the Not Your Mama’s Pot Roast Sandwich, this motherly meal is on the house. While each of our entrees will make perfect gifts, don’t let us all do the giving. Here is where we recommend you do a little something for that special lady.

With the money you’ve saved on not having to buy your mom dinner, take the extra cash and let her experience the best that Frankenmuth Brewery has to offer – our craft beer and wine. No matter if she prefers Riesling or Red Sky Ale, brewmaster Jeff Coon has perfected a vast number of different beers and wines that run the gamut from light to heavy and will perfectly compliment the meal that your mother selects. Yet, if there is no easy decision, consider offering to purchase the sampler tray and she will be able to decide, once and for all, which Frankenmuth product is her favorite. Then on the way out, surprise her with a growler full of her new favorite Frankenmuth brewhouse specialty.

However you decide to treat your mom for the upcoming holiday, please remember that mothers are a special breed. They are the underrated MVPs of every family team and deserve to be treated to the most unique Mother’s Day gifts possible. We hope that you will let us give her the gift of food and drink on May 13.

(Pizza is not included in Frankenmuth offer. Not valid with any other discounts or offers. Valid only with a brew crew card membership. Mother’s entree only and only one free entree per table.)

Spring has sprung and love is in the air at your favorite brewery in Michigan. Frankenmuth Brewery recently welcomed some love birds to our facilities. Local beer enthusiasts Kara and Jim are newly engaged, will soon be wed and have decided to throw a beer-themed wedding. Though we’ve never heard of a beer-themed wedding, Frankenmuth Brewery isn’t afraid to shy away from anything beer related. We welcomed the couple with open arms when they told us they wanted to shoot their engagement photos inside our brewery, and we are pleased to present the results here today.