Saugatuck Brewing Company’s flagship beers arrived onto store shelves and tap handles at bars in Chicago to minimal fanfare in late September.
The southwest Michigan brewery in Douglas, sandwiched between Benton Harbor’s The Livery and Holland’s New Holland (for those into beer geography), had long been on our radar as an up and comer in the state.
Their daily offerings were solid and occasionally spectacular. But it was their recently launched Brewers Reserve Series and the addition of a new seasonal that caused their stock to rise exponentially in our book.
Needless to say we were thrilled to see Saugatuck’s arrival in the Chicago market, and here’s four reasons why – in no particular order – using beer logic, of course.
Pier Cove Porter: Saugatuck calls this year-round offering an “English dark ale.” We call it awesome. A perfect compliment to a crisp fall day, Pier Cove pours pitch black with a billowing tan head (see photo below). It’s densely carbonated with notes of rich molasses and peanut butter that take it to a whole new level. Sweet, roast-y and clean – this beer has quickly risen up the ranks of our favorite porters; just below Founders but above so many others.
Neapolitan Milk Stout: We really can’t say enough good things about this beer. The Neapolitan has been on our radar since we first heard about it months ago, and since then we’ve always been hoping to stumble across it and see if it lived up to the promise it set up in its name. A beer called this, you expect some gentle cocoa and coffee flavors, some coating vanilla, and then some nice sweet strawberry right up on top that’s not too tart, not too forward, but part of a nice comforting harmony of flavor. This beer nailed exactly that, and it’s unbelievably good.
Bonfire Brown Ale: “A classic brown ale brewed with a touch of smoke,” says Saugatuck, creating what we think is a quintessential brown ale. The nose gives of a pleasant blend of chocolate, toffee, burnt toast, coffee and a touch of smoke. On the palate the bonfire brown is equal parts smooth, sweet and dry with dominate flavors of freshly brewed coffee, caramel, cocoa and an unmistakable yet unidentifiable earthiness.
Continuum IPA: If you could brew a beer that was entirely hops and no malt, we feel like this is the beer you’d get. Pure bitterness, some pleasant and some not so great. Have you ever put a penny in your mouth, and it tastes like salt and copper? This beer tastes like a handful of pennies. It’s brutally dry, too, finishing with a short tail of more hops punctuated by a lemon-lime Sprite-like flavor and sparkle. Despite the above, we’re not saying this is a bad beer, but it is definitely an interesting one. Think Devil Dancer, without the malt backbone.
Saugatuck’s other daily and seasonal offerings include a blonde, ESB, a twice-dry-hopped IPA, and a raspberry wheat ale.
Soon to be released Brewers Reserve Series beers include a double hopped black ale and a hoppy Scotch Ale.