Tag Archives: Michigan

Five Years Later Ain’t Nuthin’ Changed

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Early un-inspired logo for GLL.

Early un-inspired logo for GLL.

It’s kinda hard to believe, but May 30th 2013 marks the 5th anniversary of when Great Lakes Libations first spilled onto the worldwide interweb.

GLL started out as website where Michigan craft beer fans could discover the address/contact info for local breweries, along with news and a listing of statewide beer events.  It was primitive, but effective nonetheless. 

Then in 2009, the address/contact info morphed into an interactive brewery locator map, which still exists today.  GLL also expanded into the realm of social media via Facebook and Twitter, and later launched this blog where folks could be bored to sleep reading nonsensical beer-related ramblings. 

Most recently, the Yelp, Tumblr, and Instagram applications have all been dumbed-down thanks to our presence.

However GLL’s crowning achievement likely came in 2012 during the Michigan Summer Beer Festival, when web users were treated to a live video feed on our website.  We found this pretty impressive, considering our desktop Pentium 2 is still running Windows 95.

Modern day, slightly less un-inspired logo circa 2011.

Slightly less un-inspired logo circa 2011.

Looking ahead, folks can expect (or perhaps beware of) some further expansion.  For example, due to the tastes and preferences of our various contributors and influencers, lately we’ve begun including Michigan-made wine and spirits under the GLL umbrella.  We are also planning on making the site a bit more user-friendly for the multitude of mobile users (better late than never, right?).

But regardless of where the future takes us, the underlying principle from five years ago will remain the same:  Great Lakes Libations is dedicated to spreading awareness, and connecting those who consume with those who produce.

That, and enjoying a drink or two in the process.

There Ain’t No Cure For The Summertime Brews…or is there?

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Sacred Cow IPA

As summer quickly approaches, perhaps you’ve noticed that pretty much every beer brewer in existence has already inundated the market with their seasonal offering, which is typically a wheat-style ale paired with a wedge of citrus fruit (Pretty sure I even saw a Pabst Summer Wheat on shelves but perhaps i’m mistaken…).

Some of these beers are really quite good – in fact, I can think of several from craft brewers in our beloved mitten state and surrounding areas that are definite home runs. However there are also some on the market that are…well…i’ll just come out and say it: They’re terrible.

I enjoy the occasional summer ale this time of year, however it has more to do with availability than the onset of warmer weather. In fact, if it’s hot, i’ll take a cold IPA or perhaps a Kolsch.

Maybe i’m the oddball, but on a warm summer afternoon, my brain skips over wheat and demands hops instead. And lucky for me, these options are plentiful this time of year as well.