Lush Life

To be a lush chef, does not mean to drink in excess - this can result in scary fires and bad dishes. A lush chef is one who enjoys gourmet cooking/baking, often with fresh ingredients and the smart use of one's home bar. If there happens to be half a bottle of beer, a glass of wine, or a sip of brandy left over...well, one cannot be wasteful. I give you permission to imbibe.

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The Lush Chef
Twitter: @thelushchef Provenance: Santa Monica Dish: Coq au Vin Spirit: Whiskey Wine: Malbec Beer: Hefeweizen Farmer's Market: Santa Monica on Main Street
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Aug 2, 2011

Keweenaw Brewing Company


Even when the Lush Chef is in the remote copper country region of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, she still finds a way to seek out good libations.



 It's become a bit of tradition when visiting this area for family reunions to hit up the Keweenaw Brewing Company in Houghton, Michigan.  There may not be copper mining happening in the area anymore, but they do know how to make a good pasty and a good brew.




















I love the vibe of their tasting room on the main strip in Houghton—exposed brick walls, wood cabin-like furniture, a fireplace, beautiful views of the river, an outdoor deck, and the local color hanging around the bar at 3pm nursing their $2.50 pints.  Yes, I said $2.50.  Everything is insanely cheap in this area.  A 5 beer tasting at the "KBC" goes for $4 and you get to pick from about 10 or so brews (they rotate them based on the season).

The Lush Chef's dad and brother split a tasting with me and we sampled the following:
Solstice Hefe - Usual citrusy pale ale, but with a more sour flavor than most Hefeweizens. 
Pick Axe Blonde Ale - Their lightest ale and my favorite.  They distribute this year-round and it's one of their top ales.
Red Jacket Amber Ale - Medium bodied and another favorite of mine.  Also a top seller. 
"Yippie KI."P.A. - I'm not an IPA fan, but I had to try it.  Bitter and hoppy.
Rockland Lager - Bitter and delicious, but I couldn't drink a lot of this.



As of now, you can only find their beers in Michigan and Wisconsin, but if you ever happen to be in this area, I highly recommend making a stop.  Or if you're looking for a local brew when you're in the Midwest, take a 6-pack of this home!




2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good OL UP. I was in love w/ a girl from Marquette during college.

Truthfully though, the entire state of MI seems permanently drunk, at least that was the truth in my UofM dorm. The Russian kid would wake up and rinse his mouth with vodka.

The Lush Chef said...

Aww, hey now sinosoul - Don't be hating on my home state. That's a dumb generalization to make - something I wouldn't expect from a fellow Wolverine. So your Russian college roommate was a boozer? That has nothing to do with the people that live there.