Get ready for spring with these releases for March, all bright sippers to celebrate the (hopeful) coming of spring. 

Perrin Grapefruit IPA 

On March 16 Perrin Brewing Co. will unleash their citrusy, thirst-quenching Grapefruit IPA. Pick up a pint of this ale to take a breather from your otherwise St. Patrick’s Day themed shenanigans and bask in the tasty, fruity brew. Brewed with real grapefruit, Grapefruit IPA is a seasonal offering from Perrin Brewing Co. that pours a hazy golden hue with an intoxicating grapefruit aroma and sweet fruit flavor with a bitter and crisp finish

New Belgium Skinny Dip

New Belgium Brewing Co. doesn’t want you to get naked, although they do want you to check out their own Skinny Dip, the upcoming summer seasonal. Skinny Dip is a full-bodied lager a frothy head, sunny citrus flavor and crisp finale.  Bright Cascade hops, peach notes and bready malts blend together to create a tantalizing sipper.
4.2% ABV 20 IBU

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA 

After patiently waiting since October Deschutes release, we will be able to finally indulge in Deschutes Brewery Fresh Squeezed IPA, both on draft or straight from the bottle. A huge citrus aroma affronts the senses immediately with this super juicy IPA, with light bready and honey malt undertones quietly complementing the grapefruit hop profile. 6.4% ABV 60 IBU

Arcadia Ales Whitsun Ale 

A true sign of the return of spring – Arcadia Ales Whitsun Ale will be back in the Grand Rapids beginning in March. The wheat ale bursts with a light citrus aroma, a creamy white head and a hazy orange appearance. The flavor profile is a combination of orange peel, coriander, light bready notes and a caramel sweetness from Michigan honey. The wheat provides a creamy mouthfeel while a light hopping adds balance to the ale.
6.2% ABV 17 IBU

Bud Light Lemon-Ade-Rita

A brand new seasonal, limited edition release from the Bud Light Rita family is here!       Lemon-Ade-Rita combines the juicy, fresh-squeezed qualities of homemade lemonade with the crisp and refreshing body of a Bud Light. This newest edition is currently in house, ready to harken the coming of spring.

8% ABV

A is for apple.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

How about them apples?

The fruit is not only an favorite American produce, it’s gone so far as to infiltrate our language. Now, the apple is reaching even further with beer. No longer satisfied with the cider category (which is, individually, a huge growing category) the apple is launching itself forward with Bud Light Lime Apple-AHHH-Rita.

Apple-AHHH-Rita is the newest release from the Rita family, perfect timing as we approach apple picking season. This limited edition offering brings bright and crisp apple flavor to sync with the light and refreshing flavor of Bud Light Lime to create a unique twist on the apple margarita. Best served poured over ice, Apple-AHH-Rita is 8% ABV and will be available until the beginning of November.

Check it out  - after first sip it will sure to be the new apple of your eye. 

Mixology with the Bud Light Rita family is where it's at when it comes to summer drinks. Working with fresh ingredients and sweet, refreshing ritas can create the ultimate beverage, with enough variety to suit any occasion. Here are the top five to try out this summer.

1. Fresh Lima-A-Rita Daiquiri

2. Lime-A-Rita Paloma 

3. Creamy Mang-O-Rita

4. Raz-Mo-Politan

5. Kiwi Straw-Ber-Rita

2013 Beer Releases Review

2013 is going down in history as the year full of fun and beer. Beer highlights  included new packaging and brand new beers in the market. Here’s a breakdown of the biggest beer introductions in Grand Rapids for the 2013 year. Take a look, reminisce and check out any beers you haven’t gotten your mitts on yet.

Budweiser Black Crown

As the winner from Budweiser’s Project 12 competition, Black Crown launched at the same time as the 2013 SuperBowl. An amber lager aged over beachwood chips it delivers a smooth flavor that made it stand out from the nation-wide competition held, making it the audience favorite and then the newest addition to the Bud Family.

Rochester Mills Beer Co.

Just in time for the Michigan Winter Beer Festival, Rochester Mills Beer Co. (based out of Rochester, MI) began distribution via draft and cans. For many, this was the best belated Christmas present they could get since in Rochester Mills Beer Co. consistently is one of the most sought-after and popular beer pubs in the state and with their distribution launch are now available in Grand Rapids.

Petoskey Brewing

A new brewery from the North launched their beers on draft in the first quarter of 2013. Although the brewery is itself new, the idea is rooted in 100-year history, dating back to 1898 when the original “Old Brewery” used the building for the original Petoskey Brewing facility. Now, Petoskey Brewing once again shines as a brewing landmark while providing artisan beers to the Grand Rapids area and beyond.

Bud Light Straw-Ber-Rita

The Bud Light Rita family gained two new additions this year, beginning with Straw-Ber-Rita in the spring. Straw-Ber-Rita, and then the limited winter specialty Cran-Brrr-Rita, provided more choices to the Rita family for those who wanted a change from the original Lime-A-Rita. And those new choices are mighty tasty together!

Oskar Blues Brewery

This past march the 2013 Craft Brewer of the Year, Oskar Blues Brewery, launched their Cantastic line up in the Mitten State. The brewery is renown for sparking the craft can revolution by being the first brewery to distribute their beers in cans only. Since then, the brewery has grown exponentially, with a new brewery located in North Carolina, which is good since it craft beer drinkers continue to steadily and increasingly gravitate and drink up the fuh-CAN-tastic beers from Oskar Blues.

New Belgium Brewing: Rampant Imperial IPA

Rampant is a well-balanced example of an imperial IPA. Calypso and Mosaic hops combined to create a bright citrus aroma and stonefruit flavor profile in this bitter, copper-colored brew. As a brand new addition to the Explorer Series, Rampant IPA contribute a heaping handful of hops bitterness that leaves you craving more.

Perrin Brewing: Grapefruit IPA

This year Perrin Brewing produced a fantastic line up of new beers from their brewery in Comstock, MI – there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. However, one that stood out was the summer seasonal, Grapefruit IPA. A sessionable and low IBU IPA that simply burst with fragrant citrus aroma and taste stole the show this summer.

Stella Cidre

This year, Stella Artois introduced Stella Cidre, a European-style cider that showcases an effervescent body with a dry and crisp finish. Since it first launched, Stella Cidre has won multiple accolades, including winning gold at the 2013 North American Beer Awards.

Smuttynose Brewing Co.

Smuttynose Brewing Co. launched Finestkind IPA and Big A IPA drafts through West Side Beer in October, bringing another world-class brewery to Michigan. Based out of Portsmouth, Smuttynose is a leading craft brewer in its home state of New Hampshire while both Finestkind IPA and Big A IPA are top rated beers on BeerAdvocate and RateBeer...and are now available in the Great Beer State

Frankenmuth Christmas Town

Frankenmuth’s newest release, Christmas Town joined the ranks as the brewery’s winter seasonal, ensuring that everyone got into the holiday spirit. A delightful winter warmer, this new addition to the Frankenmuth family helped us end the 2013 year on a happy and beery note.