Good Beer Hunting

no. 389

FP7A6222.jpg

"We started with one that was just called 'Not Drake.'"

After recording a recent podcast episode with Mitch from Speciation Artisan Ales in Comstock Park, Michigan, I was left with a bit of time to wander around the facility. There were only two people working, including Mitch, because the taproom isn't finished yet and they don't have a hot side. It's the kind of place where you might putter around in silence some days, and bust ass on other days to get a packaging run done.

That kind of atmosphere leaves a little time and brain space for elaborate jokes to play out. Sometimes, they may even become official.

Some people talk to their houseplants. Others blast music over their hydroponic farms to encourage extra growth. Perhaps these wild ales will take on some of the properties of their namesakes, confusing, delighting, and pushing boundaries along the way. Or maybe they'll even find a renewed sense of purpose, sustaining their influence well beyond what many considered their best-by date.

Speaking of which, there's a lone plastic conical in the other room named Killer Mike. That one seems like it has a specific purpose Iā€™m excited to learn about.