Evening at the Joe

Joe Louis Arena and Downtown Detroit, Michigan

We headed down to Joe Louis Arena for a pre-season Hockey game between the Detroit Red Wings and fellow Original Six team the New York Rangers. Before heading down, we hit the Detroit Beer Company.

The Detroit Beer Company is part of a new renaissance in Downtown Detroit. The revival of Downtown Detroit is centered around the new sports complexes, casinos, and the connections via the inter-downtown transit loop (and mayor Colman Young's boondoggle), The People Mover.

Downtown Detroit is still a down-trodden and under utilized place, but the small signs of life have provided access to areas that in my childhood were too dangerous to visit. We actually parked on the s

treet, went to the brewery, and took the People Mover on to the game and back without

any trouble.

It was Friday night and the Brewery was crowded. The brewery is nestled into the basement, and the serving tanks are located above and around the bar on the first floor of the Hartz Building. We sat up on the second floor where there is an additional bar and restaurant area. The waiter was busy, and didn't know all that much about the beers he was serving, but did check for us if there were any brewer's discounts (there weren't any).

My group ordered a number of different beers based and I got to sample them all. I mostly enjoyed the Porter (which Brent got) and the Detroit Dwarf (German Altbier) which I got. The

Detroit Dwarf is named for the legend of the

Nain Rouge, a dwarf with red boots or fur, that appears as a small figure around Detroit, and is thought to be a harbinger of doom for Detroit. That dwarf must stay pretty busy. The beer itself is a strong coppery golden ale that is complex and balanced. It won a gold medal at the GABF in 2006. I had that and their IPA, and was done drinking for the day....my job was that of driver designate.

The Red Wings pulled it out in the third period, which was nice, and we headed back to Liberty Street for the nightcap, but I drank diet coke....despite my desire for a mild ale. A perfect evening, except for my aching feet.

If you go to the Detroit Beer Company, I suggest finding a quieter time to visit, perhaps during the day or on a non-game night for the Lions, Tigers, or Red Wings. Perhaps then you can sit at the bar, and take a little time to enjoy their great offereings.