ANN ARBOR – In an article published this week in the Detroit Free Press, Robert Allen profiled HOMES Brewery, which is currently gaining national attention for its unique selection of beers, namely its Blurb Sherbet (6 percent alcohol by volume), which, according to Allen, is "a lactose kettle sour made with blueberries and basil, pours purple with a light-purple head. Smooth and creamy with a depth of berry flavor, it has an interplay of sweet and tart -- and it may remind you of a smoothie." For those who want to experience the beer in a slightly different way, occasionally HOMES serves Sherbet in slushie form, Allen wrote.
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In addition to the Blurb Sherbet, Allen focused on three of its eight beers currently listed on tap: Peach Vanilla Sherbet (5.8 percent ABV), a lactose kettle sour blended with peaches and aged on Madagascar vanilla; Same Same Different (7.2 percent ABV), an IPA with Mosaic, Citra and Simcoe hops; and King Cold Brew (8 percent ABV), a cream ale made with Ethiopian and Brazilian coffee.
Helping with the demand for HOMES Brewery's beers is the fact that the owner, Tommy Kennedy, is not seeking distribution, thereby retaining control of how customers experience the beers. "The smaller-scale approach makes it easier to pivot to changing tastes, and it doesn't have to worry about struggling for shelf-space access in an increasingly competitive market," Allen wrote.
HOMES has been open since April of 2017 and the brewery has been included on several "best breweries" lists, including one from USA Today. Allen himself included HOMES' non-sherbet version of Blurb as one of his top five new Michigan beers of 2017 last December.
If you want to experience the selection that HOMES has to offer, we of course encourage you to visit the brewery itself. If, however, you happen to love beer festivals, HOMES is hosting the inaugural sour-beer-themed Nucleate Beer Festival at Veterans Memorial Park across Jackson Avenue from its brewery on June 16, according to Allen. Tickets are $80 (available through HomesBrewery.com), and include 20 samples and a tasting glass. Profits will be donated to the nonprofit Ann Arbor Active Against ALS.
For a more in-depth look at HOMES and Allen's conversation with Kennedy, we strongly urge you to check out the full article in the Detroit Free Press. It is a fascinating look at the brewery itself and a wonderful example of how Ann Arbor is full of amazing individuals like Kennedy, who are doing something different in industries that are tough to break into. You can read the article here.
HOMES Brewery is located at 2321 Jackson Ave in Ann Arbor and is open Tuesday through Sunday. Learn more by visiting HomesBrewery.com.
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