Here we are again, friends!

Three things for your enjoyment:

• Beer
• History
• Bee Humor from 1881

Let’s get it started!

What’s happening in local beer?

• Townies Brewery opened in the former Glassworks space and had its soft opening this past week. Friends who went gave it positive reviews! Also, looks like it will still be dog-friendly! Now I just have to convince my other half to let me get a dog!
• Blom Meadworks –  A special tour will be happening with one of my friends, Tammy of Tammy’s Tastings. I will be going!
• Ann Arbor Distilling Company –  Kittens and Cocktails on Thursday at 6pm! Adoptable kittehs and booze! FREE TOURS will be given every Monday and Tuesday throughout the summer! These run from 4-5:30 and I highly recommend going. Ari is super nice and the place is beautiful! Also musician Harrington Brown will be performing on next Saturday.
• Arbor Brewing – Cards Against Humanity tournament on June 12th! Can’t wait until then? Trivia happens every Thursday!
• Grizzly Peak/Old German/Blue Tractor/Jolly Pumpkin –  New at Old German-Trowbridge Keller-Pils! A German classic made with Michigan-grown Mt. Rainier hops from Top Hops Farm in Goodrich. Jolly Pumpkin/Tired Hands collaboration bottles are available at JP! New spring specials at the Tractor–check them out on their Facebook page!
• Pileated Brewing –  Squishigan Red Ale is back!!!
• Pointless Brewery & Theater –  The always awesome shows are happening and so is a women’s improv jam on Wednesday. I am going to try to make it if school doesn’t exhaust me.
• HOMES – Peach Vanilla Sherbet, a lactose sour, hit the taps this week. Tickets are on sale for their first Nucleate Beer Festival on June 16th!
• Wolverine State Brewing Company – Sava’s beer dinner this Wednesday and tap takeovers on Thursday (at Monelli’s Italian Grill in Kalamazoo) and on Friday (at Clubhouse BFD in Rochester Hills).

On this day….

• Signal of Liberty, May 20, 1844 –  As always, the Ann Arbor Debating Society was not here to play with you; it was here to kick ass and debate stuff. This week it debated the following: resolved, that labor saving machinery is beneficial to the laboring classes.” Mrs. Hulme, a milliner and dressmaker, advertised her shop in Lower Town. She specialized in making silk and straw bonnets. Blank deeds, mortgages, and summonses could be purchased at the newspaper’s office. Other notable topics included articles on political lying, the possible annexation of Texas, and a riot in Philadelphia. The latter event occurred when folks from the Hibernia home (Irish settlers) fired shots in the vicinity of a peaceful meeting of the Native American party. A fight broke out, ended after about an hour, and started again the following evening. The mayor suffered a wound, martial law declared, churches were burned, and about a dozen people were killed.
• Michigan Argus, May 20, 1864 – The Democratic County Convention was to be held with 12 people appointed to represent our city. (And by “people”, I mean “white men” as our 15th and 19th amendments–two of my personal favorite amendments-were not yet a thing).
  • Losses in Michigan regiments fighting the Civil War were reported and included reports of a captain losing his leg and of report of about 161 recent deaths, 722 injuries, and 540 missing soldiers.
  • [ed note: we were fighting a bunch of traitors known as the Confederacy. They ended up losing the war. There is no reason to display their flag, especially not in our state. Read again the numbers of dead/missing/injured…and that was just from a month or so]
• Ann Arbor Courier, May 20, 1881 – WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK OLD TIMEY ANN ARBOR? Residents of the third ward reported that their dogs were being murdered! At least 17 doggos were killed and the residents were pissed.
  • In lighter news, our friends made a funny! The quoted the Nashville News which said that bee keepers don’t know how they can sell honey if the bees don’t cell any this summer (cute). The Eaton News replied “that was ex-cell-ently put!” (adorbs). The Courier said “yes but it don’t bee-comb people to weigh such honied words so lightly.” (WINNER!!)
  • Vacant lots at State and North (now Kingsley) were quickly becoming a dumping ground for the city. Shade thrown at common council for doing anything about it.
• Ann Arbor Argus, May 20, 1892 –  Washtenaw County Teachers’ Association met. I hope they all headed out to drink afterwards. Teachers can really drink.
  • J.T. Jacobs and O.M. Martin “and wife” went to Jackson. (K.E. Anderson and “wife” [i.e. me] haven’t gone to Jackson in awhile but I’d like to go to the brewpubs that have opened. See above about teachers and the drink)
  • “Col.” Jason Riley is visiting. I have to wonder about the quotation marks. That is a story begging to be told.
  • The race track went up at the fairgrounds!
  • Oh God…there was a thing called University Minstrels who were described as “our swell society boys in burnt cork” and now I have to remember that parts of the past really sucked.