Patti F. Smith

I am horrible at self-promotion (where is the line between that and bragging?! Oy), but I have to say that I have a BOOK LAUNCH coming up next Monday, November 17th at 7pm at the sh\aut space in Braun Court. Mayor Hieftje (who wrote the foreword for the book!) will be there and really, he’s more interesting than me, so you should come out for that 🙂

I will also be signing books at the Grange on November 19th from 4:00-6:00. Please come out, have a cocktail, some poutine, and local history!

But back to the 1880s…newspapers had to pay bills and sold advertising to do so. Some things for sale:

• Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup — available for squalling infants, pleasant tasting, and safe to use in all cases! Available “everywhere”, including our own Ann Arbor!
• Little Mack’s at 9 Main Street recognized that men “have many minds and many shapes and many forms”; thus, they offered custom tailoring for the discerning gentleman
• Over at 7 E. Huron Street, F.S. Mack offered tobacco “at Detroit prices”
• Rinsey & Seabolt’s grocery store offered a variety of goods for sale–bread, crackers, cake, cornmeal, feed…and also paid cash for butter, eggs and produce!
• Anton Eisele (mentioned in my book!) advertised his marble and granite monuments…prices were “lower than ever!” The shop was located at the corner of Detroit & Catherine Streets
• A person call him or herself only J.W.B. posted an ad asking to “rent a good piano”
• The administrator of the Buchoz estate was selling “valuable real estate” at the court house. There was a Buchoz block back in the day (also mentioned in the book!), located on Detroit Street…not sure if this was the same Buchoz but it’s a safe bet that they were somehow related!
• Over at the opera house, Professor Haines was offering private handwriting lessons

There were some reports of snowflakes on Saturday (November 8, 2014) morning. We are not alone in early snowflakes…our friends in 1880 had them as well! The Courier reported that a Saturday night rainstorm turned into snow and a blanket of white greeted everyone on Sunday morning. Monday and Tuesday were mild, said the paper, and the snow presumably melted.

The clearing of walkways and sidewalks is also still an issue around here and something that folks in 1880 also had to contend with. In fact, the Courier (always ready with an opinion!) suggested that businesses who hadn’t the “energy or self-respect” sufficient to clear its walkways should be boycotted. But of course it was the Courier and they didn’t just say boycotted…they said to give the “cold shoulder of patronage” to these businesses. It is “bad enough to have to wade through slush on resident streets.” True, Courier, true.

There was also a correction to the census numbers for the city…there were 8,103 people and not 7,103 as originally reported.

There was a mention of the recent election, as well. Only two anti-masonic straight tickets were voted in the county–one in Augusta and one in Webster.  Also, it was reported that the county canvassers got $3 per day for two days’ work, plus mileage.

I have to wonder how mileage was paid! In food and care of your horse? Wear and tear on your buggy! That is absolutely fascinating to me…I never even realized that they paid mileage back in the day!

Courier, November 5, 1880:

The Courier exclaimed “glory, glory Hallelujah! Almost everything Republican now!”

As we know, the Republican party of the 1880s was very different than the one today. It also is worth mentioning that as a female, I could have had absolutely no vote in anything. Women still had to wait 40 years before they could vote in most places (some states did allow voting earlier, and sometimes you could vote in smaller elections in some towns). Any woman who does not vote today infuriates me.

Interesting to note is that all of this information was listed on page two of the paper, with the front page being made up of short story type pieces.

The paper also listed the results of local elections, warning that their numbers would “vary considerably” from the official figures. While this is problematic, it does beat the races that are “called” before the polls even close! I found it interesting that some poor folks only got one vote. Perhaps if women could have voted for them, they could have gotten 2?!

The big news was the recent election! Nationally, the government was in the hands of the Republican party and the article in the paper said “we have full to believe that the administration of James A. Garfield will be as pure and patriotic” as Rutherford B. Hayes’ administration was.

Locally, the Ann Arbor Courier said it was “utterly impossible” to give complete results from the local races that had taken place three days earlier. As best they could tell, the winners were Joe T. Jacobs for state senator, William D. Harriman for probate judge, Everett B. Clark for county clerk (winning despite a “spirited and fierce opposition” candidate) and the prosecuting attorney race was still too close to call.

Compare this with our primary elections this past August. I walked across the street to our polling place at about 7:45 and by 8:15, there were lists of votes counted for Ward 1, Precinct 4. I then went back to my front porch and tweeted the results to the Ann Arbor Chronicle, where reporters were standing by to post my results. Around town, other volunteers were getting results in their wards and the Chronicle put the whole list up on its website.

What would the writers of the Courier have to say about all that?! (And the fact that I am a woman who votes in every election!)

It pays to have friends in high places. For instance, I have known Cindy Hegenauer for over 7 years now. If you don’t know her, you should–especially if you like beer! Cindy is a driving force behind the Detroit Draft Divas and well-known for her immense knowledge (and love) of stouts.

A few weeks ago, Cindy was a VIP guest at the new Null Tap House and took ME as her very special guest! (So it was like a Very Special Episode featuring Teacher Patti who will throw open the door, make a witty comment about how when life gives us lemons, make lemon beer, and then flounce out. Sort of like Wilona on Good Times). Null stands for Northern United Liquid Libations and is brought to you by the nice folks from Jolly Pumpkin, North Peak Brewing, Civilized Spirits, and Old Mission Microdistillery (I hope I got everyone!). This tap house opened in Dexter, and I got to go the very first night!

Because we are awesome, Cindy and I got there first. We walked right in and were greeted by a friendly man with pitchers of beer. Well, alright!

The space is absolutely gorgeous. I think we can all agree that my picture taking skills are lacking, so I hope the beauty shines through:

Note pretty chandelier. When I was a kid, my mom got a chandelier for her and my dad’s room and I promptly asked for one. She said she’d get me one, but she got me a “hanging lamp”. I called her out on it, and she said that “hanging lamps” were just as nice as chandeliers. No, no they really aren’t. That lamp is still in my childhood bedroom, and it is still not a chandelier.

But I digress. There was a lovely buffet spread, free for the takin’:

Here is my second or third plate. I have no shame.

But what about the beer, Patti? Well, there is not only beer but wine, spirits, and cocktails a’poppin. Cindy and I stuck to beer, but you can certainly find anything you like in the beer, wine, or spirits realm. (See what I did there? GENIUS). We had a sampler, and each beer was fantastic. We had four saisons:  Cherry Hibiscus, Dandelion Rhubarb, Not Special K and Saison PDQ. I also threw in one of the North Peak stouts, because I had never had it before. It made for a nice “dessert” beer after the sours.

Because of Cindy’s VIP status, we also got swag bags (like the people who go to the Oscars!). We got t-shirts (I am wearing mine right now, in fact), magnets, stickers and Cindy got this sweet growler:

It was a great night! Even though you can’t be cool VIPs like us, you can still get the full Null experience. The tap house is open and ready to serve you.

Cheers!

A version of this article previously appeared in MittenBrew. (You aren’t reading Mittenbrew?!?!? Why the hell not??!)

 

The phrase “an idea whose time has come” gets used quite often, and just as often, it doesn’t really fit the situation. For example, a friend of mine described KFC’s “double down” sandwich in such a manner; another friend said the same thing about Taco Bell’s breakfast burritos. (Okay, it was the same friend). But once in awhile, the phrase fits perfectly—as with the women’s craft beverage trade group Fermenta.

Yum, sampler!

Pauline Knighton (Short’s Brewing Company) and Stacey Roth (Griffin Claw) had discussed the idea of forming a trade group for women in the craft beverage industry. The idea (ahem) fermented in their minds, and this past April, women met at Arbor Brewing Company to work out a vision. The focus of this group is to encourage more women to get involved in the craft beverage industry (including beer writing!) and to expand our collective knowledge about beer in Michigan. The ultimate mission of Fermenta is simple: it is a non-profit initiated by Michigan women, committed to diversity, camaraderie, networking, and education within the craft beverage industry.

The group had a rousing kick off at the Michigan Brewers’ Guild Summer Beer Fest. Eleven brewpubs featured beers brewed by members of Fermenta. These included Lucie’s Lullaby from Boatyard Brewing Company, Michigan Honey Melon Amber from Fenton Winery and Brewery, It’s About Thyme from Short’s Brewing Company, and Salted Caramel Brown from Witch’s Hat.

Fermenta’s first official event was held this weekend at WhichCraft Taproom in Midland. As an added bonus to WhichCraft’s outstanding beer selection, some of the Fermenta beers were available. WhichCraft used to be a horse barn, but it has been beautifully transformed into a taproom. The wooden floors and bright open space lend themselves to an afternoon of tasting beers with new friends.

In addition to providing ample opportunities to mix and mingle, the event featured an educational talk by Certified Cicerone, Annette May. Annette taught attendees about flavors and tastes of beers, focusing on the Saison that we sampled. Before and after the talk, members could browse the trade tables there were set up. The tables included samples of honey, information from hop farmers, and the latest brewing equipment.

Annette is very smart and nice and pretty!

The group is already proving helpful to women who are newer to the industry, as well as veterans. Moragh Goyette, an assistant brewer with Grizzly Peak, said that groups like Fermenta have helped her transition from a job with the University of Michigan to professional brewing. “People take you much more seriously when they know that you are part of a trade group (like Fermenta),” she said. “The educational opportunities will also be a big help as I continue in my job.” Angie Williams of Griffin Claw added that the opportunities for women in the industry are “tremendous”, as Fermenta will increase its educational and networking events as it grows.

Pauling Knighton of Short’s Brewing Company is the first president of Fermenta. Echoing the enthusiasm of other attendees, Pauline said, “The part of the day that made me stop and smile the most was when a woman approached me to tell me that she had just accompanied her friend to the event, but had no intentions of joining. However, the woman was so impressed that she became a member and can’t wait to get more involved.”

To my dismay, I have heard many people (including many women) lament that women just can’t get along and that too many women together leads to problems. The exact opposite is true with Fermenta. The vibe of the day can best be summed up by Pauline Knighton, who said that at one point in the day, “I actually stopped, looked around, and was beaming with excitement. All the women who made today happen are amazing and worked their butts off–it was a just a great success. “

Cheers to many, many more successes!

I made a friend named Moragh! That was her big glass and my little glass!

…and you should go, I need to recommend something. Squirrel away your calories for a few days, and be sure to eat their German Chocolate Cake while drinking the Shaman Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter. You could totally go for it and drink the Decadent Chocolate Ale, but that just seems a bit, je ne sais pas, too much. The porter has some chocolate notes, but not enough to overwhelm the chocolate in the cake.

I’d also recommend the sausage plate + just about any beer on the menu, but particularly the malty spectacular goodness of the Bloktoberfest. The seasonings in the sausage (which I started calling “snausage” about four sample glasses in) worked well with the malt and grain in that beer. The Belgian also paired nicely, but the Tripel was too sweet for the snausage.

It’s a great place! I’m only sorry it took us this long to get out there!

This is how baseball was meant to be played–by guys with nicknames like Legs and Pops and the Preacher, without gloves or egos or million dollar endorsement deals, with kids running around and popcorn and a sun so bright that it hurts your eyes.

And that is how baseball (or, charmingly, base ball) was played this past Sunday at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull in Detroit. Yes, that corner. The corner where Ruth and Cobb and Gehrig played. Bennett Park, Navin Field, Briggs Stadium…whatever you want to call it, that place was magic. If you are from Metro Detroit and you don’t have a fond memory of seeing a game at that place, then I feel bad for you. I still remember walking up the ramp to get to the seats, seeing that bright green field (I won’t add “of dreams”), the bleachers, the big concrete poles that offered “obstructed view” seats…the smell of the hotdogs, the popcorn, the beer.

My ex-husband and I got season tickets for the final season at Tiger Stadium and were lucky enough to go to the final game. Here is a story of that game ~ we were sitting behind a skinny, blonde chick who I presume one would describe as “hot”. She was on her cell phone most of the game (and remember, this was 1999 when cell phones weren’t as ubiquitous as they are now). At the end, Sparky Anderson appeared on the big screen. Girlfriend turned to her friend and said, “Who’s that old guy?!?” I almost went over the seat in full attack mode, but then-boyfriend, now-ex-husband calmed me down.

None of that kind of crap happened this last Sunday, when Fiance Ken and I went to the Corner to watch the Royal Oak Wahoos play the Dexter Union Base Ball Club. The game is played by 1860s rules, which includes a “gloves optional” rule and no DH (yes!). The ball can bounce once and it still is considered an out (took me a minute to catch onto that one). And the game is played for the love of the game.

Several dozen people gathered on the grassy lawn of what is now again being called Navin Field. Thanks to a dedicated bunch of folks (the Navin Field Grounds Crew), the field is being mowed and cared for. I don’t know any of those people personally, but I want to. I know they are good people because they care about a good place.

Until last Sunday, I never thought I’d see baseball at the old “corner” ever again. And the good news is that there are games almost every Sunday, and sometimes during the week. Check them out on Facebook …and head out to the old ball field. Your childhood will thank you.

It goes to show you never can tell. When my friends (Linh and Roxy) invited me for lunch at Godaiko, I knew I’d be getting excellent sushi. What I didn’t know, is that they have an outstanding bar as well. Linh knows one of the owners/chefs, and he was kind enough to come over and chat with us. Out of nowhere, he started talking about a grapefruit beer that he discovered at Disneyland (of all places!) and worked hard to get imported for the bar.

It turns out that the beer is Schofferhofer’s (imagine the Motley Crue dots over the “o”) Grapefruit Weizen. While it gets mixed reviews online, I would give it a thumbs up for being refreshing and low in ABV (2.5%!). The nose is tart grapefruit and the taste is that of a sweet grapefruit spritzer–there is a lot of grapefruit taste in this beer! I can see why others might not like it, but I really enjoyed it!

I should also mention that the food at Godaiko is simply wonderful–I had the spider roll and the California roll and both were terrific. Plow your way through the construction (screw those barrels!) to get there!