New Look - Classic Pilsner
New can. Same beer. More of it.
You hopefully recognize the name, but the face is a bit different.
Introducing the new look of the Classic Pilsner. Why the change? Let's explain.
Our relationship to this beer is simple, we love it. We often call this a "brewer's beer." A clean, refreshing, tasty beer that is a go to for employees at the end of the day.
We drink a lot of it.
Dive into our world for a minute.
We have three brewing systems; a 1 bbl pilot system, 3 bbl pub system, and 40 bbl production system.
Blackrocks was founded on the idea of brewing many styles and variations of those styles. We brew beer we like and want, and what we hope our customers will like and want. The 1 and 3 bbl systems are ideal for this, with their smaller volumes we can iterate quickly.
We like to bring this variety to the production system too, hence the labeled cans. These limited/seasonal beers are our way of providing the variety and diversity of flavors outside the taproom.
Now back to the Classic Pilsner, this is the first time we have moved a limited release beer up to full rotation. We are excited about it.
With the move to a full time release we felt the can needed a refreshing look. The original label was beginning to feel a bit uninspired and not the best representation of the beer.
Enter Dan and Paul.
If you have ever visited the pub, you've probably noticed a cool bicycle on display. These rotational bikes are courtesy of the brothers, Dan and Paul. They bring them in from their personal collection to showcase every couple months.
This spring it was an early 70's Schwinn Paramount. It's beautiful.
Black, red, chrome, shiny Campagnolo components, world champion stripes. This is a classic frame.
The decision was easy, pay homage to this bike with a redesign of the Classic Pilsner. Let the silver of the can shine, clean lines and text, add a pop of color with the championship stripes.
So with that we give you the newest full time beer. Same great Pilsner, with a new yet classic look.
We love it, we think you will too.
Forestville 2016 is going down July 16th!
Hey friends get ready for another party in the woods this July 16th. Forestville is back for year 2!
For those of you who don't know, Forestville is a music/beer/camping fest we throw with the Noquemanon Trail Network (NTN) in the woods outside of Marquette.
Last year was our first crack at throwing a party this big, and we had a hell of a time! For year two we are pulling the fences back a bit and making some more room, which means more beer, more camping, and a bigger dance floor to groove on.
For 2016 we have 11 band, 7 breweries, multiple food vendors, and double the camping space!
Tickets are on sale now! Tickets are limited so get on it quick!
oh yea, all the proceeds from Forestville go to the NTN for trail development and maintenance, friggin sweet!
Introducing the GNOMAS!
Say hello to the Gnomas.
Our latest Limited Release, Gnomas is a English Style Barleywine, burrowing in at 10% ABV...mischievous, elusive, and warming. As this Gnomas is released, a smaller portion is sleeping in some oak barrels for a future date.
This is a single release beer available mid-November. available through our entire Michigan distribution network however, there is a limited amount in the market. Ask you local beer store if they have or can get some.
Treat yourself.
More Tanks = More Beer
A lot of heavy machinery was buzzing in and around the brewery last week, and not just to feed our lust of big, heavy, loud things (although that did happen). Last Monday we had 4 big (at least for us), shiny new tanks arrive fresh from Wisconsin. More specifically, we received 3 new fermentors and 1 new brite tank.
This new equipment will give us a 60% production boost from our current capacity. That's a pretty big jump for us! With more production we will be able to keep Michigan better supplied.
It's always a nerve-racking moving new equipment in to the brew house. Unloading the tanks, navigating them through the door, avoiding other equipment, then standing them up, all while they are hanging on straps is enough to keep us all on edge. Despite the rain all day everything went smoothly, and the tanks are safely tucked in. We even managed to break away and stuff our faces with some tasty Pat's burgers while we waited for some unloading equipment.
We know a lot you have been asking for more, especially our down state friends. We appreciate your support and patience; we are very excited to get these tank in use and start sending out more beer.
Our contractors have been busting their butts to get the tanks operational. Then the Cellermen will get them prepped for beer. Then the Brewers will fill 'em up. Then the Canners will empty them and fill up cans. Then you guys can empty the cans!
Time to get to work!
Cheers
Honey Lav buzzing back in for the summer!
Well, we think it's about summer time, judging by the lack of ice on Lake Superior. To put the final lock on the door of winter we have started canning Honey Lav again for the summer. This is an American Wheat with the addition of Michigan Honey and whole Lavender flowers, making a very aromatic and quaffable beer.
Ironically we had friggin snow showers on the first canning day of Honey Lav! Other than the snow shower slap in the face, the canning went great and the beer is mighty tasty!
Look for Honey Lav in you favorite beer spot!
Increased Production and New Territory.
We've been hearing it for a long time now, "Where can I find your beer in Detroit," "When are you guys going to be in Detroit," "Get to Detroit!" Supply has always been our limiting factor, Detroit is a big area with a lot of thirsty beer drinkers. Well, we are excited to let you know that we are now beginning distribution to the Detroit area! We have partnered with Imperial Beverage out of Kalamazoo to help us get our beer out and about in the Detroit Market. With this expanded territory we now have distribution coverage throughout all of Michigan!
Initial availability in this territory will start out in limited areas and continue to grow as we increase our supply of beer. If you would like to find beer in your area, the best course of action would be to call or visit your local beer store and ask them if they have or can order Blackrocks.
So, how did we get here? Basically, more stainless! We have shiny new tanks arriving that will allow us to increase our production by 60%. We are gonna be busy! Looks like we are rolling into the summer at full gas and we are looking forward to it. As always thanks for staying thirsty and helping us get here.
Cheers,
Blackrocks Crew
4th Anniversary Party
Holy Smokes! Last Saturday we had our 4th Anniversary/Holiday party at the production house and it was a bash! It's still hard to believe we have been around for 4 years now, the old adage "time flies when your having fun" definitely holds true in our case.
4 years...the pub, three brewing systems, production facility, canning line, amazing employees, and endless fun. We couldn't think of a better way to end a busy year than a blowout party at the production facility. Thanks to all our friends and family that could make it and celebrate with us, you guys sure know how to have a hell of a good time. We are gearing up for year 5 and super excited to see what kind of fun and craziness we can get ourselves into.
Take a peek through the pictures from the party below. Thanks to our good bud Andy Gregg for taking the photos.
Cheers all!
-Steve
906 Polar Roll
If you've spent 3 or 4 beers worth of time in the pub than you've most likely seen a decent amount of people drinking a beer after a mountain bike ride. Dirty shoes, sweaty, thirsty, maybe even still wearing their helmets (Andy). Marquette is an amazing place to ride bikes (year round) and thanks to our good buds at the NTN Singletrack, we have miles and miles of world class trails just a short jaunt from the pub. Many of us at Blackrocks are avid riders and/or hikers who get out on these trails often. Since we like to play as much as we like to make/drink beer, we get really excited to help organize races and events on these trails. And since we are true Midwestern folk we don't run inside when the snow starts dumping in measurable feet, we suit up and play in it.
For all of those reasons we have jumped on board at the Title Sponsor of a new fat bike race this winter, The 906 Polar Roll. A 35 or 18 mile point to point race starting in Ishpeming and ending in Marquette. 35 Miles! Yeah, make no mistake, the long race will be a challenge. So you can feel good about slamming a few extra IPAs after the finish (or during...). The long race is also part of the Great Lakes Fatbike Series. Set for February 21st, the race will take you over all of the SBT (Snow Bike Trail, Ishpeming) and the SBR (Snow Bike Route, Marquette) with a beer infused after party at our production facility to follow. So gear up and lets ride bikes and drink beers!
Check out the event website here for more info.
-Steve
North Third Stout Winter Seasonal
Behold! Just in time for the recent barrage of snow we received, we are releasing the North Third Stout. A beauty of a Foreign Extra Stout, full of roasted malt/chocolate flavors. Unlike many other winter stouts that can get a bit unruly, the North Third is very drinkable and smooth (so have a few).
Michigan often has epic winters, and we like to make the best of them. With this beer we intended to make a stout that you can drink while getting outside and enjoying winter. It's a stout ale brewed for our stout winters. Go out and enjoy it!
-Steve
One Million Cans
Using a highly advanced, proprietary algorithm we have deduced that today we filled our one millionth can of beer. Holy schnikes that crept up on us quick! That's like a lot of beer (at least to us it is, others will laugh a that figure). Anyway, it's business as usual around here but, we did manage to pull off what we figured was can one million (random) and snapped a pic of the little guy looking all proud. Let's see how fast we can reach 2 million AKA go out and have a beer!
Cheers!
Steve
Dive Into Craft Beer - Pure Michigan
Thanks Pure Michigan for putting together this cool little video about us. Check it out!
Winter Seasonal
You may have seen some recent posts/pictures hinting at a new beer from us (if you haven't then I need to get better at my job). Well you bethcha! On November 14th/15th we are releasing the North Third Stout, a super flavorful Foreign Extra Stout. In fact I can hear Chutte clanging away in the brewhouse right now as he brews the first batch. Once Chutte is done today we will let it sit in the fermentor for a couple weeks so the yeast can get down and do their thing (sex and eat), then we start filling up cans to send them out!
Mirroring the Honey Lav which was around for the summer months, the North Third will grace our gnarly Michigan winter months. As well as in cans you can find the stout on tap at the pub throughout the winter. Look for it soon!
Cheers,
Steve
New Digs
If you've visited our website before you can probably tell that it's changed quite a bit. We decided to switch it up and build a new site...and here it is, we hope you like it.
We wanted a site that was easier to navigate and fun to explore around. We also integrated the online store directly into the site, so browsing and purchasing gear is simpler. We wanted a page that gives visitors a better glimpse into the brewery, and all the fun we have here. So explore around and keep an eye out for more content n stuff to be added throughout the website.
Cheers!
Steve