Upon arriving at Karl’s Cabin of Plymouth, Michigan, you could tell that the Michigan Craft Beer Gala was a big deal. Sure, we’d heard the event was sold out and that there was a waiting list, but we never expected a packed parking lot that spilled out into every business within a three block radius.

Crowded with everyone from beer enthusiasts to novices, the Michigan Craft Beer Gala featured some unique – many were highly sought after – brews from some well-known breweries across the mitten state. The lineup included Bell’s, Dragonmead, Founder’s, Kuhnhenn, and Short’s.

After entering the Gala, we grabbed our tasting tickets, a generous 10 of them. We are big fans of Short’s Brewing, so we made a beeline to their table to check out what was on tap. We were pleasantly surprised to see all that was available: Anniversary Ale, Dan’s Pink Skirt, MMMKay, Soft Parade, and India Spruce Pilsner.

We sampled Anniversary Ale and, for the first time, MMMKay. MMMKay, just released statewide, is an India Pale Lager. If you’ve ever watched South Park, you’ll understand how amusing it is to call it by its name.

It was also exciting to hear that Short’s will be launching a second sampler pack in the near future. We received word that Lil’ Wheezy, a hoppy Amber Lager, will be included in the mix.

From there, we moseyed on over to the Founder’s table, settling quickly on samples of Devil Dancer, a Triple IPA. After strong endorsement from the owner of Karl’s Cabin, we gave the KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) a try as well. While hanging out near the Founder’s set up, you could hear quite a buzz about KBS and, within a few minutes, the supply disappeared.

Bell’s was on hand to share their Black Note Stout, Roundhouse IRA, and Wedding Ale. Not surprisingly, Wedding Ale is brewed as a step-up from the usual light beer you’d find at a wedding. It’s very drinkable and will get the party started at an unsuspecting 8% ABV.

Samples of Kuhnhenn Blueberry Pancake Ale and Dragonmead Sin Eater rounded out our enjoyable evening at the Gala.

Beer wasn’t the only thing in store at the Michigan Craft Beer Gala. Karl’s Cabin, already known for great food, brought out the good stuff to help patrons stay in the beer-sampling game. Their Pesto Pasta had us going back for seconds (okay, thirds, but who’s counting?).

The Michigan Restaurants & Bars team would like to extend a sincere thank you to the participating breweries for breaking out the good stuff to share with event goers. Additionally, a special thank you goes to Karl’s Cabin for being such excellent hosts.

Cheers!