Traverse City is now home to a handful of microbreweries, and the beer scene in our upstate is starting to grow. One of the forerunners of the movement is Right Brain, led by Owner Russell Springsteen.

Right Brain grew out of two phases, the first being the usual homebrewing route, which grew into professional brewing positions.

"I stumbled into a job at Traverse Brewing Co.," Springsteen said. "I took Joe Short's job after he had moved on. I worked at Mackinac Brewing briefly, homebrewing like crazy."

The second phase began in 2006, when he opened up a hair salon that served patrons beers from the small brewery in the back.

"Brewed up a bunch of different beers I thought people would enjoy, and they did. People kept getting their hair done and had a beer."

Eventually, the salon brewery became too much to handle.

"I sold the salon to get the stress out of my life, and then I opened Right Brain, trying to grow some brands," Springsteen said.

The initial response to the proposed brewery was generally skeptical, however.

"People told me it wouldn't work and that it was in an offbeat location, that it was destined to fail."

The community was curious about Right Brain, though. When the doors opened, the place was filled.

"It went nuts," Springsteen said. "People were curious about this place ... Everyone that told me it wouldn't work had to come check it out."

The pub brews on a 7bbl system and features six standard brews: Low Power Pale Ale, HawkOwl Amber Ale, Shadow Watcher Stout, Dead Kettle IPA and a Black IPA.

While Right Brain doesn't offer seasonal brews, there is a limited series offered. The Winter Imperial Series features an imperial stout and an imperial brown, while the Summer Series includes Strawberry Fields (a Strawberry Wheat Ale) and Blue Magic (a Lavender Wheat Ale).

Right Brain also just started distribution and entered the Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo markets the second week in January. Springsteen also has plans for the brewery this spring.

"In May we're purchasing a new location and expanding our brewery, so we'll have a 7bbl and a 20bbl working side by side," he said. "We rotate our taps and brew outside of the box. We break our own rules."

Pictured: Russ Springsteen, Right Brain Brewery owner.

BEER OF THE MONTH - Founders Brewing Company's Curmudgeon's Better Half

Curmudgeon's Better Half is the third beer released in Founders' Backstage Series — a series of limited-release 22-ounce bombers. The beer is an old ale brewed with molasses. Rather than being aged in oak barrels like Curmudgeon, Better Half is aged in Bourbon Barrels that have most recently been used to age Michigan maple syrup.

The result is a pristine amber brew with a soft tan head, wafting aromas of vanilla, bourbon, malt and alcohol. The flavor hits with a prominent splash of bourbon, which is then subdued by the complex malt sweetness of the body with undertones of dark fruit, vanilla and molasses/syrup. The body is thick with malt, but goes down smoothly. The beer is set to be released on Feb. 12. The last backstage release was gone in under a week, so grab a bottle of this rare taproom-only release if you can, it's a big one.

BEER NEWS

On Feb. 25, Billy's Lounge will host the Brewer Birthday Prefest Beer Bash, a birthday celebration for the head brewers of The Livery and New Holland. Special tappings, first-run brews and music preparing for Winter Beerfest are part of the bash.

The Seventh Annual Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beerfest is taking place at Fifth Third Ballpark on Feb. 26. The event sold out three days before Christmas, the fastest sellout in the history of the event.

The Second Annual Southern Michigan Winter Beer Festival will be taking place at the Jackson County Fairgrounds on Feb. 26. This festival is geared toward smaller national breweries.

Bardic Wells Meadery, Michigan's first licensed Meadery, will be opening their downtown Montague venue late this month.

Old Hat Brewing Co. has closed its doors in Lawton, after being open for 13 years.

Brewery of the Month: The B.O.B.

In downtown Grand Rapids, one building manages to be more recognizable than the rest. The B.O.B hosts four floors of bars, as well as a seafood restaurant and a comedy club. The one thing they all share in common (except for the dance club, Crush) is that they pour the B.O.B's beers, brewed onsite in the BOB's Brewery.

The brewery opened in 1997 as the second brewpub to open in Grand Rapids, and has hosted three head brewers, including the current head brewer, John Svoboda.

"I started brewing beer at home, like everyone else," he said. "I heard a brewery was opening up (Grand Rapids Brewing Company) and went to work for them as a bartender. I started cleaning kegs, and eventually the head brewer moved on to other things and I took over for him."

He spent some time at GRBC until the opportunity arose to take the reins at the B.O.B.

Currently, The B.O.B has three standard brews as well as seasonal fare and variants.

"The [Platinum] Blonde is pretty straightforward," Svoboda said. "I don't want it to be in-your-face hoppy, because that beer is designed for people who want a lighter brew."

The Afterglow Amber is a medium-bodied, low-hopped beer with a lot of malt, while the Full-On IPA is a balanced, yet hop-heavy brew. Its seasonal fare includes Hopsun, a summer witbeir, Octoberfest in the fall, and the winter brings about the release of Porter and Stout, including Peanut Butter and Tirimasu variants of the stout. B.O.B.'s Brewery is also one of the only breweries in West Michigan that produces lagers.

"I've got a 15bbl brew system, one of the two PICO systems in-state," Svoboda said. "They are Michigan made and used to be out of Ann Arbor."

Svoboda also emphasized on the integration of food and beer at the B.O.B.

"We have some dynamite culinary chefs here, and they're big beer-heads. We collaborate on culinary-type beers (Mango Chipotle ale and Papaya Peach Ginger ale) to be paired with dishes."

He also went on to explain that the chefs integrate beer ingredients (like wort, spent grain and hops) in the dishes rather than just using "beer."

"Everything we do here is from scratch," he said. "And it's fortunate for me, as a brewer, to be in an environment where that is not only encouraged, it's almost mandatory."

Outside of the standards, Svoboda talked about the freedom he has with his brewing, which brings about the January release of Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout and a Sour Beer series to be released early this year.

Photo: Alex Atkin

While browsing the countless winter beers on the shelves, why not try an alternative: Short's Good Humans, an Imperial Brown Ale.

This brew was originally a test beer for Breiss Malting Company (one of the major maltsters in the world), who had released a new type of malt, CaraBrown. The beer turned out to be such a success that it became a seasonal Short's release.

This beer pours a hazy brown with a tan head, while the aroma is full of malt sweetness and roast with a floral hop presence and soft notes of vanilla and toffee. The brew is full of robust dark flavors (chocolate, coffee and roast) while still balancing the middle malts, with a strong, floral hop profile. This brew finishes dry and roasty, making it the perfect winter brew for those of us who don't fancy delving as deeply as a porter or stout. Grab a bottle while they're on the shelves this month, they won't be around for long.

Tickets are now on sale for the Michigan Brewer's Guild's Winter Beerfest. On Feb. 25, more than 50 breweries from all over Michigan will showcase their brews. Last year's tickets sold out by mid January, so grab them fast. For tickets and more info, see michiganbrewersguild.org.

Dark Horse Brewing Company has done a labeling revamp on all of its four and six packs, now on shelves.

Michigan takes home five medals from the Great American Beer Festival, including two gold (Bell's and Right Brain), two silver (New Holland and Redwood) and one bronze (Bastone). See the full list of winners at greatamericanbeerfestival.com.