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.