Trust me, he doesn't want chocolate. At least not as much as he wants beer.

Why not treat your sweetie to a special Valentines Day Beer Lovers Dinner in the Tap Room at the Arbor Brewing Company.

It will be a small, comfortable, casually elegant affair (We're capping ticket sales at 35). Hors D'oeuvres will be served at 7:00 followed by a 3 course dinner and dessert. The menu is being designed around beer by ABC chef Phil LaVasseur.

All courses will be paired with one or two of our favorite beers from home and abroad. Chef Phil and Brewmaster Matt will both be on hand to talk about the food and the beer (or any other topic that strikes your fancy).

Tickets are $37 per person and they cover everything (including tax and gratuity) so you'll still have a few bucks left for chocolate.

Tickets are available now through Feb 12 (unless we sell-out sooner) at the Arbor Brewing Company bar or by phone at 213-1393.

We have found our new assistant brewer!

I am sure that Stacey Roth (Block) is no stranger to many of you MI beer fans. But for those who haven't yet heard of her, here's a brief introduction.

Stacey got her start on the MI beer scene working at the Michigan Brewing Company from 2002 to 2005. Though her official responsibilities there were bartending and managing the tap system, she could often be found in the brewery lending a hand and asking a bajillion questions.

Stacey has spent many a beer tasting ar Arbor Brewing Company as a volunteer pourer and recently said "I do" to Tom Block (another familiar face on the MI Beer scene) at last year's Great American Beer Festival.

In 2006 Stacey got the opportunity to get more extensive brewing and bottling training and experience splitting her time between Grizzly Peak and Jolly Pumpkin.

Stacey brings with her a passion for craft-brewed beer, a tremendous work ethic, an interest in quality control and facilities management, and a very laid-back and friendly personality that should fit in quite nicely with our ever-expanding brewery team.

Until everybody gets up to speed, Matt will continue in the role of head brewer at both Arbor Brewing Comany and Corner Brewery and Ryan (Foamy) Hale and Stacey will split their time between the two breweries as needed.

Many thanks to all of the home brewers who applied for this position. We will most likely be adding some part-time positions in the Spring to assist with kegging and bottling and will keep all applications on file.

Oh, and about the label (no that's not Stacey) - just a teaser. You'll have to stay tuned.

Winter is one of the best seasons for drinking beer (right up there with spring, summer, and fall!)

So put those New Years resolutions behind you once and for all and let's get back to the business of eating, drinking, and making merry.

We have a few events coming up at the Corner to help you connect with drinking buddies old and new and beat back those winter blues.

DEPOT TOWN CHILI CHALLENGE
Saturday, January 27 3pm - 6pm
This is a progressive chili tasting with stops at all of your favorite Depot Town haunts! Here's how it works:

Tasters will purchase a bag for $5 at one of the cooking locations. The bags will contain: Ten tasting cups, Ten plastic spoons (provided by Cafe Luwak),a voting card listing all of the chili stops, a pencil, crackers, breath mints (provided by Gordon's five and Dime), and coupons to Depot Town shops.

Tasters will go from location to location at their leisure between 3 and 6 tasting chilis and ranking them on their score card which they will turn in at their last stop.

I don't know all of the other locations yet, but I of course recommend starting and ending the tasting at the Corner with a beer! We will be entering 2 chilis - a hot and spicy chili with beef and a curried vegetarian chili with spicy italian soysage. Participating restaurants are donating the chili and all proceeds will be donated to SOS, hopefully over $500.

MID-WINTER BLUES BUSTING BUFFET
Come join Monica and the gang for the second Corner Brewery pot luck on Wednesday January 31, from 7:00-9:00pm. Our theme will be "Hearty" winter favorites that warm you up. Mark your calender, plan your dish, and come join us for a cozy winter evening.

Don't know what to bring? Contact monica@cornerbrewery.com or call her at 480-2739 for ideas.

DON'T FORGET to take advantage of early-bird pricing for the Winter Beer Festival. Bus tickets purchased in January are only $25 (and increase to $30 Feb 1). Festival tickets purchased before midnight Feb 23 are $35 and go up to $40 on festival day. And trust me, this is the premier showcase for Michigan breweries and well worth the price of admission.

It's Winter Beer Fest time again! For those of you who missed the inaugural event last year, it was spectacular. Michigan's best breweries presenting their best big, high-gravity, cask and barrel aged beers ... what more could you want?

Even though the event is outside in Michigan in February, it was suprisingly warm and toasty in the beer tent (the big beers probably helped).

This year the board has improved things even more with bigger tents, more porta-potties, and some lower octane offerings thrown into the mix.

Once again, Arbor Brewing Company will be providing bus service to and from the festival. The festival is Saturday, February 24 from noon to 5 pm. Enthusiast hour will be from 11-12. The bus will depart Corner Brewery at 9:00 and will depart Arbor Brewing Company at 9:30. We will provide complimentary carry-out coffee at Arbor Brewing Company for all passengers. The bus will depart Lansing's Old Town at 5:30.

Tickets for the bus are on sale now at both Arbor Brewing and Corner Brewery. Tickets are available for an early-bird price of $25 now through the end of the month and for $30 beginning Feb 1. We only have a limited number of tickets (55) so don't wait until the last minute! Tickets can be purchased over the phone with a credit card (Arbor Brewing Company 213-1393 or Corner Brewery 480-2739) or in person at either bar. Tickets are not location specific so you can purchase tickets at either location and board at either location.

All tickets are pre-purchased and non-refundable but if we can re-sell your seat we will refund your ticket. Tickets to the festival should be available next week. I don't know who exactly will be there or how many tokens you get so please direct festival-specific questions to the MI Brewers Guild special events coordinator specialevents@michigan[nospam]brewersguild.org . Questions regarding bus transportation can be forwarded to me.

Oh my God, I am pathetic! My New Year's resolution is to post in the blog every week. Once every two months just isn't cutting it. There is too much going on around here.

All right, now that I'm done flogging myself, let's get caught up.

Distribution is going great! Blonde, Snapper, Alt, and I.P.A. are widely available along with variety packs. We are currently in 9 counties. For a complete list of retail outlets visit the Corner Brewery website.

We have a new and improved menu that includes grilled sandwiches, soup, chili, nachos, and quesadillas. We also have a new white wine for those looking for something a bit sweeter and fruitier.

Our Brasserie Blonde is beer of the month for January at Aubrey's Bar and Grill on Cross Street in Ypsilanti so be sure to stop over for a pint and tell 'em we sent you.

And the Olde Number 22 Alt Bier will be the featured retail item at Whole Foods Ann Arbor from January 15 through Feb 15. Their whole staff votes to come up with one item out of their entire store to feature and they picked us! Matt and I will be on hand Saturdays from Jan 20 through Feb 10 in the store to meet and greet and give away little goodies so stop by and see us if you're in the neighborhood.

And mark your calendar for the Michigan Brewers Guild winter beer festival Saturday Feb 24th (which also happens to be Matt's 40th birthday). We are organizing a bus which will pick people up at the Corner Brewery in Ypsi and at Arbor Brewing in Ann Arbor. Tickets are $25 and include round-trip transportation, a tee shirt, and on-board libations. Details forthcoming (I swear!).