2016 Holiday Time!

Welcome to November! We love this time of year, and we hope we can join your parties this year!

We also hope you can enjoy some Bourbon Barrel Bottles for Thanksgiving and Christmas and all of the other Holidays along the way. We bottled Bourbon Barrel Noble Throne, Bourbon Barrel Barley Rancher, and Thunder Blizzard for you guys to take home, enjoy with dinner, as an after dinner dessert, or to give as a delightful gift! Ask for bottles during your next visit to our taproom!

Call the taproom today (517-295-4904) to book your Holiday Parties at Eternity Brewing! We will make it easy on you to book space here to have your family and friends join you with great beer and any food you desire! We have soda, wine, and cider options as well! Let us help you with planning and take care of the clean up! (And we don’t have a standard rental fee either, so ask about our awesome booking policies when you talk with our management to plan your party!)

Again, we are super excited about this time of year, and we are super excited for you to journey with us!

Cheers my friends!

-Dayna
Brewery Captain

#JourneyWithEternity <-- Take pictures and use this hash tag to get your picture printed and posted in the taproom! Let's get some holiday celebration pictures going!

2 Years of Eternity: 2016 Year Book

A lot has happened in the past 2 years! It feels like this brewery-life-thing has been our lives forever, and yet, it feels like the past 2 years have gone by SUPER fast. We have a great team working with us, without whom we could have never moved forward from year one. (Thank you Team Eternity!) While we have spent most of our waking hours working on Eternity to nurture it and watch it grow, and yes, starting a business from scratch is a lot of work, there are a few amazing things we wanted to reflect on as we approach our 2 Years of Eternity.

We are proud to have created a comfortable place for people to just hang out and be themselves. We are proud to be considered a place where a single female can sit at the bar and feel comfortable about herself and her surroundings. We are proud that families can come in and enjoy a night out playing games and eating pizza they ordered in. A lot of people have enjoyed the atmosphere here, and we are happy to see our vision brought to life and thrive.

join us at the bar

We have made so many great friends through doing this! When we thought up the brewery, we figured we would get some regulars in who we enjoyed chatting with, but we didn't realize how close we would be with our staff and our customers. This venture has drawn in a crowd of people, and over time, some of these "chance "meetings have led to wonderfully strong friendships. There have been several great friendships developed out of Team Eternity - not just between us and them, but among the staff themselves. We didn't realize the extent this life changing decision would have on our lives and those around us. Taking the leap of faith all those years ago to start planning a brewery has had such a tremendous impact on our life journey and the people influencing our lives.

friends

We have also been able to support causes we care about and get the community involved in it with us. We worked with places such as LoveINC, Gleaners, Humane Society, LACASA, LESA, Modified Dolls, and Make a Wish (just to name a few!). We know we want to do something for the community during Christmas and we are working with LoveINC again to meet needs in this area as we approach November.

Easter baskets with purpose

And what about the beer?! We pour our hearts and souls into the creation of our beloved art form. Yes, beer is art. We worked hard to bring you new recipes and our first ever bottle release this year! 

workin' hard

We are glad you are here to enjoy our art. Thank you for being a part of our journey. 

- Mike and Dayna Tran

Owners, Eternity Brewing

Mike and Dayna and Captain Beer (Watch this Video!)

Eternity Brewing's 2 Year Anniversary Party is Saturday September 24th Noon - Midnight. 
Details here. 

Four Black Paws!

Hey everyone!

Thank you so much for coming out on Saturday to support the Humane Society. We wanted to show our love for animals and the importance of adopting. We also wanted to bring some awareness to the fact that black dogs and cats are amazing! Black dogs and cats are typically the last to be adopted out, so we wanted to give a shout out to our four legged friends with our Four Black Paws Ale - a chocolate mint coffee stout.

Unfortunately it rained during the event and it was tough to keep the animals out under the tents. They were here briefly though!

Our family dog, Naboo, came in at 4:00 and we had a wonderfully cute toast with her, with Naboo Coffee Stout, and in celebration for adopting animals.

Thank you everyone for your support! When you add it all up - the complex here raised over $850 for the cause.

We are always trying to do what we can to better the Livingston County Area. Let us know what you see as a need in this area. We are doing what we can to show our love for Livingston!

-Dayna
Your Friendly Neighborhood Brewer

That’s no cantaloupe, it’s a Howell Melon!

No for real, there is a difference. Now maybe you need to be from Howell Michigan to be able to tell, but we know. The Howell Melon is different. And we like it!

Happy Monday Everyone!!!

Not happy it’s Monday? Oh. 

I mean, I guess we aren’t either… because we had such a great time at the Howell Melon Fest this past weekend!

Did anyone have some melon ice cream? Melon shake? Melon wine? Melon Ale?!!

We put 80 Howell Melons into our batch of Howell Melon Ale this year. It was a lot of time chopping and juicing, but we did it out of dedication to the cause! We hope you enjoyed our lightly sweet melon wheat ale we released in honor of Melon Fest!

We had fun in the Festival Tent on Friday and Saturday! It was great to see some of you there!

Have a great rest of your week this week and keep this coming Saturday available! We are having a Block Party with the Humane Society! We will have Naboo, our family dog, out on the patio for a toast with Four Black Paws Ale (a limited release), door prizes, donation opportunities, dogs roaming around, and so much more! 12-6pm! Join our entire complex to support this cause! We are donating 10% of all Naboo Coffee Stout sales that day to the Humane Society!

-Dayna

Your friendly neighborhood Brewery Captain.

Teeko & Naboo - The Dog Days of Summer

Next time you visit Eternity and see a beer named Naboo Coffee Stout instead of Teeko Coffee Stout, don’t freak out! They are actually the same beer, and if you come in soon, it’s even the exact same batch! We are officially transitioning the name of Teeko Coffee Stout to Naboo Coffee Stout on Tuesday, July 5, 2016.

As you may have heard, our beloved coffee supplier, Teeko’s Coffee & Tea, has closed up shop. Because of this, we feel it is appropriate that we rename the Teeko Coffee Stout. We are actually still working with Teeko’s in the short term to obtain a small amount of the Eternity Blend coffee as we transition to a new coffee supplier. We are now collaborating with Kahuna Coffee in Hartland, MI, to replicate the Eternity Blend that was developed with Teeko’s. We believe in supporting other small, local businesses to stimulate our community and to develop strong relationships with those directly involved in our supply chain!

So how did we name the Naboo Coffee Stout? If you guessed that it’s a reference to the planet in Star Wars, you are partially correct! The other half of the story is that Teeko’s Coffee was actually named after their family dog, so we thought renaming the beer after our dog would be a fun way to transition the name while still paying tribute to the original Teeko name. Naboo is the name of a dog in the Anderson family (Dayna’s side). 

Naboo (The Dog, Not the Planet)!

If you haven’t had the Teeko/Naboo Coffee Stout in a while, give it another shot! It has a nice, robust coffee character in a refreshing package, even in the warm dog days of summer. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

#TeamCap and #TeamEternity Team Up for 5th Place!

We sponsored the Captain America balloon for The Michigan Challenge Balloonfest! If you don’t know by now, Mike and I are huge nerds. We are obsessed with Star Wars and Marvel Comics. So when we met the pilot and crew of the Captain America balloon last year in the taproom, we decided right there we needed to sponsor their balloon for the following year’s balloonfest.

What a wonderful decision that was! Not only did we get to say #TeamCap all the time, but they invited us out with them to crew with the balloon on Saturday! (This is not necessarily typical for the sponsor to do.) We figured the best way to join them was on Saturday morning for the fly in and competition. So we tried to go to bed early (not easy when your life revolves around a taproom) and we successfully got up early at about 4:30am. We met them out on the field and drove out to our starting point just south west of Howell, along with all the other balloonists.

After a half hour of watching the wind direction, analyzing the map, and knocking on doors to ask permission to use their yard as a launch site, we finally found our launch location. Mike and I did what we could to help get the balloon out and blown up and ready to take off. And just before it was time to head up, Ron, the pilot, motioned me to come in from taking pictures of the thing and told Mike and I both to hop in! We were like “Wait, what?! I thought we were just helping and hanging out in the chase van!” Nope, they had other plans, they were going to let us go up in the balloon!

Mike helping the balloon inflate

Hop in!

Mike and I were thrilled! This was such a great surprise for us! They had been planning on doing this and we had no idea! We figured they would just want to focus on the competition and not try to mess with us. (But as it turns out, we are lucky charms, because Captain America got 5th place this weekend!)

Up, up, and away!

The flight was amazing! Being up in a hot air balloon is so peaceful. Pictures and videos don’t do it justice.

After a successful flight, we landed among other balloons in yet another large yard and helped pack it up. After that, Ron, Mike, and Mike (Mike & Mike = the rest of the crew [yes, there were 3 Mikes in one van!) started getting into the back of the van and bringing out picnic baskets and a small table. They set up the table and table cloth and started setting out champagne glasses. We were just watching in awe and wonder because we had no idea what was going on. Then they brought out the champagne and said that it is tradition after every flight to have a champagne toast in celebration of a successful flight and as a gift to the property owner who let them land. Not only did they bring champagne, but they had purchased beer from Eternity the night before! So we toasted with champagne glasses full of Eternity beer around 9am (mine was full of Night Glow Black Lager)! What a great way to start our day!

A toast with good beer and great people!

We took the crew out to the Crepe Studio for brunch and had such a great time chatting with them and getting to know them better. Now Mike and I had to go to work (ha, that’s what happens when you own a brewery). But after work, we went right back to ballonfest and crewed with them that evening for the balloon launch and balloon night glow. We got to be on the field for the balloon glow! It was incredible, beautiful, and so much fun! This Captain America crew is such a great group to be with.

Glow!

What do you think we did after the balloon glow was packed up?! (Which by the way is hard to do because it is DARK on the field!) (No one thinks about that part of the program because everyone else just heads out after the balloons stop twinkling!) Anyway, once we got it all together we headed to Eternity Brewing of course! We met some of our other friends and family for a beer before it was time to call it a night.

What an incredible weekend. We are so proud of the Captain America Team – 5th place this year! And we are so grateful that we could spend the weekend with these amazing people. They are so kind and thoughtful and fun to hang out with.

Watch for Captain America next year if you missed him this year! We already requested to be their sponsors again!

- Dayna Tran

Brewery Captain

Thoughts About Wheat Beer - from The Taproom Captain

Michigan has finally hit one of my favorite times of year: the thaw after months of frozen air and frost covered cars. Heat has returned and with it comes the time to switch to the classic spring beer styles. We are heading away from the dark and heavy comfort of porters and stouts into the lighter drinks, and one my personal favorites - wheat beers. 

Wheat beer has a few different variations from the German origin Hefeweizen to the Belgian Witbier to the classic American Wheat. Many wheat beer varieties have hints of fruit flavor to them, a nod to the season.  Here at Eternity our take on the wheat beer style is called ‘Covenant Wheat’. It’s a very crisp Hefeweizen with banana and clove flavors coming through from the yeast profile. It was a crowd (and staff) favorite the first time around so we just had to bring it back. 

Watch for this beer to be ready to pour in May!

I can't wait! 

-Sarah

Taproom Captain

Captain America: A Civil War and a Balloon

Summer is right around the corner, which you may or may not know as the time for the Michigan Challenge Balloonfest in Howell. In support of the community and local events, we are sponsoring a hot air balloon for the Ballonfest again this year! With the release of the new Captain America: Civil War movie and us being big comic book fans, we thought sponsoring the Captain America balloon would be a great fit! Are you #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan? Eternity is a house divided, but I’m guessing the Captain America balloon team is supporting #TeamCap, what do you think?

Captain America Balloon During the Night Glow

Also making a return is our famous Night Glow Black Lager! Though dark in appearance, this refreshing lager was designed to be crisp and easy drinking for the hot, summer weather while also celebrating the Balloonfest and the spectacular Balloon Night Glow event at the festival. Come in for a glass of Night Glow to cool off when we release it at the start of the Balloonfest, June 24!

Cheers!

- Mike, CFO & Your Friendly Neighborhood Brewer

Euchre: I don't always get dealt four nines, but when I do, I'm playing Euchre.

If you grew up in Michigan or Ohio you know how to play Euchre, or maybe you have been chided for not knowing how to play. This 150 year old card game is a staple up here and we have now brought this past time to Eternity! 

Last month we hosted a Euchre tournament bringing in whole families, couples and people off on their own to join in. We had a full house! (Wrong card game, we know!) The tournament rounded out with one lucky winner (and the loser always gets a prize too!). It went over so well we had people asking us when the next one would be while walking out the door! 

Don’t miss out this month on April 14^th from 7-9pm!

The Mission Dry Stout: A tale of shamrocks and beers

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up it’s time for us bring back a crowd favorite: Mission Dry Stout! It’s dark, dry, and the perfect beer to celebrate your Irish ancestry!

Did you know that our dry stout, at 5% ABV is actually high for the style?! Dry stouts are typically about 4% - at most 5% ABV! Dry stouts are brewed with acrid roasted barley and a moderate amount of hops, making for a sharp, dry pour.

This year our Mission Dry Stout is being put on the Nitro tap! This means it is going to have a light creamy body, making it even more smooth and complex. Try a Mission 'n Torn Black ‘n Tan for a fun mix! Be patient with the nitro pours however, Guinness claims that a pour should take 119.5 seconds!

Try a Torn ‘n Mission Black ‘n Tan

St. Patrick’s Day has more of a history than just drinking beer and is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. The Shamrock does have a relevance to this day. St. Patrick is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. His mission is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland’s people in the fifth century by explaining the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.

Whether you are Irish or not, St. Patrick’s Day seems to be a fun time to celebrate! So come on in, wear some green, bring a hungry belly for Hickory’s Corned Beef Sliders, and grab a pint! Our Mission Dry Stout will be flowing, and if that isn’t your style, you will get a hoppy green surprise with any hoppy beer order! We are open early and staying open late! Join the St. Patrick's Day facebook group!

Winter Beer Fest 2016 - Are you ready for Eternity?!

If you love craft beer and you love Michigan there is a good chance that you have heard of the Michigan Brewers Guild. The Michigan Brewers Guild is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing sales of Michigan brewed beer through promotions, marketing, public awareness, and consumer education while monitoring and assuring a healthy beer industry within the state. They work with breweries across the state and other commercial enterprises that are directly involved in the industry.

Michigan Brewers Guild Members Since 2014!

Four times a year they put on one heck of a party: Beer Festivals! There is the Summer Fest in Ypsilanti, Fall Fest in Detroit, Fall U.P. Fest in Marquette, and one coming up soon: Winter Beer Fest in Comstock Park!

This will be our second year participating in Winter Fest. Last year’s Winter Beer Fest was our first festival with the Brewers Guild! It’ll be cold (hopefully not the single digit temps we endured last year) but we are now seasoned vets at this! At the end of the month it’ll be time to don our snow suits and gloves, put together our booth, raise our banner (literally) and do what we do best: serve fantastic beer!

This is Winter Beer Fest!

If you are making the trek out there be sure to stop at our booth and try out the specialties we are bringing with us: 

• Light Side of the Black Imperial IPA
• Bourbon Barrel Aged Barley Rancher Scotch Ale
• Ser-Mer-Kar-Bear Belgian Tripel
• Leap Year Luau Imperial IPL
• Boubon Barrel Aged Imperial Complication

Cheers!

Tickets are still available for Friday of Winter Beer Fest!

http://www.mibeer.com/winter-festival

2015's Fireworks on Friday Night

Sar-Mer-Kar-Bear: A Behind the Scenes Interview with the Trio this Beer is Named After!

One of our newest releases, the Sar-Mer-Kar-Bear Belgian Tripel, is named after three of our team members here at Eternity: Sarah, our Taproom Captain, along with Meredith and Kari, our Event Lieutenants. With the new year they are tackling a bit more here (trying to give Mike and Dayna a bit of a break). Here’s a bit from them on their hopes for the next year of Eternity’s journey!

Sarah: “The thing I’m most excited for is seeing how much we can grow this year. We have an amazing group of people behind us pushing for our success and a great team here working hard for it! I want us to continue trying out crazy beers and crazy event ideas, just having fun with everything. That’s part of why I like our Infusion Wednesdays – we get to let the brewers loose and try something wacky!”

Meredith: “I recently celebrated my one year anniversary with Eternity and am super excited to see how this next year shapes up for me as one of the Event Lieutenants , our fantastic team, and this incredible brewery.  I love that we find any excuse to throw a shindig that revolves around some of the best beer in this great beer state – such as our first big party of the year – The Mardi Gras Masquerade Beer Ball on Saturday, February 6th. We love using local and state vendors as much as possible here,  so check out our events often to see what new beers and events we have brewing!”

Kari:  “I am so happy to have joined the (amazing) Eternity team this past year! Although it's only been a couple of months - I'm truly amazed at the motivation and effort each and every one of us has put forth towards our 2016 goals.  I think it's safe to say that anything is possible, and we're excited to share our dream with all of you this upcoming year!”

Watch out 2016! Here we come!

Christmas with Team Eternity

Many thanks to everyone for giving us a break on Sunday and allowing us the time to (finally) celebrate Christmas with our Brewery family!

Before the obligatory group photo we had to play a few games first: the traditional White Elephant gift exchange. A few people fought over a mini Stormtrooper alarm clock, and some envied an oversized Pilsner glass, but we all ended up with something unique to take home!

Then in celebration of beer we had a different kind of gift exchange: a much larger version of ‘Make your own 6pk’. We ended up with some rare beers along with some beers that were new to most of the group!

All in all it was a great night celebrating another successful holiday season and hoping for more to come!

Thank you again for letting us have Sunday night off! 

Love, 

Team Eternity

#TheNerdyBrewery #StarWars

If you’ve ever stopped into Eternity before, we’re sure you have noticed one thing: our love of all things Star Wars! We are extending this beyond our walls and partnering with the Historic Howell Theater to sponsor the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens, from January 15^th through the 31^st!

Back in December, the theater asked us and other locals about how we got into Star Wars and about our predictions for the new movie and continuation of the saga. 

Here was our reply: [VIDEO!!!]

(If you jump to 1:53 it is the start of Mike and Dayna getting nerdy.)

#SupportLocal in #HowellMI

The video in this blog was created by The Historic Howell Theater. 

Things other than brewing: A glimpse behind the scenes at Eternity

The fermentation process for beer takes at least a full week and we typically allow our beer to condition much longer than that, meaning some beers (like lagers) can be in a tank for up to 2 months. Why am I telling you this? Because there is a lot more to being a brewer than brewing. In fact, it’s the “other” things that take up more time during the week.

Here is a sample of what our typical Mondays look like at Eternity Brewing.

Chris comes in to clean kegs. We take care to check the cleanliness of our kegs, inside and out. Happy kegs means happy beer!

One of Paul’s jobs is to clean tap lines and faucets. This is the final journey of the beer into your glass, so clean tap lines and beer faucets are critical to clean beer aromas and flavors!

One of Zac’s jobs is to check the fermentation stages of each of the beers in the fermenters. This ensures fermentation is going at the pace it should and gives us a clue as to when we can start our conditioning processes.

This is just a glimpse of some behind the scenes work that goes into our product and our company. We are so excited to have these gents working with us. They are all hard workers and are passionate about the beer and Eternity! 

Happy 2016! We look forward to joining you in a journey filled with family, friends, and BEER!