Okay, so sort of a long story, but I ended up at this little brewpub in Grand Haven, MI, called Odd Side Ales, and I had one of their six-shot taster trays, even though in theory they have 14 beers on tap (they were out of a couple when I sauntered in). Won’t be going back to catch up on the other beers anytime soon, though, so these six will have to do.

Odd Side Ales homemade taster tray — Grand Haven, MI

Rob’s Picks
• IP Wheat – sweet and hoppy, nice
• Sucker Punch – black IPA – good. Light but dark. Or would that be, dark but light? Great balance.
• Amber Rye – smooth. Bit of an apple edge. Pretty good.

The Rest
• Jackalope – American amber – kinda big. Flavors are all over the place. Citrusy, which I find kind of odd for an amber. Not so great, but it did seem to get better the more of it I drank.
• American Brown – not bad. Sort of a sour edge. Hmm.
• Grand River – nut brown ale – cloudier, less sour American Brown. Not your usual nut brown ale, but I’d get this over the American Brown.

Oh yeah, the taster tray itself was a little odd. Looked like they’d made it themselves, and the tops of the little taster glasses just barely touched the wood. I thought they were going to slip right through and spill beer all over at first, but the cute bartender chick assured me it would be okay. And it was, but it still made me nervous. On the plus side, they had logo pint glasses for sale. Take that, Trade Route!