Brew Day with Stiggs 2025

by | Jan 19, 2025 | Beer

Our annual brew day with the wonderful people at Stiggs Brewery & Kitchen tied into their 8th anniversary making for one spectacular day of friendship and beer.

Brew Day With Stiggs 2025

Brew Day With Stiggs 2025

Don’t you love when an event turns into a tradition? Once again, Mike, David, and Derek from Stiggs Brewery & Kitchen in Boyne City invited us up for Brew Day with Stiggs 2025. In case you’ve missed it, we’ve been making an annual trip up to Stiggs to make a s’mores stout called Camping With Uncle Charlie. The beer gets its name because we boil the wort over an open fire, which is sort of like camping, and I’m there (aka Charlie). 

The first brew day with Stiggs was just us and Mike. That day was clear and cold. It was so cold that the old rubber on my boots gave out, and the soles broke off. Hot Tip: Do Not use duct tape to bind your boots in the winter unless you want to fall flat on your ass.

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The next year, head brewer David Osterhouse as well as the Stiggs Home Brew club, joined in the fun. The weather was unseasonably warm and a bit wet. But the beer making was stellar as we were making new friendships, and I like to think building community.

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Winter returned in 2024. Despite the wind and snow, we brewed in the face of an oncoming winter storm. We assembled a hardy crew of beer and Stiggs lovers and had a great time despite the weather. There was even a bit of German culture added to the mix with the addition of the bierstachlen.

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What’s In The Taaannnk???

The recipe for Camping With Uncle Charlie is largely the same as in previous years, once again featuring Michigan hops. This year, the tweaks were more in execution. Given that we are basically homebrewing, there is more play in the final outcome than a standard batch of awesome Stiggs Brewery beers.

Last year, the chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallow whip (aka S’mores) sort of baked on the bottom of the brew kettle, resulting in a thick, fudgy sludge. This then turned into a rather thick and high-octane beer.

This year, we went back to actual marshmallows instead of whip. Stirring the brew became a key feature to avoid any burning of the goodies. David also added a fine mesh screen when we siphoned off the beer. It took a bit more work, but it should result in a damn fine beer.

Brew Day With Stiggs 2025
Brew Day With Stiggs 2025
Brew Day With Stiggs 2025

New and Old Friends

Our Brew Day with Stiggs 2025 finally dovetailed with the Stiggs anniversary party. The Fat and Flurious fat tire bike race drew in a crowd of riders who celebrated with beer and food. A few of the Stiggs Home Brew Club were on hand. We also made some new friends.

Brew Day With Stiggs 2025
Brew Day With Stiggs 2025
Brew Day With Stiggs 2025

Like last year, David broke out the bierstachlen, which had been stashed away in the brew house. I gave it a run on a couple of high-octane special brews that David had on the tap list. 

Brew Day With Stiggs 2025
Brew Day With Stiggs 2025

The first was the imperial IPA, Wolf Of The North, which clocks in at a hefty 21% abv. This is a terrific big boss IPA made hopped Michigan Sticky Fingers for 121 minutes and then daily dry hop additions for 13 days. The result is an intriguing combination of somewhat dank hops and caramel, where the high alcohol can sneak up on you.  Adding the beirstachlen weirdly dried the beer out a bit and added a snappy hop note.

My other experiment with the beer spike was with the Bull Of The Woods imperial stout. This monster rocks a 23% abv and is made with bourbon-soaked cherries, black currants, and orange peel. It is a wonderful, bourbon-rich beer where the sweet cherries are the star. It is perfect for a cold winter day. After a shot with the beirstachlen, the bourbon cherry takes a backseat to the black currant. Warmed by the beer spike, it made for an even better cold day treat.

Brew Day With Stiggs 2025

See You At The Winter Beer Fest.

Camping With Uncle Charlie is fermenting now and will be available at the Winter Beer Fest coming up on February 22nd in Grand Rapids. Many thanks to the Stiggs team and everyone who came out to help us brew this beer. It was another fabulous time spent with super people.

Brew Day With Stiggs 2025

Pictures

Check out the gallery for more behind-the-scenes photos of our Brew Day with Stiggs 2025.

Brew Day With Stiggs 2025

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