At Central Markup yesterday, I noticed a familiar label out of the corner of my eye. I almost failed to give it a second thought, but realized “Hey, that’s Celis beer!” I asked the beer-and-wine guy about it. Turns out the Michigan Brewing Company has bought Pierre Celis’ copper kettles and recipes, and is running his exact formulas (apparently a condition of the sale). For the time being they’re just making White and Pale Bock; I’m awaiting the return of Grand Cru.
Just in time for summer.
Also spotted at the store: complete turduckens for $80. Quite a sight.
This is awesome. Yay!
During SXSW Interactive, I stopped by Casino el Camino for a burger. Some bars had started carrying the Celis Pale Bock, so I asked if they had it. The bartender dropped her eyes to the SXSW badge around my neck. She looked back up and sneered, “They went out of business a long time ago.”
Nice attitude, eh?
It’s a bad sign (of what, I’m not sure) when bar patrons know more about booze than bartenders.
Yes, a bartender at Mother Egan’s told me that someone was bringing back Celis. I wonder at the authenticity of this, though. I mean, could they just sell the brand name to anyone regardless of what they put in their beer? And what does that mean for the value of trademarks, which are supposed to provide information to consumers.
I have no reason to believe this new Celis won’t be any good (and if their White is half as good as the original, it will be most welcome). But the idea sort of strikes me wrong.