Bonfire Bistro and Brewery Reviews

charule	3.3 Bonfire Promethean Porter Form old notes. Draught. Black pour super lace. Coffee aroma. Bitter sour coffee flavor. Thursday, September 10, 2015
dmbsnuts	3 Bonfire Dunkelweizen Wednesday, May 22, 2013
magicalpoet	5 Bonfire Promethean Porter Thursday, January 31, 2013
Styles	1.8 Bonfire Bistro Imperial IPA MBG Winter ’06. Murky copper, no head. Aroma and flavor dominated by bourbon, only faint hop bitters in the background. Hard to get past all the borbon. Mouthfeel is thick and syruppy, cloyingly so. Just a mess of a beer. Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Styles	3.4 Bonfire Celebration IPA MBG Winter ’06. Copper with small white head. Aroma has a nice lemon/pine character up front, almost like cleaner, but enjoyable in a way. Decent malt background. Flavor on par, malt is more pronounced, balances out well. Decent IPA overall. Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Styles	2.9 Bonfire Raging Inferno Barley Wine MBG Winter ’06. Murky dark copper, minimal head. Nice dark fruits up front, but not much else. Flavor has a strange fruity sourness, almost no malt to speak of, thins out in the finish. Strange take on a BW. Wednesday, May 14, 2008
badnewsbeers	3.6 Bonfire Bourbon Barrel Red sampled at Lansing Winter Beer Fest 07’...reddish brown body with no head..aroma and flavor of piney hops and light bourbon..nice palate Sunday, April 15, 2007
Silphium	3.1 Bonfire Dr. Jekyll Sampled at the 2nd annual Michigan Winter Beer Festival, Lansing. Ruddy orange-red body, thin creamy buff head. Caramely aroma with earthy, piney hops. The body was sharp with cloying candy-like, caramely malts with a citrus and piney hops bite. An unhewn beer. Monday, February 26, 2007
jtw	3.3 Bonfire Raging Inferno Barley Wine on draft at the brewery, aged 2 years. amber colored with little head and carbonation. fruity and alcoholic aroma (rum and dates), with a rather english yeastiness. a bit thin and unfortunately a bit phenolic but not bad in the least. would benefit from a fuller, maltier mouthfeel. Friday, February 9, 2007
jtw	3.5 Bonfire Dr. Jekyll on, offered next to Mr. Hyde (an IPA) at the brewery and billed as a "sweet ale". i couldn’t really get any more details but it was clearly a malty old ale. lots of cereal graininess and only a little balancing hops, but no alcohol presence. probably covered up by the sugary malt. i wonder how they decided to call this one Dr. Jekyll and leave Mr. Hyde to be the IPA since the two beers seem unrelated - but who knows? Saturday, January 27, 2007
jtw	3.4 Bonfire Every Minute IPA on cask at the brewery - a very soft IPA with more balance than edge. surprising acidity throughout, probably more bittering hops than are apparent in the aroma. IPA-colored, with plenty of beer-engine-induced lacing which makes it pretty to drink. not bad at all. Saturday, January 27, 2007
jtw	3.4 Bonfire Scotch Ale the regular version of the scotch ale, on draft at the brewery. same recipe as the bourbon aged beer but no barrel. fairly green, more herbal than the barrel-aged version, and somehow felt a little hotter than the bourbon barrel version which would contradict common sense - perhaps the style blends well with bourbon characteristics than other beers. not sweet, but clearly not thin - overall a decent beer. Saturday, December 16, 2006
jtw	3.5 Bonfire Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale on cask at the brewery. beautiful amber color and the cascading bubbles from the hand pump are mesmerizing. lots of malt and caramel and smoke, with some peat scotch-like characteristics, and at the cask temperature it was served at, the alcohol is unnoticeable. little hops presence, more of an herbal heathery aspect than any perceived bitterness. pretty decent scotch ale. Saturday, December 16, 2006
Pailhead	2.6 Bonfire The Great Pumpkin Lager On tap: The aroma is a little light with hints of pumpkin, ginger, and some lager yeastiness. Transparent amber with a minimal head. It looks almost still at times. Flavor starts with some lager yeastiness with a touch of caramel. Caramel presence really increases as it warms. Finishes with a hint of pumpkin, ginger, and some light grassy bitterness. Monday, November 27, 2006
Pailhead	3.8 Bonfire Celebration IPA Cask: The aroma is very citrusy with a lot of orange, light grapefruit, and a hint of peach. Transparent amber with a nice creamy one inch head with great lacing. The flavor starts with lots of orange, apricot, and hints of peach. Nice mild grapefrut hop finish with some hints of pine. A well balanced and a solid cask IPA. Monday, November 27, 2006
thedm	2.4 Bonfire Vulcans Vienna Ale This draft brew from the brewery poured a small sized head of finely sized white colored bubbles that was fully diminished and left behind a transparent softly carbonated light orange brown colored body and a good lacing. The weak aroma was sweet and mild hop. The thin mouth feel was tingly at the start with a mediumly tingly finish. The flavor contained notes of malt mild hops and sweet. A decent one but not one that I would consider buying again. Tuesday, October 31, 2006
thedm	3.3 Bonfire Burning Brand Bitter This draft brew from the brewery poured a small sized head of finely sized off-white colored bubbles that was mostly lasting and left behind a hazy uncarbonated light orange brown colored body and a good lacing. The aroma was hoppy and caramel malt. The mouth feel was tingly at the start with a mediumly tingly finish with a mellow hoppy aftertaste. The flavor contained notes of malt hops bitter and sweet. Tuesday, October 31, 2006
thedm	2 Bonfire Firelight Lager This draft brew from the brewery poured a small sized head of finely sized white colored bubbles that was fully diminished and left behind a transparent softly carbonated light and no lacing. The weak aroma was malty. The mouth feel had an initial flavor rush then faded. It was tingly at the start with a mediumly tingly finish and a mild hop aftertaste. The weak flavor contained notes of malt and dough. A decent one but not one that I would consider buying again. Tuesday, October 31, 2006
thedm	2.2 Bonfire Promethean Porter This draft brew from the brewery poured a head of finely sized light brown colored bubbles that was mostly lasting and left behind a transparent uncarbonated red brown colored body and a good lacing. The mild aroma was malty and sweet. The thin mouth feel was weakly tingly at the start mediumly tingly at the finish. The flavor contained notes of malt and burnt malt. A decent one but not one that I would consider buying again. Tuesday, October 31, 2006
thedm	1.6 Bonfire Celebration IPA CO2 Version: 7-3-3-2-6 This draft brew from the brewery poured a small sized head of fully diminished finely sized off-white colored bubbles that left behind a transparent light orange brown colored body. The strong aroma was hoppy. The mouth feel was thin at the start and watery mildly tingly hop finish. The weak flavor contained notes of mild malt and hops. Not one that I would buy again. Nitro Tap Version: 3-3-2-2-4 This draft brew from the brewery poured a large sized head of foamy finely sized white colored bubbles that was long lasting and left behind a light orange brown colored body and an excellent lacing. The mild aroma was hoppy and malty. The mouth feel was weakly tingly at the start and at the finish with a mellow hoppy aftertaste. The thin flavor contained notes of malt and almost no hop presence. Not one that I would buy again. Tuesday, October 31, 2006
hotstuff	3.1 Bonfire Celebration IPA Draft at Bonfire. Poured a small white head that fully dissipated, no lacing, transparent, no visible carbonation, and an orange hue. Caramel, pine, some citrus and hops. Flavor was somewhat dry, hoppy, caramel, and citrus. Smooth, dry mouthfeel. Light body. Friday, September 8, 2006
hotstuff	2.9 Bonfire Promethean Porter Draft at Bonfire. Small tan head that was mostly lasting, minimal lacing, somewhat transparent, no visible carbonation, and a dark brown hue with some red coming through. Nose was roasted malts, roasted coffee and some chocolate notes. Flavor was watery, thin, roasted coffee, and some chocolate. Mouthfeel was smooth, watery and thin. Light body. Friday, September 8, 2006
hotstuff	3 Bonfire Burning Brand Bitter Draft at Bonfire. Appearance was a small ivory head that mostly diminished, fair lacing, cloudy, no visible carbonation, and an orange hue. Malty, hoppy and some caramel notes in the nose. Ditto for the taste along with some bitterness. Fairly smooth, mildly tingly mouthfeel. Medium body. Friday, September 8, 2006
hotstuff	2.5 Bonfire Vulcans Vienna Ale Draft at Bonfire. Appearance was a small ivory head that mostly diminisihed, transparent, lackluster lacing, no visible carbonation, and an orange hue wth a golden tint. Nose was malty, nutty and a subtle hint of some citrus. Flavor was malty, nutty and a tad bitter. Slightly tingly mouthfeel and light-medium body. Overall lacking in flavor and aroma. Friday, September 8, 2006
hotstuff	2.5 Bonfire Firelight Lager Draft at Bonfire. Poured a white small head that quickly dissipated, no lacing, transparent, minimal carbonation, and a yellow hue. Nose was grassy and hint of malt. Flavor was sweet, lightly hoppy, and light citrus. Smooth mouthfeel. Lght body. Just so-so. Friday, September 8, 2006
mds	3.4 Bonfire India Pale Lager Draught. Orange with a small head. Aroma of soapy sweet grassy herbs and cookie spices. Flavour is more cookiesh malt, there is a decent hop substance here that is orangey and tasty. Not overly bitter as there is plenty of sweet malt present. Monday, September 4, 2006
Phatz	3.4 Bonfire Promethean Porter All things considered this was a pretty average Porter. I happen to like the average porter so it suited me wonderfully; though if you are looking for a beer that shows off glamorously, you may find this one to be simple. Appearance: Looked opaque black (in the patio lighting) and it pour a nice 2-3 finger head. Smell: Typical dark roasted malts and a hint of butter, simple but appealing. Taste: Again this is a very straight forward American Porter. It has suggestion of chocolate malts and some burnt dryness maybe a suggestion of charcoal and coffee in there too. Upon close inspection there was a bit of diacytel but not overbearing. Mouthfeel: Light feel in the mouth, for a porter, but it had decent carbonation, and a dry bitter finish. Drinkability: I think this is a standard Porter for people who like the standard porter. It is the Folgers of coffee. Not bad, just not quite gourmet either. I enjoyed it. Hope this is helpful. Cheers! Saturday, September 2, 2006
gearbike	3.5 Bonfire Celebration IPA I might not be an expert beer reviwer but this IPA is suprisingly good. Nice balance of strong hop but a bit a sweetness. Could look a bit better in the tall glass. Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Gorbalev	3.4 Bonfire India Pale Lager MBG 06. Fiery orange, frothy orange head. Aroma of pils like hops - very strong and nice. Bubbly carbonated mouthfeel - pils like taste with some amber malt sweetness - interesting! To be honest, with a name like this, I wanted more hops, but overall, it was an interesting idea and relatively successful. Sunday, July 30, 2006
GregClow	3.2 Bonfire India Pale Lager Draught sample at MBG 2006 Summer Festival. Rating #1400! Well, they weren’t exactly in order, but whatever. A very interesting beer for a not-so-important milestone. Reddish-amber colour with a small head. Strong, herbal aroma with those green hops that smell skunky but aren’t - smells like a seriously whoop-ass pilsner. Flavour has lots more of those juicy, green, skunk-like hops. I didn’t get any of the vegetal or plastic notes that Jer & Harry got - just a really interesting and moderately sucessful attempt at a new style (check out the name, Jer - this is a LAGER, not an ALE!) Thursday, July 27, 2006
HogTownHarry	3.4 Bonfire Kristall Weizen Draught. At 2006 Michigan Brewers’ Guild Festival. Slightly hazy yellow with a decent white head. Aroma - banana! very estery, backed with spice, yeast and sugary malt. Taste is banana and wheat, with light nicely spicy yeast and very faint dry herbal hops. Light bodied, sweet, a little still, syrupy to the point of coating my tongue - my final note here is "actually, very nice!" Thursday, July 27, 2006
GregClow	3.7 Bonfire Kristall Weizen Draught sample at MBG 2006 Summer Festival. New style for me - woo hoo! Golden yellow with a very faint haze. Very nice weisse aroma, a bit yeasty and tart with mellow banana notes. Very clean flavour - a bit of spiciness and wheat, with mild banana to finish. I’ve nearly picked up bottles of imported Kristallweizen a couple of times, but I’m glad I waited to try a fresh, local version as my first - this was really nice. Thursday, July 27, 2006
HogTownHarry	2.2 Bonfire India Pale Lager Draught. At 2006 Michigan Brewers’ Guild Festival. Hazy amber with a tiny off-white head. Vegetal malt aroma, I got a tang of chemicals or something strange, faint hops - not nice. Taste was a bit PVC-like, vegetal, rhubard-leaf - watery, nasty aftertaste. I’m not sure what they were going for, but they failed. Wish I’d stood in the other line for a porter instead. Tuesday, July 25, 2006
jercraigs	2.5 Bonfire India Pale Lager Michigan Brewers Festival 2006. Orange body, small beige head. Bizarre green, vegetal, tomato plate, viney aroma. Flavour similarly has very green, leafy hops to it. Average palate. Really did not care for this. Monday, July 24, 2006
hopdog	3 Bonfire Sir Richards Maibok On tap at the Bonfire Brew Pub. Poured a medium orange/amber color wtih a larger sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, light chocolate, and some fruits. Tastes of the same. Light lacing left on the glass. Sunday, May 7, 2006
hopdog	3.3 Bonfire Celebration IPA On tap at the Bonfire Brew Pub. Poured a deep orange color with a very small sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, pine, orange peel and citrus. Tastes of caramel, oranges, toffee, and citrus. Sweeter than bitter. Sunday, May 7, 2006
hopdog	3.2 Bonfire Promethean Porter On tap at the Bonfire Brew Pub. Poured a dark brown, with red edges, with a small sized off white head. Aromas of chocolate, roasted malts, light coffee and vanilla. Tastes of sweet chocolate, and roasted malts with a very light coffee finsih,. This one was more sweet than it was bitter. Thinner body. Sunday, May 7, 2006
hopdog	3.4 Bonfire Burning Brand Bitter On tap at the Bonfire Brew Pub. Poured a medium copper color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, floral (leafy hopiness), and toffee. Tastes of pretty much the same. I found this one to be one of the better Bistro beers and I believe the overall is underated (maybe due to the some of the ratings go back a few years). Sunday, May 7, 2006
hopdog	3 Bonfire Roaring Red Ale On tap at the Bonfire Brew Pub. Poured a deep orange color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, nuts, and some citrus. Tastes of caramel, toasted nuts and also had a light grapefruit finish. Sunday, May 7, 2006
hopdog	2.3 Bonfire Vulcans Vienna Ale On tap at the Bonfire Brew Pub. Poured a medim and clear orange color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of toasted malts, and maybe some citrus. I say maybe, because the aromas were on the light side. Tastes of toasted malts and oranges. Thin and watery body. Some lacing left on the glass. Sunday, May 7, 2006
hopdog	2.3 Bonfire Firelight Lager On tap at the Bonfire Brew Pub. Poured a medium and clear golden yellow color with a small sized white head. Aromas grain, light grass and some citrus. Light honey sweetness. Thin body. Sunday, May 7, 2006
SuIIy	3.2 Bonfire Firelight Lager Draft @ Bonfire. Pours a clear dark yellow color with a small white fizzy head. Nose is honey and grass, lots of thick clover honey. Taste is more of the honey with a touch more grass and straw involved. Finishes lightly bitter, a nice clean palate. Wednesday, April 5, 2006
SuIIy	3.6 Bonfire Celebration IPA Draft @ Bonfire. Pours a very cloudy copper brown color. Thick white foamy head. nose is very fresh and hoppy. Taste is mostly hops, a little bit of malt here and there but the hops takes presedence over every other aspect of the beer. Finishes with a light dryness and hints of bitterness. Wednesday, April 5, 2006
mds	3.5 Bonfire Celebration IPA draught. copper-brown with a white head. aroma of mild soapy hops and sweet biscuit bread. balanced bready yeast flavour behind a reasonable onslaught of orange hops. long bitter finish. pretty good. Monday, March 13, 2006
Tmoney99	3.2 Bonfire Raging Inferno Barley Wine Draft at MBG Winterfest. Poured hazy copper color with a medium frothy head. Good sweet fruity aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture. Sour dark fruity flavor with a long finish with a small alcohol tone. Monday, March 13, 2006
Tmoney99	3.5 Bonfire Smoldering Coals Imperial Stout Draft at MBG Winterfest. Poured black color with a huge creamy light brown head. Good roasted malt and alcohol tone. Full body. Big roasted malt coffee flavor with a long smooth finish. Good brew. Monday, March 13, 2006
MrManning	3.4 Bonfire Celebration IPA Tap at the MI brewer’s guild fest- Winter 06- Hazy reddish pour with a frothy beige head. Good balance of citrus and pine and caramel malt in the aroma make this enjoyable to smell. Bitter mellow hops and pine, balance well with the sweet soft, caramel buscuit flavours. Creamy, with a bite, and a smooth finish, make this one a surefire IPA. Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Pailhead	3.9 Bonfire Smoldering Coals Imperial Stout On tap: Lots of licorice in the aroma with hints of light chocolate. Dark brown with slight orange hints of orange hilights and a small tan head, Lots of black licorice and chocolate up front. Lots of roasted coffee in the finish. A tad thin for an Imperial Stout. A nice Imperial Stout which I can only assume has come a long way since 2001. Sunday, February 26, 2006
TexasAggie12	2.8 Bonfire German Alt I had this beer while in Michigan. It is a light beer with a very sharp citrus flavor. Kind of a nutmeg finish. Still good brew. Thursday, February 23, 2006
Pailhead	3.4 Bonfire German Alt On tap: Lightly spicey aroma. Transparent aroma with an insignificant white head. Spicey with cinammon and ginger. Finishes with a with a mild citrus character. Tuesday, October 25, 2005