Rolling Oak’s Donut Beer

Bottoms Up

By Todd VanSickle | Oct. 19, 2019

Downtown Grayling’s Rolling Oak Brewery loves thy neighbor. So much so that its brewers, Radel Rosin and Jason Malone, created a beer to honor of one of ’em. The guys like to keep business as local as possible, said Rosin, so, in addition to sourcing ingredients like hops from nearby farms, they decided to source that less common addition in beer-making — donuts, from the bakery across the street.
 
“We put about 10 dozen donuts from Goodale’s into our mash tun,” said Rosin. The result: Rolling Oak’s aptly named Good Ale, a light and creamy beer with a vanilla flavor reminiscent of, you guessed it, a glazed donut. Of course, the ale form clocks in at a 5.1 ABV, offering a different kind of buzz than its densely sugared inspiration.

Goodale’s Bakery thinks the liquid ode is pretty cool, and so, too, do its matter-of-fact makers.

“No one else does a donut beer, so that is what we wanted to do,” Rosin said.
On average, the brewery has about 13 of its own beers on tap at a time, an impressive display of inventiveness and efficiency considering the brewers operate on a petite three-barrel system.

That’s not a hindrance, but an asset, said Rosin: “We focus on really good craft-style beers. Working on a smaller system, you’re going to get better quality beer.”
Find Rolling Oak Brewery at 509 Norway St., across from Goodale’s Bakery, in Grayling. (989) 745-6280, www.rollingoakbrewing.com.