The Snack Attack: Best Michigan Brews To Celebrate National Beer Day

Many of us celebrate beer every day but today, it's official.

April 7 is National Beer Day -- a day which marks the end of prohibition in 1933, and what a glorious day that was! People were finally able to buy, sell, and drink beer again. Thank goodness!

We're downright spoiled here in Michigan when it comes to beer. The state is fifth in the nation in the number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs.

So today, celebrate the right way with a tall, ice-cold glass of beer and enjoy the tastes of "Pure Michigan."

Here's a selection of Michigan beers perfect for this day (with descriptions from each brewery) in no particular order:

Atwater Brewery (Detroit) -- Purple Gang Pilsner
ABV: 5.0%
Style: German Pilsner
Brewed in strict German tradition, Purple Gang Pilsner is a steady reminder of the German domination of brewing before and during Prohibition. A light malty sweetness yields to the fine flavor and aroma of the noble Tettnang hops.

Bell's Brewery (Kalamazoo) -- Oberon
ABV: 5.8%
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
Nothing else tastes quite like Michigan summer than Oberon. Bell's Oberon is a wheat ale fermented with Bell's signature house ale yeast, mixing a spicy hop character with mildly fruity aromas. The addition of wheat malt lends a smooth mouthfeel, making it a classic summer beer. Oberon is only available during the summer season, from March to Labor Day.

Short's Brewing Company (Bellaire) -- Local's Lager
ABV: 4.0%
Style: American Lager
Local's is a light, yet very tasty lager. The light pilsen malt creates a soft and subtle flavor profile that finishes crisp and clean on your palate. Local's is a perfect beer for the seasoned craft brew enthusiast and someone new to microbrews. When Short's first opened, there was not a great deal of craft beer available in the area. Joe Short wanted to create a beer that would appeal to new craft beer drinkers who lived in Michigan, and introduce them to the complex flavors of other beer styles.

Founders Brewing Co. (Grand Rapids) -- Dirty Bastard
ABV: 8.5%
Style: Scotch Ale
So good it's almost wrong. Dark ruby in color and brewed with seven varieties of imported malts. Complex in finish, with hints of smoke and peat, paired with a malty richness and a right hook of hop power to give it the bad attitude that a beer named Dirty Bastard has to live up to. Ain't for the wee lads.

Dark Horse Brewery (Marshall) -- Crooked Tree IPA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: American IPA
Crooked Tree is heavily dry hopped to give it a big aroma of pine and citrus. The flavors are big, yet very balanced between fresh hops and malt. Often described as "grapefruit," the hops give this beer an excellent citrus flavor that finishes dry, crisp, and clean. Due to Dark Horse's unique dry-hopping methods, it has won several medals in the India Pale Ale Category.

Griffin Claw (Birmingham) -- El Rojo Red Ale
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Amber Ale
The bronze medal winning El Rojo Red Ale has a malty, roasted flavor profile. Entered in competition as an English brown, the El Rojo is really more of an American Red -- bigger than Scottish Reds with a beautiful ruby red color and a rich, roasty, caramel body.

Frankenmuth Brewery (Frankenmuth) -- Little Bavaria Pilsener
ABV: 5.25%
Style: German Pilsener
Frankenmuth Brewery's Little Bavaria Pilsener is a time-honored German-style pils, brewed following traditional German purity laws with only quality malt, barley, water, hops and yeast. The Little Bavaria Pils is a past Silver Medal winner at the World Expo of Beer.

North Peak Brewing Company (Traverse City) -- Diabolical
ABV: 6.6%
Style: American IPA
North Peak Diabolical IPA has hops from nose to tail. This IPA is unfiltered and dry-hopped with Michigan grown Chinook and Cascade hops. It has a smooth malt character and citrus pine aroma.

Saugatuck Brewing Co. (Douglas) -- Blueberry Maple Stout
ABV: 6.0%
Style: American Stout
A sweet milk stout with all the malt characteristics you love but with a bold, unique twist -- this beer tastes like a glass full of blueberry pancakes smothered in maple syrup.

Tri-City Brewing Company (Bay City) -- Hell's Half Mile
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Munich Style Helles Lager
In Bay City's lumber heyday, Water Street was known as Hell's Half Mile. Today, Water Street is the home of Tri-City Brewing and this Helles lager. There is something heavenly about Hell's: Pale gold with a creamy white head; Appealing grainy aroma with a slightly sweet malty flavor; Perfectly balanced with traditional noble hop characteristics; A full bodied beer that is complex and refreshing.

The Snack Attack is a new daily feature on CBSDetroit.com that centers around all things food. Know of a new snack we should attack? Send an email and we'll be sure to add it to the list.