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Cedar Springs Brewing Company moved one step closer to opening their new Kusterer Brewery in Grand Rapids this week, as they took delivery of their new brewing equipment.
Craft beverage news from all over Michigan, right here.
The last Michigan Brewers Guild Beer Fest will happen October 23 in Detroit.
Long Road Distillers recently released their Nocino liquor.
Short's Brewing has announced their Q4 releases, which include both old and new favorites.
Coppercraft Distillery announced a new cocktail partnership with the Detroit Lions. Honolulu Blue is a canned cocktail featuring blue raspberry, lemonade and vodka.
Here's a round-up of what is new and upcoming in the Michigan craft beverage industry.
Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks is hosting their 4th Annual Journeyman & Friends Barrel Aged Brew Fest on Saturday, Oct. 16.
The event features barrel aged beverages from a host of local spots, with 100% of ticket sales benefiting Islay’s Barrel, a charitable nonprofit organization with a mission to extend summer enrichment opportunities to Southwest Michigan children.
A friendly competition, the winner will get not just bragging rights, but the coveted Golden Barrel Trophy. Participants read like a who’s who in brewing, including 18th Street Brewery, Burn 'Em Brewing, Crooked Ewe Brewery, Great Mead Hall & Brewing Co., Pigeon Hill Brewing Company, The Livery, Exit Strategy Brewing, Whiner Beer Co., Haymarket, Misbeehavin' Meads, Wolf Den Brewing, Odd Side Ales, Seedz Brewery, Greenbush, River St. Joe, Virtue Cider, Two Toms, Blockhead, Dablon Winery, Silver Harbor Brewing, and Saugatuck Brewing Co.
There are a variety of ticket options, from VIP to designated driver, with general admission tickets $40. The event runs from 1-5 p.m.
The long awaited reopening of beloved neighborhood gathering place Creston Brewery in Grand Rapids is happening this week, with a special grand opening celebration occurring on Tuesday, Oct. 19.
After being closed for well over a year, the brewery was purchased in April by Saugatuck Brewing Company. They’ll be running Creston under its original name, and with many of the former staff still here, including head brewer Scott Schultz.
The menu will eventually feature both original Creston brews, and longtime Saugatuck favorites, but for now, only SBC beers will be on tap. That means classics like Bonfire Brown, Neapolitan Milk Stout, and Oval Beach Blonde.
They are working hard to get the complete food and drink menu up soon and will also be reopening the stunning upstairs event space known as The Golden Age. Creston resides on a prominent corner in this popular neighborhood, and its reopening is most welcome to the Grand Rapids brewing scene.
With the addition of Creston, Saugatuck Brewing now has three locations, including the original tap room and production facility in Saugatuck, and a pub in Kalamazoo.
An unexpected, and unique, partnership was announced this week between an Upper Peninsula Brewery and a church.
Cognition Brewing in Ishpeming is joining forces with their next-door neighbor, Grace Episcopol Church, to not only maintain their historical building, but to create a new gathering place for the community.
The church officially transferred ownership of the building to Cognition owner Jay Clancey, after multiple discussions, and will continue to hold their services here every Sunday, even when the new taproom opens. Clancey, who’s owned and operated Cognition since 2015, has recently had to close his taproom located in the historic Mather Inn due to an ongoing legal battle with the landlord. He’s excited about this new opportunity and will be renaming the brewery Kognisjon Bryggeri.
Watch for more information on this developing story soon.
Long Road Distillers in Grand Rapids is coming off a slate of wins for their handcrafted spirits, and just released one of their seasonal special distillations, Nocino.
The distillery was thrilled to win 25 medals in 24 hours between two major spirits competitions, the American Craft Spirits Association and the American Distillers Institute Judging of Craft Spirits both showered Long Road with multiple awards, including a silver medal for that Nocino liqueur. Nocino, a heady little beverage made from locally sourced, hand-picked black walnuts.
It’s a fantastic brew, and like many of Long Road’s spirits, adds a truly unique touch to a cocktail. Long Road is known for not just making award winning classics like gin (gold medal), rum (silver medal) and bourbon (bronze medal) but also more interesting brews.
Their aquavit (silver medal), absinthe (bronze medal), orange liqueur (bronze medal), and apple brandy (bronze medal) are all fun additions to your bar, or something to add to your holiday gift giving lists.
You can visit Long Road’s tasting room and restaurant in Grand Rapids, or their tasting room in downtown Grand Haven to purchase or look for these spirits in better bottle shops around the state.
Sideyard, Bell’s special seasonal beer featuring their very own home-grown hops, was released on Oct. 8, and can be found in distribution throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and parts of Pennsylvania.
The last of this three-part series of beers, Sideyard Crystal, will come out on Oct. 15, but you’ll have to make a trip to Kalamazoo to get it. It’s only available at the Bell’s General Store and Eccentric Cafe, just like it’s sister beer, Sideyard Triumph.
“Using fresh, locally grown hops has a long tradition here at the brewery,” Larry Bell, president and founder of Bell’s said in a press release.
Bell’s harvests their hops and has them added into the beer within 12 hours of picking. These beers using very specific, and very local hops are a source of pride for the brewers at Bell’s.
“Being able to do fresh hop beers, it’s just great,” said John Mallett, vice president of operations at Bell’s. “We’re bringing hops from hanging on the wire, to putting them in the kettle in a matter of a couple of hours. You just can’t do that with hops from Germany or Washington.”
Short’s Brewing, located in Bellaire with a production facility in Elk Rapids, recently announced their fourth quarter offerings, and they’ll continue to follow the trend of offering seasonal variety packs.
Two different packs, one for holiday parties, and one perfect for holiday gift giving, will be coming to market over the next few weeks.
The Super Hoppy Variety Pack comes out this October, and features 18 cans of the punchiest hops around. Included in the pack are perennial favorites Double Psychedelic Cat Grass, Juicy Tree, and Yoda’s Blend. The pack also includes three brand new beers, Humongous Huma, a triple IPA; Snowglobe, a double hazy IPA; and Double MMMKay, a double pale lager. The holiday gifter Tried and True will arrive in November, and features all time Short’s Classics Light Lager, Huma Lupa Licious, Soft Parade and Bellaire Brown.
Michigan Brewer’s Guild Festival
The last Michigan Brewer’s Guild festival of 2021 will occur in Detroit at the historic Eastern Market on Saturday, Oct. 23 from 1 to 6 p.m.
Tickets are $50 in advance, and $60 at the door, and include 15 sample tokens.
Don’t be a jerk, be sure to use a token for each pour you get.
This is the premiere Detroit beer festival, and a great way to sample beers from over 100 breweries from all over the state.
As you stand amongst the stalls of the market, you can soak up the urban atmosphere and the skyline of Detroit, while visiting with friends and listening to the dulcet tones of The Orbitsuns and Stone Clover.
Come dressed for the weather, this event happens rain or shine.
Originally slated to open in 2019, Cedar Springs Brewing Company’s new location on the West Side of Grand Rapids took delivery of their brewing equipment last week.
The Küsterer Brauhaus will continue the brewery’s German theme, with a Bavarian style beer hall planned for a winter 2022 opening.
The brewery, owned by David Ringler, will join the bustling West Side Bridge Street corridor, which is quickly turning into somewhat of a brewer’s row.
The Brauhaus will join nearby Jolly Pumpkin, New Holland Brewing, and Harmony Hall, which resides directly across the street. To track the brewery’s progress, and a more accurate opening date, follow their page on Facebook.
Coppercraft Distilling just released a special cocktail for all of us who suffer as perennial Detroit Lions fans.
Honolulu Blue, a premium canned cocktail brewed up in partnership with our #OnePride friends, pays homage to our Michigan team in both name and color. This limited release is a blue raspberry lemonade cocktail made with Coppercraft’s vodka.
You can try the drink at either of Coppercraft’s tasting rooms, in either Holland and Saugatuck. It’s also available in cans at select retailers around the state.
Perfect for your next Sunday watch party, and especially great to help drown your sorrows after.
Amy Sherman is a regular on the MiBrew Trail. She graduated from Aquinas College and promptly headed into the kitchen, where she was a working chef for over 20 years. Running her own business, Two Chicks and an Oven, she's worked the line, baked wedding cakes, catered, consulted, and taught cooking classes all over Michigan. She was the host of the television show Great American Brew Trail, as well as the co-host of the award-winning radio show Behind the Mitten. For the last five years, she's been a journalist at some big media company, eating and drinking her way across the state. She resides in Grand Rapids with her hubs, three perfectly awesome kids, and two crazy cute chihuahuas.