There are several places offering bus transportation to and from the Winter Beer Festival on February 27th. Here is a list with contact information:

Arbor Brewing Co. / Corner Brewery
Pick-up locations in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Contact either brewery for details.

Legend’s Sports Bar & Grill - Paw Paw, Michigan
Contact Chester Emmons at legendspawpaws@sbcglobal.net

Motor City Brew Tours - www.motorcitybrewtours.com
Pick-up locations in Royal Oak and Southfield. Check website for details.

Coming soon…

Comfort Suites (directly across from Fifth-Third Ballpark) ($109 per night + taxes)
350 Dodge St – Comstock Park
616-785-7899 | www.comfortsuitesgrnorth.com

Radisson Riverfront (3 miles from Fifth-Third Ballpark, US131 South) ($94 per night + taxes for up to 2 people including full breakfast coupon for each person)
270 Ann Street NW – Grand Rapids
616-363-9001 | www.radisson.com/grriverfront

ALPINE AVENUE (I96 Westbound)
*Round-trip shuttle service is available from this block of hotels at a cost of $10 per person. Pick up at the hotel(s) and drop off at the ballpark. Downtown shuttle available after the festival as well, no additional cost.

Hampton Inn ($89 per night + taxes / block rate secured through 2/12 or until sold out)
500 Center Drive NW – Grand Rapids
616-647-1000 | http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/groups/personalized/GRRAPHX-MBF-20100226/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG

Holiday Inn Express ($74 per night + taxes)
358 River Ridge Rd NW – Walker
616-647-4100 | www.hiexpress.com/grandrapidsnmi
http://bit.ly/7uixZp

SpringHill Suites – North ($89 per night + taxes)
450 Center Drive NW – Grand Rapids
616-785-1600 | www.marriott.com/grrsh

DOWNTOWN (US131 Southbound)
Holiday Inn (Formerly Days Hotel) ($93 per night + taxes)
310 Pearl Street NW – Grand Rapids
616-235-7611 | http://tinyurl.com/mibrewers

ELSEWHERE IN GR (Near Airport – 28th Street @ I96)
SpringHill Suites (79 per night + taxes; hourly shuttle to Fifth-Third Ball Park on Saturday)
5250 28th Street SE – Grand Rapids
616-464-1130 | http://schmohz.com/winterhotel.html

In addition to buying them on-line, you can also purchase Winter Festival tickets at the following locations:

Arbor Brewing - Ann Arbor
Beggar’s Banquet - Lansing
Corner Brewery - Ypsilanti
Forans Grand Trunk Pub - Detroit
Hideout - Grand Rapids
Hopcat - Grand Rapids
Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. - Warren
Legend’s Sports Bar & Grill - Paw Paw (with Bus package)
Liberty Street - Plymouth
The Livery - Benton Harbor
Michigan Brewing Co. - Webberville
Motor City Brew Tours - motorcitybrewtours.com (with Bus package)
New Holland Brewing Co. - Holland
Old Boys Brewhouse - Spring Lake
Old Hat Brewery - Lawton
Original Gravity - Milan
Right Brain Brewery - Traverse City
Rochester Mills Beer Co. - Rochester
Royal Oak Brewery - Royal Oak
Schmohz Brewing Co. - Grand Rapids
Siciliano’s Market - Grand Rapids
Walldorff Brewpub - Hastings

More ticket outlets will be posted as they request tickets over the next several weeks.

If you are looking for the perfect gift idea for that Craft Beer Lover on your list this year, check out the Michigan Brewers Guild webstore for some great options! We’ve just added some hoodie sweatshirts (the same one sold at the Harvest Festival) and winter hats. But that’s not it…there is a long list of items to choose from. Whether it’s apparel or stocking stuffers, here are some things you can find:

Hoodies
Winter beanies
Baseball-style hats
Festival t-shirts
Glassware
Water bottles
Bottle openers/key chains
Towels
Windbreakers
Stickers
Buttons
Pens
Enthusiast Memberships

Coming soon…
Bags of tokens

If you order by December 21st we can have it shipped to you before Christmas (if shipped to a Michigan address). And don’t forget, tickets are currently on sale for the 2010 Winter Beer Festival to be held Saturday, February 27th at Fifth Third Ballpark in Grand Rapids. Another great gift idea!

Happy Holidays from everyone at the Brewers Guild!

Fifth Annual Event to be Held Outside at Fifth Third Ballpark, February 27

WHO: Michigan Brewers Guild (40+ microbrewery members featuring 200+ craft beers)

WHAT: 5th Annual Winter Beer Festival

WHERE: Fifth-Third Ballpark – Comstock Park (just north of downtown Grand Rapids)

WHEN: Saturday, February 27, 2010 (Noon-5pm). MBG Enthusiast Members are admitted one hour before the general public, at 11am.
For membership information:
www.michiganbrewersguild.org/beernut.asp

WHY: To celebrate Michigan’s craft beer industry and the winter season!

INFO: Tickets are available now for $35 in advance at www.michiganbrewersguild.org, at the Fifth-Third Ballpark box office and at participating Guild member breweries. If any tickets remain, they’ll be available at the gate the day of, for $40 each. Ticket includes admission and 15 tasting tokens.

For more information, including a list of Michigan microbreweries, log on to www.michiganbrewersguild.org.

One of the benefits of membership in the Michigan Brewers Guild “Enthusiast” program is special VIP tours and tastings at member breweries around the state. To participate in one of these special tours, one must be a current Enthusiast member – a group dedicated to celebrating the growing craft beer industry in the Great Lakes State. Enthusiast memberships are $25 each and are available online at www.michiganbrewersguild.org/beernut.asp. There is no additional charge for the tours, but reservations are recommended and attendees must show their Enthusiast card.

The Winter 2009-2010 schedule begins December 5 at Copper Canyon Brewery in Southfield and ends February 26 at New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, and visits a half dozen Guild member breweries. The upcoming tour line-up includes:

Saturday, December 5, 2009
Copper Canyon Brewery
27522 Northwestern Hwy.
Southfield, MI 48034
(248) 223-1700
www.coppercanyonbrewery.com

Join head brewer Todd Parker for a VIP tour and tasting, starting at 2pm. RSVP with Todd at (248) 223-1700 or via e-mail beertodd@yahoo.com

Thursday December 10, 2009
Michigan Brewing Company
1093 Highview Dr.
Webberville, MI 48892
(517) 521-3600
www.michiganbrewing.com

Join Brewmaster Stan Thornbery for a guided tour at 6:30pm, with tasting samples, at Michigan Brewing Company. RSVP at Stan@michiganbrewing.com.

Saturday, December 12, 2009
Rochester Mills Beer Co
400 Water St.
Rochester MI, 48307
(248) 650-5080
www.rochestermillsbeerco.com

Join Brewmaster Eric Briggeman for a guided tour from Noon-2pm. This includes a VIP brewery tour, information about the Historic Building, and beer samples. Sign up by contacting Eric at (248) 650-5080 ext. 6 or ebriggeman@sbcglobal.net.

Saturday, January 16, 2010
Sherwood Brewing Company
45689 Hayes Rd.
Shelby Township, MI 48315,
Just north of M-59 in the Hayes Center Shoppes Plaza
(586) 532-9669
www.sherwoodbrewing.com

From 11:30am to 3:00pm, Sherwood Brewing offers appetizers (made with their beer, of course), a guided tour by Lisa Sherwood, and pint and lunch specials. RSVP at (586) 532-9669 or lisa@sherwoodbrewing.com.

Saturday, February 6, 2010
Olde Peninsula Brew Pub
200 E Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI, 59007
(269) 343-2739
www.michigan.org/Property/Detail.aspx?p=B845

Join head brewer, Steve Blinn, for a guided tour and tasting from 1-3pm. RSVP to oldepen@netzero.com.

Friday, February 26, 2010
New Holland Brewing Co. (Production)
690 Commerce Court
Holland, MI, 49423

New Holland Brewing Co. (Brew pub)
66 East 8th St.
Holland, MI 49423
(616) 355-6422
www.newhollandbrew.com

Come to New Holland and tour two brewhouses and the distillery, led by the dedicated brewing team. The tours will include in-depth coverage of our process and approach and culminate in a beer and spirits tasting, featuring private stock from the brewery’s library. Tour begins at 4:30pm at the production facility and finishes at the Pub on Eighth Street in downtown Holland. For reservations, contact Phil Thomson at (616) 510-2259 or phil@newhollandbrew.com

At just $25, a Michigan Brewers Guild “Enthusiast” membership makes a locally-focused, affordable holiday gift for the craft beer lover on your list. Benefits include VIP status at our various festivals with early admission, discounts at participating membership brewpubs, special VIP brewery tours, and a free t-shirt proclaiming your Michigan Beer Nuttiness. Purchase your Enthusiast membership online at www.michiganbrewersguild.org/beernut.asp.

Friday, October 16 – Saturday, October 24, 2009

(DETROIT, Mich.) – Following the success of “Beer Week” events held in other cities such as Philadelphia, New York and San Diego, a group of Industry Professionals is organizing the first ever Detroit Beer Week, to be held the third week of October, 2009.

The week-long series of beer-centric events will be held at participating venues in Detroit, with satellite events at Metro-Detroit brewpubs. These events will consist of brewery tours, tasting flights, meet-the-brewer sessions, food pairings, and a wide array of other unique activities. Events will be hosted by Detroit Beer Week staff and the Detroit Beer Barons, a group of Metro-area brewery personalities.

“We wanted to stay away from the traditional ‘drink this beer, get a keychain’ –type promotions, and instead focus on events that give value to the consumer and to the venue hosting the event,” stated Jon Piepenbrok, principal organizer of the events, AKA Chief Imaginationer.

The grand finale of Beer Week is the Inaugural Harvest Festival, hosted by the Michigan Brewers’ Guild and Metrotimes on Saturday, October 24, in Eastern Market.

While the Guild is not organizing Beer Week events, they have given their full support and cooperation to the organizing committee. “When the Guild announced the Harvest Festival in Eastern Market, we not only saw an opportunity to promote Michigan Beer in southeast Michigan,” stated Jon Piepenbrok, “but to promote the Great City of Detroit, as well; and the Guild has been extremely supportive of our efforts, even including information about events on their website at www.michiganbrewersguild.org.”

The participating venues include Slow’s Bar BQ, Foran’s Grand Trunk Pub, Park Bar, Motor City Brewing Works, Traffic Jam & Snug, Atwater Block Brewery, Detroit Beer Company, Wolfgang Puck Grille, Michael Symon’s Roast, 24Grille, and Fender’s Pub at the Omni Hotel.

A complete, updated list of events and information can be found on www.facebook.com. Keyword search: Detroit Beer Week.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jon Piepenbrok
Chief Imaginationer
586-744-0393
detbeerweek@gmail.com

Hilton Garden Inn Downtown (Gratiot & Brush)

Milner Hotel (Harmonie Park)

Greektown Casino Hotel (Greektown)

Atheneum Suites (Brush & Lafayette)

Courtyard by Marriott Downtown (Jefferson Ave)

Detroit Marriott (Renaissance Center)

Holiday Inn Express (Washington & Michigan)

Westin Book-Cadillac (Washington & Michigan)

Doubletree Suites (Fort & Shelby)

Comfort Inn (Jefferson & St Aubin)

Omni Hotel

Here is a list of breweries that will have beer at our Inaugural Harvest Festival on October 24th in Detroit. The beer list is finally complete, featuring 203 different beers to sample! We’re looking forward to seeing you out at the Festival this Saturday. Cheers to Michigan Beer!

Arbor Brewing Co.
Hoptoberfest
Abby Normal
Bill’s Birthday Beer
HXL

Arcadia Brewing Co.
Bourbon Barrel Aged Cereal Killer Barley Wine
Russian Imperial Stout
ESB
Jaw Jacker Pumpkin Spice Ale
Nut Brown
Roggen Berry
Cannon Ball Gold
Hopmouth DIPA
Hop Rocket Imperial IPA

Atwater Block Brewery
Dirty Blonde
Vanilla Java Porter
Voodoovator Dopplebock
Double Down Imperial Amber Ale
Michigan Lager
Bloktoberfest

Bastone
Main Street Pilsner
Witface

Big Buck Brewery
Raspberry Wheat
Cascade Pale Ale
Doc’s ESB
Red Bird Ale
Freely IPA
Alpine Harvest Hefeweizen
Witches Tit Imperial Stout
St. Bambis Old Ale
Big Buck Beer

Big Rock Chop and Brewhouse
Norm’s Raggedy Ass IPA
Reserve Pilsener
Flying Buffalo Bourbon Imperial Stout
Red Rock

Black Lotus Brewing Co.
Monster Mash Pumkin Ale
Funkin’ A Apricot
World Wide Wheat
Trevor’s Da ESB

Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery
Bumper Crop IPA
Sudworth Bock
Post Mortem Pumpkin Porter

Copper Canyon Brewery
Devil’s Peak IPA
Buffalo Jump Stout
Ruaidhri’s Irish Red
Summerzest
Apple Streudel Tripel (1:00-3:30)
RyePA (1:00-3:30)
Inauguration Ale (1:00-3:30)
Rocktoberfest (3:30-6:00)
Blueberry Vanilla Cream Ale (3:30-6:00)
Ginger Kids Revenge (3:30-6:00)

Dark Horse Brewing Co.
Crooked Tree IPA
Special Reserve Black Bier
Raspberry Ale
Beat Your Wheat Wine
Oktoberfest
Perkulator
Double Crooked Tree
Smells Like Weed IPA
Wet Hops Harvest Ale
Jimandchuck Porter

Detroit Beer Co.
Detroit Lager
Detroit Dwarf
Cream Stout
Belgian Stout
Pumpkin Spice

Dragonmead Microbrewery
Final Absolution Trippel
Bill’s Witbier
Corktown Red
Under the Kilt Wee Heavy

Fort Street Brewery
Burning Leaf Lager Oktoberfest
Bootlegger’s Bourbon Porter
Up North Rye Pilsner
India Pumpkin Ale
Harvest Saison

Founders Brewing Co.
Breakfast Stout
Harvest Ale
Kentucky Breakfast Stout
Curmudgeon Old Ale
Slappy Sappy Bastard
Barrel Aged Red’s Rye PA

Frankenmuth Brewing Co.
Munich Dunkel
Hefeweizen
Oktoberfest
Harvest Ale

Great Baraboo Brewing Co.
Black Stone Porter
Pumpkin Ale
Summer Ale

Grizzly Peak Brewing Co.
Schwartz-Vooden Wood-aged Dark Wheat
Verloene Hosen Uber-Marzen
DubbelHop
Bear Paw Porter

Hopcat
Hoppopotomus IPA
Sage Against The Machine Pale Ale
Step Child Red Ale
Oil Rigger Imperial Stout
Little DIPA
The Catalyst Rye Brown

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
La Parcela Sour Pumpkin Ale
Bam w/Juniper

Keweenaw Brewing Co.
Pick Axe Blonde
Red Jacket Amber
Lift Bridge Brown
Widowmaker Black

Kuhnhenn Brewing Co.
Loonie Kuhnie Pale Ale
Oktoberfest
Simcoe Silly
Iron Monger Dunkel
American IPA
A Play in the Hay Farmhouse Ale

Liberty Street Brewing Co.
Red Glare Amber Ale
House Mild Brown Ale
IPA
Rye IPA
Oktoberfest
Foreign Extra Stout
Russian Imperial Stout
XXX Sweet Cream Stout

The Livery
Oktoberfest
Hoppelbock
5th Dimension Belgian-style wet-hopped Double IPA
Fuggelicious English-style wet-hopped Harvest Ale
555 IPA
Poor Freddy’s Pilsener

Michigan Brewing Co.
American Bad Ass Beer
Michigan Brewing Co. IPA
Mackinac Pale Ale
Celis White

Motor City Brewing Works
Oktoberfest Lager
Bohemian Lager
Pumpkin Beer
Hard Cider
Ghettoblaster

Mt. Pleasant Brewing Co.
Iron Horse IPA
Steam Engine Stout
Railyard Raspberry Wheat
Harvest Ale

New Holland Brewing Co.
Golden Cap Saison
Poet Stout
Full Circle Kolsch
Black Tulip
Existential
Brother Jacob
Dragon’s Milk ‘09
Oak Hatter
Mad Hatter
Night Tripper Imperial Stout
Ichabod Pumpkin Ale
Chartooka Rye
Harvest Ale
Autumnfest Dunkel

Northern United Brewing Co.
Diabolical IPA
Siren Amber Ale
Majestic Wheat

Original Gravity Brewing Co.
Southpaw IPA
Primordial Porter
Old Skool Altbier
County Street Amber
Belgian Training Wheels
18 Proof Pepper Smoker

Redwood Brewing Co.
Oktoberfest
Silver Medal Cream Stout

Right Brain Brewery
Lupilin Fusion IPA
Wicked Garden Beet Beer
Ancho Chile Porter
Hallow Giving Pumpkin Ale
Chocolate Orange Cream Stout
Chi Organic Ale

Rochester Mills Beer Co.
Oktoberfest
ESB
Porter
IPA
Organic Wit
Harvest Lite

Royal Oak Brewery
Oktoberfest
Euphori-Ale

Saugatuck Brewing Co.
Singapore IPA
Oval Beach Blond Ale
True Scot Ale
Barry’s Best Bitter

Sherwood Brewing Co.
Smoked Pumpkin Porter
Buxom BlonDDe
1492 IPA
Alaskan Sister Wit
Sugar House Gang Lager
Blackjack Hazelnut Cream Coffee Stout (2pm)

Short’s Brewing Co.
Funkin Punkin
Black Cherry Porter
Autumn Ale
Chocolate Wheat
Soft Parade
Magician
Hangin’ Frank
Kind Ale

Traffic Jam & Snug
Hundredth Salmon ESB
WeizenFest

Woodward Avenue Brewers
Raspberry Blonde
Pale Ale
Ruby Lager
Pumpkin Ale