The Michigan Brewers Guild once again encourages residents and visitors to the Great Beer State to celebrate Michigan Craft Beer Month (July) by visiting area brewpubs and microbreweries, purchasing Michigan craft beer at retail outlets and restaurants and attending regional celebrations* like the 12th Annual Michigan Summer Beer Festival (July 24-25) at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti’s historic Depot Town. Michigan House Resolution 117, introduced by Rep. Rebekah Warren (D – Ann Arbor / 53rd District), designates July 2009 as Michigan Craft Beer Month. The complete resolution is available online.

More than 50 Michigan microbreweries and brewpubs will showcase 300-plus craft beers at the 12th Annual Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival. The festival is open from 5-9pm on Friday (7/24) and 1-6pm on Saturday (7/25) and is the highlight of Michigan Craft Beer Month.

Admission tickets for the 2009 Summer Beer Festival, (including12 drink tokens) are:

Friday (7/24) - $25 in advance ($30 at the gate if available)
Saturday (7/25) - $30 in advance ($35 at the gate if available)

Last year, the Guild made aggressive and successful efforts to turn this highly popular festival – which expects to draw more than 8000 individuals over the course of two days – into an event with a lower environmental footprint. Local organizations, such as Recycle Ann Arbor and The Sierra Club, will once again assist in a series of initiatives, which last year brought down the total post-festival waste to less than 15%.

Such efforts include:

*Placing recycling bins throughout the festival grounds, allowing for the separation of food products from recyclable products.

*Using plates, bowls, cups, hand-towels and eating utensils made from biodegradable products, which will be disposed of at a local composting station instead of a landfill.

*Hauling food scraps to a local pig farmer, to be used as feed.

*Setting up bulk water stations, instead of plastic bottles of water.

*Utilizing volunteers from the Sierra Club to assist at recycling stations, making sure all the recyclables are properly sorted from the food items.

Advanced tickets for the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival may be purchased online at www.MichiganBrewersGuild.org, at participating member breweries and select retail locations around the state or by calling 877-772-5425. Attendees must be 21 or older to attend. Designated driver tickets are available online and at the gate for $5 each. Additional drink tokens are available for 50 cents each.

Michigan’s thriving brewing industry contributes over $24 million in wages with a total economic contribution of more than $133 million. In terms of overall number breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks #6 in the nation – thus supporting its claim as “The Great Beer State.”

The Michigan Brewers Guild exists to unify the Michigan brewing community; to increase sales of Michigan-brewed beer through promotions, marketing, public awareness and consumer education; and to monitor and assure a healthy beer industry within the state. For more information, including a list of Michigan microbreweries, log on to www.MichiganBrewersGuild.org.

MICHIGAN CRAFT BEER MONTH EVENTS:

July 4-5
Reds, Whites & BBQ
Round Barn Winery, Baroda
800.716.WINE
www.roundbarnwinery.com

July 5 (6pm)
Michigan’s Best Beer Dinner
HopCat, Grand Rapids
616-451-HOPS
www.HopCatGR.com

July 7 (6-8pm)
Belgian Release Party
Arbor Brewing Company, Ann Arbor
734-213-1393
www.arborbrewing.com

July 9 (7-9pm)
Beer Tasting – Wheats, Wits, and Lambics
Arbor Brewing Company, Ann Arbor
734-213-1393
www.arborbrewing.com

July 12 (6pm)
Saugatuck Beer Dinner
HopCat, Grand Rapids
616-451-HOPS
www.HopCatGR.com

July 13-24
Michigan Beer Cup Challenge
Presented by Rave Associates
A competition between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti
(Totals of highest average per pints of Michigan beer)
www.raveassociates.com

July 18 (5:30pm)
3rd Annual Blues, Brews & Rockin’ BBQ Bash
Walldorff Brewpub, Hastings
269-945-4400
www.walldorffbrewpub.com

July 19 (1-9pm)
Bumpers, Bikes & Blues Festival
Liberty Street Brewing Company
Old Village, Plymouth
734-207-9600
www.LibertyStreetBeer.com

July 21 (7pm)
Beer Tasting Class taught by
Arbor Brewing Company owner Rene Greff
Ashley’s, Ann Arbor
734-996-9191
www.ashleys.com

July 22 (5-11pm)
Rolling Beer Dinner
Arbor Brewing Company, Ann Arbor
734-213-1393
www.arborbrewing.com

July 22 (All day)
MI Beer Tee Shirt Discount Day
Arbor Brewing Company, Ann Arbor
734-213-1393
www.arborbrewing.com

July 22 (7-9pm)
Meet the Brewers -
Tim Suprise - Arcadia Brewing Co.
Aubrees, Ypsilanti
734-483-1870
www.aubrees.com

July 23 (7-9pm)
Meet the Brewers
Dave French - Frog Island Brewery
Aubrees, Ypsilanti
734-483-1870
www.aubrees.com

July 23 (7pm)
Special Release Bar Crawl
Starts at Arbor Brewing Company, Ann Arbor
734-213-1393
www.arborbrewing.com

July 24
Summer Beer Fest After Glow (9:30pm)
Aubrees, Ypsilanti
734-483-1870
www.aubrees.com

July 24-26
Blueberry Festival
The Vierling Restaurant & Marquette Harbor Brewery
906-228-3533
www.thevierling.com

July 26 (6pm)
Sherwood Beer Dinner
HopCat, Grand Rapids
616-451-HOPS
www.HopCatGR.com

August 1 (1-8pm)
Beer in The Park
Fort Street Brewery, Lincoln Park
www.fortstreetbeer.com

There are a number of hotels within a short drive of the Festival site. The closest recommended hotel is the Marriott Ann Arbor Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest which is located at the Huron St. exit off I-94 and can be contacted by phone at 734 487 2000. This hotel has a special rate if you mention the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival. There are also many more nice hotels just 6 miles down I-94 at the State Street exit for Ann Arbor. You can search at www.ypsilanti.org/hotels.html and check out the hotels on State St., Briarwood Cr., Boardwalk Dr., and Victors Way. These properties are all just off the 1-94 exit and are the closest you will get to the festival. There is no hotel within walking distance (unless you are a pretty serious walker)

Tickets are available for the 12th Annual Summer Beer Festival online at michiganbrewersguild.org and at the following locations:

Liberty Street Brewing Company in Plymouth
Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City
Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor
Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti
HopCat in Grand Rapids
Original Gravity Brewing Company in Milan
New Holland Brewing Company in Holland
Rochester Mills Beer Company in Rochester
The Hideout Brewing Company in Grand Rapids
Dragonmead Microbrewery in Warren
Aubree’s in Depot Town, Ypsilanti
Side Track in Depot Town, Ypsilanti
Adventures in Homebrewing in Taylor
Dragonmead Microbrewery in Warren
Kuhnhenn Brewing in Warren
Copper Canyon Brewery in Southfield
Grizzly Peak in Ann Arbor
Royal Oak Brewery in Royal Oak
Walldorff Brewbup in Hastings

Additional outlets will be added to this list if they have tickets available

WHO: Michigan Brewers Guild Member Breweries

WHAT: 12th Annual Summer Beer Festival – a showcase of more than 300 hand-crafted beers from over 50 statewide breweries; live music and food.

WHERE: Riverside Park – Depot Town – Ypsilanti, Michigan

WHEN: Friday, July 24 (5-9pm) & Saturday, July 25 (1-6pm)

TICKETS: $25 for Friday | $30 for Saturday (each day includes 12 drink tokens). Available starting May 1st at participating breweries, select retail outlets and online at www.michiganbrewersguild.org.

Must be 21 or over to attend. Rain or Shine the Festival goes on.

Designated driver tickets are available at the gate only for $5 each.

The Michigan Brewers Guild exists to unify the Michigan brewing community; to increase sales of Michigan-brewed beer through promotions, marketing, public awareness and consumer education; and to monitor and assure a healthy beer industry within the state.

For more information about the Michigan Brewers Guild or the Summer Beer Festival, log on to www.michiganbrewersguild.org.

Join our nearly 300 “fans” on Facebook…

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Michigan-Brewers-Guild/127215395079?sid=65758b3c17a7f78bdd565e667d09de66&ref=search

While you’re there, you can also befriend many of our members as well.

MetroMode | By Melinda Clynes, 4/16/2009

Annette May and Michael Bardallis of Allen Park literally swoon over beer. And late last year, their beer passion and savvy was officially recognized, as the Allen Park couple became two of only 17 cicerones in the United States.

A Certified Cicerone designates someone with proven expertise in selecting and serving beer – and who has passed a rigorous 2 1/2 hour written exam, followed by an extensive tasting and draft system demonstration test. In short, the cicerone is to beer what the sommelier is to wine.

May, the only female cicerone in the country, works in the beer industry at Merchant’s Fine Wine. Contrary to the store title, every beer enthusiast’s radar points to the Dearborn shop for its extensive beer selection; it’s a proverbial candy store for beer-loving adults.

http://www.metromodemedia.com/features/dearborncicerone0111.aspx

KalamaBrew, 4/16/2009

Over the lips, past the gums, look out tummy, here it comes. That can be applied to pretty much anything you put in your mouth but in this particular instance let’s apply it to beer and how well the brewing industry is doing here in the state of Michigan. Nearly 4,000 people work in the industry in Michigan and almost $5 billion contributed to the state’s economy. Not bad… now where’s my beer?

Excerpt:

Michigan’s beer industry directly employed some 3,920 people in the state last year, paying total wages of $250 million, according to a study sponsored by two national industry groups.

The study, by the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the Beer Institute, estimated the overall industry contributed $4.9 billion to the state’s economy, ranking it as No. 13 in the nation for economic impact of the state’s breweries, distributors and retailers. (California, with its 200 some breweries, was No. 1.)

Read the entire article here.

We are excited about our newly revised and expanded 2009 Great Beer State Magazine (GBSM), scheduled to be available beginning in April. Utilizing the services of HOUR Publishing, this year’s edition has been expanded to full magazine size and full color print. The contents include tips on purchase, care, and enjoyment of craft beer, recommendations on pairing beer and food, as well as a comprehensive listing of over 60 brewpubs and microbreweries in Michigan. The GBSM will be distributed at all Brewers Guild member breweries, many fine retailers of craft beer, and Welcome Centers across the state. If you are interested in being a distribution point for this helpful tool that is all things Michigan Beer, please visit the Contact Us page of our website and let us know.

We are pleased to announce that this year’s Winter Festival is now SOLD OUT! There will be over 4000 people at the event enjoying 230 different beers from 42 Michigan breweries! The weather forecast looks good (for February in Michigan) so we should have a great time! Unfortunately there will not be any tickets available at the gate. Hope to see you there!

If you’re heading to the Winter Beer Festival on Saturday and want to take a look at the program you can download it HERE.
Mock Winter! Celebrate Beer!