A nod to craft beverages
A flight of four craft brews are on a tray with a hops motif at the Church Brewery in Hyde / Bark River. Michigan is celebrating Craft Beverage Month. (Daily Press file photo)
Jesse Herman works to carry out a recipe at Upper Hand Brewery in Escanaba. Now director of brewing operations, Herman — originally from Negaunee — has been with Upper Hand since 2014. (Daily Press file)
A flight of four craft brews are on a tray with a hops motif at the Church Brewery in Hyde / Bark River. Michigan is celebrating Craft Beverage Month. (Daily Press file photo)
Jesse Herman works to carry out a recipe at Upper Hand Brewery in Escanaba. Now director of brewing operations, Herman — originally from Negaunee — has been with Upper Hand since 2014. (Daily Press file)
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MICHIGAN -- November is “Craft Beverage Month” in Michigan.
A proclamation from Lansing announced the designation, suggesting that Michiganders “celebrate local producers of craft beer, wine, cider mead, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages.” There are reportedly over 900 craft beverage producers in the state.
"Michigan's craft beverage industry is one of the most dynamic and diverse in the nation, and we plan to keep it that way,” said Tim Boring, director of Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD)
Michigan ranks in the top 15 nationally for wineries, distilleries, breweries and cideries, with “the craft beverage industry supporting more than 25,000 Michigan jobs and having a total economic impact of $7.3 billion annually,” read a release from MDARD. “Craft beverage-related tourism in Michigan delivers $892.6 million in expenditures from 3.9 million visitors every year.”
Surrounded by fresh water, and with land above and below the 45th parallel, Michigan is the nation’s second-most agriculturally-diverse state after California, according to the Michigan Craft Beverage Council (MCBC). Michigan’s land provides acreage for wine grapes, hops, apples, fruits, wheat, corn, barley, and other grains, many of which go towards the manufacture of beverages. Earlier this year, the MCBC, chaired by Boring, announced that it was awarding over $400,000 of research and education grants “to further strengthen Michigan's world-renowned craft beer, wine, spirits and hard cider industries.”
The industry’s growth in the state contributes to “community placemaking efforts, rural development and tourism,” read a Nov. 1 press release from the office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Locally, examples are Upper hand Brewery, which was constructed near the Delta County Airport; Church Brewery, which transformed a former house of worship in Bark River; End of the Road Winery, operating on a family farm in Germfask; and Saunders Point Brewing, which brings events and collaborations to downtown Gladstone.
“During this month, we encourage Michiganders to support our local, regional, and statewide craft beverage producers through holiday meal planning, gift-giving and safe, responsible festivities,” read the proclamation from the State.