Saturday February 22 marked the ninth annual Michigan Brewer's Guild Winter Beer Festival at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park. The afternoon festival offered just over 6000 guests the opportunity to try nearly 800 brews from 88 different Michigan breweries.
Among the breweries, Grand Rapids area locals Brewery Vivant, Founders, Grand Rapids Brewing Company, Gravel Bottom Brewery, B.O.B.'s Brewery, Mitten Brewing Company, Harmony Brewing Company, HopCat, Jaden James Brewery, Hideout Brewing Company, Perrin Brewing Company, Osgood Brewing and Schmohz Brewing Company all proudly represented Beer City, USA.
Upon entering the festival, guests were provided with tokens to sample up to 15 beers throughout the day. While food was available for sale by the ballpark, many guests outfitted homemade pretzel and snack necklaces in classic beer festival style.
The event provided the opportunity for smaller breweries to showcase their products alongside now nationally known brands. Osgood Brewing noted that this was their first beer festival and said the support was incredible. They even sold out of their Best Day Ever DIPA.
Breweries celebrated the event by tapping special or limited brews alongside mainstay drafts. Hideout Brewing Company featured a limited pouring of locally made sake. Grand Rapids Brewing Company brought out Chaffey's Crater, a bourbon barrel aged imperial black IPA. Founders poured limited batches of Doom, Mango Magnifico, Sweet Repute and KBS, which will be available starting March 18.
Tickets for this year's event sold out less than three hours after going on sale in December. For those who didn't get tickets in time, Winter Festival is not the only opportunity for brew enthusiasts to get their fill of Michigan beers. Michigan Brewer's Guild also hosts Summer Beer Festival in Ypsilanti, U.P. Fall Beer Festival in Marquette and Detroit Fall Beer Festival.
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