Michigan

The Great Lakes State

Back in the mid 1800s a German immigrant named Christoph Kusterer opened what he called City Brewery in Grand Rapids. Back then, horse-drawn carriages were used to make beer deliveries, and the trek to Detroit was over a week long trip. In this time, beer barrels were exposed to heat, sunlight, and were likely to be jostled, all of which could tarnish the beer. These complications led to people staying local and creating more of a demand in the beer industry. Breweries soon began appearing in Lansing, Traverse City, and several other towns.

Sadly, Prohibition had a large negative impact on Michigan brewers, followed by World War II, which inhibited the growth of the beer industry even further. Thankfully, this didn’t last too long with the craft beer revolution in the 1980s bringing about more and more breweries, beers, and flavors.

Although there was a heavy German influence on the beer for the early part of the states brewing history, people’s tastes changed over time, bringing IPAs, stouts, wheats, and hoppy beers into the picture.

With so many magnificent brews, Michigan beer festivals are a common occurrence with several through the year. These festivals follow the seasons and consist of: the Detroit Fall Beer Festival, the Spring Beer Festival, the Summer Beer Festival, the U.P. Fall Beer Festival, and the Winter Beer Festival. Each of these festivals is used to celebrate all the beer distributors in Michigan, their top Michigan beers, and the industry as a whole.

The Michigan craft beer industry ranks fifth in the nation based on its number of Michigan breweries. Being so far up in the rankings you might be wondering, how many breweries are in Michigan? Well, the state has around 465 breweries including those currently in operation, those planned with permits and scheduled to start brewing, as well as some that have recently closed down. Around 300 of these breweries are craft breweries.

Michigan beer can be purchased Monday through Saturday between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m. and on Sunday between noon and 2 a.m.

Some of the best Michigan beers come from the best breweries in Michigan, which are: Arbor Brewing in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti; Arcadia Ales in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek; Atwater Brewery in Detroit; Big Lake Brewing in Holland; Dark Horse Brewing in Marshall; Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Traverse City; Keweenaw Brewing in Houghton; Kuhnhenn Brewing in Warren; New Holland Brewing in Holland; Odd Side Ales in Grand Haven; and Short’s Brewing in Bellaire and Elk Rapids.

We have had the pleasure of featuring some of the best craft beer in Michigan from top Michigan breweries including: Frankenmuth Brewery, Arcadian Ales Brewing Company, Tri City Brewing Company, and Atwater Brewery. We love finding and trying new Michigan craft breweries and Michigan craft beer that we can share with you in our craft beer of the month club shipments.

Each and every state has their own unique beer history with a notable story of revival and inspiring gusto since Prohibition. By selecting a wide range of small-production, high-quality craft beers from across the country, our Craft Beer Club members have the unique opportunity to get the inside scoop and become an honorary local in every state we feature! Monthly craft beer shipments include 2 breweries from 2 different regions of the US, giving our members the opportunity to taste what our 50 states have to offer.

View AllBeers from Michigan