Beer & Brats Festival

May 18, 2008

Move over Wisconsin -- you are no longer the Midwest’s “Beer & Brat Capital.” Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville decided three years ago to start celebrating its own beer and brat uprising with the Michigan Beer & Brat Festival. The ski and golf resort will again play host this Saturday, May 24, to what is becoming one of Northern Michigan’s favorite “kick off summer” parties.
“The Michigan Beer & Brat Festival has quickly become the event that marks the beginning of the summer season at Crystal Mountain,” says Brian Lawson, public relations & special events manager for Crystal Mountain. “This festival is a great opportunity to discover a countless number of fine local brews and an extensive menu of specialty brats, from spicy jalapeno to cherry, that you’re only going to find in Michigan.”
Crystal Mountain is partnering with the Michigan Brewers Guild which represents 80% of Michigan’s 68 craft breweries. The Guild runs two other successful Michigan beer events: their popular Michigan Summer Beer Festival and the Michigan Winter Beer Festival. Both attract large crowds of beer enthusiasts.
“What better way to celebrate the start of the warm-weather season in Michigan than with a cool, fresh, hand-crafted beer,” says Scott Graham, executive director of the Michigan Brewers Guild. “Our partnerships with Michigan’s top tourist properties such as Crystal Mountain Resort not only give us a great venue to showcase some of the finest Michigan beers, but it helps us reinforce the value of the state’s overall hospitality industry.”

BRANDING THE STATE
Graham has been busy touting the “Michigan, Great Beer State” brand to residents and out-of-state visitors who are interested in beer. Earlier this year, they released 100,000 copies of a slick new marketing piece that stakes their Great Beer State claim. The brochure, which is better described as a catalogue, spotlights the state’s microbreweries and brewpubs. The publication features loads of helpful information for novice and serious beer drinkers alike, including:
• A Michigan Beer Locator Map – listing 53 locations around the state, with a companion six-page listing of breweries complete with icons to identify the various amenities such as restaurants, live entertainment, outdoor seating and brewery tours. Eight different regional tours are also identified.
• A guide to matching beer and food.
• A guide to the purchase, care & enjoyment of hand crafted beer.
• A list of brewing ingredients and styles – identifying the difference between lager and ale as well as the four basic ingredients used to make beer.
• Clarification on Michigan’s legal definition of a brewery, microbrewery and brewpub.
• Details about the Michigan Brewers Guild – including information about purchasing merchandise and becoming an “Enthusiast Member” of the organization.
This year, 100,000 copies of the
directory were printed and are available for free at all Michigan State Welcome Centers and at member breweries around the state.
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 of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks number six in the nation – thus supporting its claim as “The Great Beer State.”
Copies of this guide are available at the festival, area breweries, party stores and the Michigan Travel Welcome Centers, or via michiganbrewersguild.org.

BIG SELECTION
The Michigan Beer and Brat Festival will feature over 40 Michigan
microbrews from Bell’s, Short’s, New Holland, Founder’s, Right Brain, Arbor, Arcadia, Jolly Pumpkin and more.
Crystal Mountain is making the weekend even tastier with a couple of weekend packages. Guests booking a stay under the Michigan Beer & Brat Festival package receive free admission, which includes a commemorative mug and tickets for beer and brats ($20 value). The package, from $139 per adult, per weekend, also includes two nights’ lodging and two breakfasts. A Birdies, Beers, and Brats package offers the same amenities, from $271 per adult, plus unlimited golf.
You must be 21 to enter and the $20 ticket is a bargain as it includes seven tasting tickets and a commemorative beer mug. Another festival highlight is the band Egon (recently featured in the Express). These young rockers blend funky tunes from the ‘60s and ‘70s with an improvisational style, so bring dancing shoes.
For details on the 3rd Annual Michigan Beer & Brat Festival this Saturday, May 24, check out crystalmountain.com or call 800-968-7686.