Summer Beer Festival Highlights Michigan Craft Beer Month

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.