Deluxe Motor Coach Trip Now Available from Grand Rapids to Traverse City for Summer Microbrew & Music Festival – with Special Hosts John “Gonzo” Gonzalez and Amy Sherman

Craft beer lovers in Grand Rapids and West Michigan are invited to travel to the 2014 Traverse City Summer Microbrew & Music Festival, August 22-23, in style. Passengers will travel aboard a deluxe motor coach, with hosts John “Gonzo” Gonzalez (Friday) from MLive and Amy Sherman from Great American Brew Trail (Friday & Saturday).

“We wanted to provide a safe and convenient day-trip option to craft beer lovers to attend this festival,” says Sam Porter, Owner of Porterhouse Productions and Tent Venue, the companies that present the festival. “We realize not everyone can make the weekend trip, and often hotel rooms are hard to come by. The deluxe motor coach trip also gives festival-goers an opportunity to spend the day sampling brews without having to drive home at the end of the event.”

Tickets are $100 per person and includes round-trip transportation and a VIP festival pass – which includes five (5) drink tokens, a custom logo glass, access to the exclusive VIP area with private restrooms, a hydration station, games, lounge area, side-stage viewing and nibbles. Tickets for both the Friday and Saturday trips are available online here.

The coach will leave at 2pm each day from downtown Grand Rapids (pick up is along Scribner, next to the Gerald R. Ford Museum – parking is available under the highway in that area), returning at 12:30am. Each bus offers valuable and fun information on craft brewing as well as an opportunity to watch past episodes of the Great American Brew Trail.

“Normal VIP tickets for this festival are $95, so we’re offering a real deal to people downstate to come up and experience our festival,” Porter says. “It’s like getting free round-trip transportation to the event. It’s all part of our sustainable-touring program.”

More than 40 vendors and 200-plus different craft beer, mead and cider will be served at this year’s festival. The list of participating vendors can be found online here.

Also included in the ticket price is musical entertainment, which on Friday night features international headliner Brandi Carlile and on Saturday showcases Nahko and Medicine for the People.

ABOUT OUR HOSTS
Amy Sherman is a craft beer expert, chef, writer, and educator. As the host of the state wide television program, The Great American Brew Trail, she visited over 26 different breweries, one pint at a time. She also joined Gonzo in his Mlive search for Michigan’s Best Brewery (and yes, it was as fun as it sounds!). She resides in Beer City USA where she teaches cooking classes, caters, and drinks a lot of beer. You can follow along with her adventures @amyonthetrail on Twitter and Facebook.

John "Gonzo" Gonzalez (@MichiganGonzo on Twitter) is the statewide entertainment, travel, food and beer writer for MLive Media Group, the state's largest media organization with 8 newspapers and 2 online sites. John's main job is to coordinate the Michigan's Best project where readers submit their favorites foods, restaurants and things to do, and he travels the state to come up with a Top 10 list. In the fall of 2013 he and Amy Sherman traveled to 38 breweries over 9 days in search of Michigan's Best Brewery. Check out the list here.

VIP motor coach options are available for other West Michigan cities, with a minimum commitment of 25 riders, at a price of $100 to $150 per person. Contact Sam Porter @ 231.499.4968 or Sam@PorterhouseProductions.com for more information.

Northern United Brewing Company Hires Matthew Prater as Director of Sales for Jolly Pumpkin, North Peak & Grizzly Peak Beer Brands

Matthew Prater has been named Director of Sales for Northern United Brewing Company (NUBC) – representing the Jolly Pumpkin, North Peak and Grizzly Peak beer brands.

“We couldn’t be more excited to add Matt to the NUBC team,” says Greg Lobdell, who along with Jon Carlson, Ron Jeffries and Tony Grant, are the managing partners of the company. “Having known him for the past six years, we are extremely fortunate to have him on board. Not only are we confident in his knowledge, professionalism and ability to execute, but we have always been even more impressed with him as a genuinely great person. We are happy that Matt will be working with our distribution partners to provide even better service to everyone who carries or wants to carry our beers.”

Matt began his beer career in 1998 as a summer merchandiser at Central Distributors of Beer in Romulus, Michigan. His love for the industry and understanding of the distributor network has spanned 16 years, including more than a dozen years working with two different Michigan distributors. He has worked the past three years at MillerCoors, serving as Distributor Sales Manager in central Illinois and most recently as a Chain Account Executive responsible for Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan.

“This is an amazing opportunity for me to join and lead the sales efforts of an emerging brewing company,” Matt says. “Northern United Brewing has all of the intangibles that you need to succeed. Great brewers, a great brewery, a great distributor network, and lots of customers around the country that love to enjoy Michigan beers. When our sales efforts and strategies match our brewing knowledge, our distributor partners will have a lot to be excited about, and that’s what’s most exciting for me in joining this team.”

Matt will be heading up all sales initiatives for the NUBCo, with a primary focus starting on retail beer distribution. With his presence on the team, the company will be much more strategic in its approach to working with wholesale and on / off-premise partners.

“This is a huge step for Northern United as Matt is bringing us a wealth of experience and rigor in the sales area,” according to Tony Grant, CFO/COO. “Matt’s main goal will be to bring a stable sales approach to our distributor network while providing sales tools to maximize revenue.”

Matt has a wife, Carrie, will relocate from Indianapolis to Dexter with their two sons, Camron and Ethan.

NUBC encompasses the Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, North Peak and Grizzly Peak beer brands, Civilized and Old Mission Spirits and Bonafide Wines, all dedicated to conservation, inspiration and locally sustainable practices. Find NUBC products at stores, restaurants, and bars all throughout Michigan, including: North Peak Brewing Company, Mission Table and Jolly Pumpkin Brewery, all in Traverse City; Jolly Pumpkin and Grizzly Peak, in Ann Arbor.

www.NUBCo.net

www.JollyPumpkin.com
www.NorthPeakBeer.com
www.GrizzlyPeak.net