The team of hearty souls who have been hosting some of the best beer festivals in the history of man over the last two decades is unveiling an entirely new affair coming in the spring to the Great Beer State of Michigan, and you are invited.
The Michigan Brewers Guild tells us they are excited to announce the addition of a new spring festival – the Michigan Brewers Guild Spring Beer Festival — to be held on Saturday, May 16th from 1-6pm in Traverse City Pit Spitters Park at 333 Stadium Drive (also known as US-31 South) in Traverse City. Tickets will go on sale to the general public in March.
Scott Graham is Executive Director for the Guild. He says, “Over the past 22 years, the Michigan Brewers Guild has prided itself on hosting the best beer festivals in the state,” adding, “We started with the Summer Beer Festival in 1998 and have grown over the years in terms of the number of events as well as participating breweries and attendees.” Graham contends, “Adding a festival in northern Michigan rounds out the geographical footprint for our events and we think there will be a lot of enthusiasm for the MBG Spring Beer Festival in Traverse City. We are very excited to partner with our friends in Traverse City – who we came to know while growing our Winter Beer Festival – in introducing this new event to all.”
The 5,000-seat Pit Spitters Park is a privately-owned multi-purpose facility located in Traverse City and home to the Traverse City Pit Spitters of the Northwoods collegiate wooden bat league. The stadium was originally opened in 2006 and the facility and baseball franchise were purchased by a group of investors led by the West Michigan Whitecaps in September of 2018.
Mickey Graham is General Manager of the Pit Spitters enterprise, and notes, “As we look to make Pit Spitters Park a venue that is host to events other than baseball games, a partnership with the Michigan Brewers Guild is a natural fit.” Graham also helped the Guild develop the Winter Beer Festival downstate, and says, “The Guild is known to execute first class events and their track record for these types of festivals is unparalleled. We look forward to making this an annual one that beer lovers from all over the state enjoy.”
In addition to this new festival, the Guild has announced its complete 2020 schedule of festivals – which include some changes of two events back to one-day Festivals.
Scott Graham says, “We want to be respectful of the time and efforts of our member breweries and we think this change makes sense especially given the challenges that weather can pose,” and concludes, “The Summer Beer Festival in Ypsilanti, our oldest and largest event, will continue as a two-day festival.”
The 2020 schedule includes:
- Michigan Winter Beer Festival – Saturday, February 22nd at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park
- Michigan Spring Beer Festival – Saturday, May 16th at Pit Spitters Park in Traverse City
- Michigan Summer Beer Festival – Friday, July 24th & Saturday, July 25th at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti
- U.P. Fall Beer Festival – Saturday, September 12th at Mattson Lower Harbor Park in Marquette
- Detroit Fall Beer Festival – Saturday, October 24th at Eastern Market in Detroit
For more on each festival, including ticket on-sale dates for Enthusiast Members and the general public, visit online at MiBeer.com/events.
The Michigan Brewers Guild was formed in 1997 and held its first festival in July 1998. Today, the Guild hosts five festivals dedicated exclusively to Michigan craft beer produced by its more than 290 member breweries (a number that increases on a monthly basis).
The Michigan Brewers Guild is the network of innovative and passionate brewers that serves as the recognized advocate for the Michigan craft beer industry. The mission of the Michigan Brewers Guild is to promote and protect the Michigan craft beer industry with an overarching goal to help craft beer acquire 20-percent of the market by 2025.
Michigan’s thriving brewing industry contributes more than 17,000 full-time jobs and $700 million in labor income / wages, with a total economic impact of over $2.4 billion. In terms of overall number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks #4 in the nation—supporting its title as “The Great Beer State.”
