With as much craft brewing talent as there is along The Makers Trail in Michigan’s Great Southwest, it should come as no surprise — and in fact should rack up as a feather in our cap — that the website Uproxx has today tabbed Berrien County as #5 on a list they have determined to be The Ten Best American Cities To Live In If You Love Beer.
Chris Mason and his partners at Watermark Brewing Company in Stevensville are overjoyed to see several photos captured of their first class brewery showcased in the slide show by Uproxx author Zach Johnston to illustrate the number five ranking given to the area. About us Johnston writes:
“This Great Lake town of 10,000 denizens has nine breweries to choose from, making it one of the more dense areas for beer in the USA. Nine breweries in a town that small, and scenic, would make for a great weekend road trip, if you’re due for a vacay.”
His listing is labeled as Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan — which is the standard metropolitan statistical area on U.S. population maps which essentially comprises all of Berrien County.
Johnston’s story begins, “Craft beer is on a rocket ship to the stars at the moment. 2016 saw a record sales increase of a total of $23.5-billion, meaning craft beer now accounts for 22-percent of the overall American beer market.” He shares that Infogroup wanted an answer to the question where are the best places to drink beer? They looked into a database of more than 15-million records to find which American communities are home to the most beer retailers and breweries including craft and microbreweries, and the list is the result.
These are the resulting Ten Best American Cities To Live In If You Love Beer:
- Bend, Oregon
- Boulder, Colorado
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Fort Collins, Colorado
- Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan
- Great Falls, Montana
- Burlington, Vermont
- Corvallis, Oregon
- Mansfield, Ohio
- Mount Vernon, Washington
Wikipedia says Uproxx “is an American digital media company that covers entertainment and culture. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater and acquired by Woven Digital in 2014. The site’s target audience is males aged 18-34.”
While Johnston cites nine breweries here in his number five ranking, if you account for all of them in Berrien County there are actually 12, with a thirteenth just over the county line in Sister Lakes as well. Here’s what we do actually have along The Makers Trail:
- Watermark Brewing in Stevensville
- Greenbush Brewing in Sawyer
- North Pier Brewing in Benton Harbor
- The Livery in Benton Harbor
- Silver Harbor Brewing in St. Joseph
- Haymarket Brewing in Bridgman
- Tapistry Brewing in Bridgman
- Transient Artisan Ales in Bridgman
- Round Barn Brewing in Baroda
- Cultivate Brewing in Berrien Springs
- Beer Church Brewing in New Buffalo
- Arclight Brewing in Watervliet
- Sister Lakes Brewing in Sister Lakes
Here’s a link to the entire story…so go have a beer and talk about it with your friends:
