The Michigan 300 --- well, over 300 now!!

THE MICHIGAN 300

This past June, Michigan had surpassed the other forty-nine and became the number 1 state in the U.S.A. in craft beer production. With now over 300 craft beer breweries, you will not find a shortage of great adult beverages to enjoy anywhere in the state. Even if you are stuck out in the sticks somewhere. 

 

With Bell’s Brewing, of Kalamazoo, leading the pack with over thirty five years of craft beer brewing experience, many others have popped up and followed the path over those years. Some have opened and closed and others have struggled on through the slow times and the recessions, but the quality and knowledge that has persisted through and through the decades has not changed a bit.

 

Beer cities all over Michigan including Detroit (of course), Grand Rapids (which by the way has the highest concentration of craft breweries in the world per square mile), Traverse City, Holland, Royal Oak/Ferndale, and Frankenmuth (go GERMANS) should be proud of their product and how they changed the face of the beer industry forever. The breweries in these cities (and others) started a revolution of sorts all those many years ago when the set out to create great tasting beverages that strayed away from the norms of the industry. With a great deal of inspiration, innovation, and experimentation, these little guys came to the forefront and challenged the big boys.

 

Now of course it is hard to compete with multi-billion dollar companies like Anheuser Busch/InBev, Miller Inc., etc., especially when it comes to things like distribution and store shelf space, but when the masses are buying your product and it is holding its own against the big players that is a tremendous feeling. It all comes down to supply an demand: And why the hell not demand a good brew?

 

The only downside to this (well not if you own the brewery) is that at some point in the lifespan, the buyout offer might come from one of those aforementioned big boys with enough cash that would turn anyone’s head. While I definitely understand the temptation, and I have seen it happen a lot already, one has to hope that the quality remains the same. When production goes up in that amount though, is it always a bit difficult to keep up the quality standards. The recipes may change (because of the increase in volume) or they might bring in their own brew master to make the beers. There are a number of factors that could effect the quality. But the bottom line is that if the "love" and "passion" in the creation of the product is not present, the "magic" dissipates. And that rings true in many other situations as well.

 

You just have to fight the power I guess.

 

Either way though, congratulations to my home state of Michigan for the many years of great craft beers that have been pouring out of the tap handles: And to that magic number 300!!!

 

Go Michigan, The Great Lakes State, and as always, RAISE A PINT OF ALE AND ENJOY!!!!!!!!! CHEERS