Winter Beer Festival 2011

On February 26, Arbor Brewing Co. ran a beer bus to the Winter Beer Festival in Grand Rapids for those of us who wouldn't or couldn't stay overnight and were sane about the prospect of driving, and I had the pleasure of being on it. It was a nice bus, with reclining seats, DVD player, bathroom - number ONE only! said our friendly driver, and a cardinal rule: no pukers, again announced by our friendly driver. That's right, puking, even if contained, would be met with a $250 fine. Fair enough. Frankly, I love the beer bus.

Why do I love the beer bus? Simple. It got me safely - and warmly - to and from the beer fest, and the beer fest was amazing. True, I was only a couple of hours into the fest when I realized that my toes were so numb from the cold that you could probably chop them off without my noticing, but that was a small price to pay to attend this incredibly well-run, fun, friendly event. And I even ended up keeping all of my toes and thawing out in a day or two.

Snow? Who cares?

The state of Michigan craft beer is strong. The Michigan Brewers Guild now has over 80 member breweries, and the beer festivals hosted by the Guild are attracting record numbers of people. In addition, Guild Enthusiast memberships - for those of us who love and want to support the Michigan beer industry, and heck yes, I'm one - nearly doubled in 2010, according to the Guild. While the mega-brewers are on the decline, craft brewing is a growth industry around the country. In Michigan, where few growth industries are to be found, craft brewing is a bright spot.

Ceremonial kegs on the ice bar

We Michigan beer lovers are devoted to the success and enjoyment of that bright spot, and our beer festivals highlight what is truly a partnership between the brewers and those who love their product. Embracing the winter weather, we all tromped through the snow from station to station, talking with the brewers, sipping their elixirs, visiting the several camp fires or reaching up to the propane heaters to warm our paws a bit, and waiting for the ceremonial kegs to be tapped on the beautiful ice bar. We met new friends, reconnected with old ones, and put faces to names we knew from e-mail and Facebook.

Yes, that's an ice hop cone

Most of the lines, from the entrance line to the lines at most breweries' tables, were manageable. Every one of the beers I had was poured with a smile, and the brewers were happy to answer questions. The Michigan Hop Alliance - a group that I'm very excited about as they gain a foothold in this agriculturally rich and diverse state - had a nice display and some hops for sale, and I enjoyed a deep sniff of a bag of cascade hops while chatting with the growers.

The ice bar

Of course, I tried a lot of great beers, from barrel-aged monsters to winter warmers and experimental brews. In many cases, the festival would be my only opportunity to have a particular beer, and I didn't want to pass it up. That said, there were so many such opportunities that I had to pass many up, and all I can say is this: I can't wait for more of them this summer in Ypsilanti, when the Michigan Summer Beer Festival comes to town for two great days. In fact, I think I dreamed about it while snoozing on the nice warm beer bus on the ride back to Ann Arbor

While waiting for the summer fest, I'm going to continue to drink local and revel in my luck at living in the Great Beer State... And I think I'll also revel in still having my toes.