There are a few birthdays being celebrated this year, and they are undoubtedly being honored with the hoisting of ale.
Both
Tri-City Brewing Company in Bay City and
Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City are marking five years in business in 2012. Add in the fact that venerable
Frankenmuth Brewery in mid-Michigan turns 150 and the
Michigan Brewers Guild celebrates its 15th anniversary, and you’ve got quite a year for beer.
Officials at both Tri-City and Right Brain breweries are proud that they are making a solid go of it during a difficult economic stretch in Michigan.
Russell Springsteen, owner and CEO at Right Brain Brewery, which will turn 5 in December, believes the importance of thriving in a tough climate should not be taken for granted.
"I believe it is really important to the economy," Springsteen said. "We are creating jobs and paying our fair share of taxes. We are also driving people to the area for tourism and tasting.
"I am very proud. It has been amazing and often overwhelming. We are getting ready to relocate in the spring and really grow it. Pretty crazy."
"Any new business is important to Michigan's economy," says Nick Kaczmarek, Marketing and Sales Director at Tri-City Brewing Company, which celebrated its fifth birthday in January. "Individually, the owners of Tri-City Brewing are proud to be from the Tri-Cities and very happy to be a new, growing business in the area."
Tri-City in Bay City has several offerings from which to choose, and each has its own niche, according to Kaczmarek. He has some inside knowledge on which beer to choose for what occasion, after all.
"It depends on the situation," Kaczmarek says. "If I am going to take one beer to a party, it is going to be Hells Half Mile lager. It has the complexity of a craft beer with the "easy drinking-ness" of a lager. There is something heavenly about Hells.
"However, when I am at Dow Diamond, it's a Loons Summer Ale. There is nothing like going to Dow Diamond in Midland, watching the Loons, and enjoying a Loons Summer Ale. Just one more great thing about Mid-Michigan."
Right Brain also features a host of offerings, including Will Power Pale, Satisfaction ESB, N. Hawk Owl, Amber, Shadow, Watcher Stout, Crazy Snake Imperial IPA, Dead Kettle, Spiny Norman and more.
It is the "doing things right" motto that keeps business booming, according to representatives from both Michigan breweries.
"Great customers and great products," says Sprinsteen.
"We’ve all been home brewers prior to forming the brewery, but our president is a Ph.D. Chemical Engineer and brewer is a chemist. These gentlemen know the science of brewing as well as the art of it," says Kaczmarek.
Bay City, according to Kaczmarek, is a perfect locale for a brewery, offering the ideal clientele that includes knowledgeable customers. It is a great place to do business, and gives Tri-City an edge. It also puts a little pressure on the folks at Tri-City Brewing.
"Bay City… is full of hard working people who demand value," Kaczmarek says. "When they pay more for a craft beer, they expect something special. That pushes us to deliver the best beers possible."
On the other hand, Traverse City, a major tourist town, offers its own challenges and strategies for success. Springsteen has a never-stand-still approach, and says his CEO title stands for "crazy, eccentric and obsessive." Apparently, it is paying off.
"Part of it is about being in the right spot at right time," Springsteen says. "It's trying to do some niche things while trying to do core beers solid as well. Carefully managing money, people and growth. Learning the hard way. Just having fun with beer. "
"We have to navigate tourism and locals in TC," Springsteen says. "But there are more breweries coming and it creates a beer tour world. Learning how to work with each other to keep that person in town spending money for one more day. Not just at brewery, but lodging, restaurants, wineries, etc."
Right Brain and Tri-City do not limit themselves to on-site sales. Right Brain is sold in Northern Michigan, Oakland and Macomb counties, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. Tri-City is sold "throughout Michigan," says Kaczmarek. More information on both breweries can be found on their websites, www.righbrainbrewery.com and www.tricitybrewing.com.
These two Michigan breweries are not the only beer-related groups celebrating birthdays this year. Frankenmuth Brewery in Mid-Michigan turns a grand old 150 years old--quite a goal for Tri-City and Right Brain to look forward to--and the Michigan Brews Guild is in its fifteenth year in 2012.
Known throughout the region as "Das Good Bier," Frankenmuth Brewery (www.frankenmuthbrewery.com) is one of the oldest breweries in Michigan. There is beer galore, include award-winning lagers and ales. There also is outdoor dining and patio seating along the Cass River on one of three dining decks.
What's really impressive is that the breweries mentioned here are only part of a growing Michigan collection.
According to the Michigan Brewers Guild, Michigan’s thriving brewing industry contributes more than $24 million in wages with a total economic contribution of more than $133 million in terms of overall breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs. Michigan ranks No. 5 in the nation.
The Michigan Brewers Guild exists to unify the Michigan brewing community, to increase sales of Michigan-brewed beer through promotions, according to director Scott Graham, and to assist in promotions, marketing, public awareness and consumer education. Monitoring and assurance of a healthy beer industry also is part of the Michigan Brewers Guild mission, says Graham.
Jeff Barr is a freelance writer who has lived in Michigan for 45 years. He has covered every part of the state, including the northwest area. You can reach Jeff via email.