The 2018 Brewed in Michigan was an excellent party to wrap up the summer and have us Michiganders get ready for the fall.

The weather could not have been more perfect – warm temperatures hovering around 75 and clear skies that gave us a last look at the summer months.

Brewed in Michigan was put on by the Huron Valley Chamber of Commerce and took place at the Baker’s of Milford banquet hall. The event ran from 7 to 10 pm on Friday, September 14 and there was a VIP hour from 6 to 7 pm.

The ticket price included a souvenir mini tasting might for the delicious pours of Michigan-only craft beers, wines, and ciders; 12 beer tickets; and 6 food tickets.

Thirty or so brewery tents and tables dotted both the parking lots and indoor facilities. It appeared to he a fun time to be had.

Top 3 Beers

Cinnamon Coconut Night Fury – Witch’s Hat Brewing Co – South Lyon

Night Fury beers are always sought after amongst friends and traders all over the state and region when they are released. Friends tell me that people go ape shit for them on Facebook groups of craft beer enthusiasts and fans, alike.

I can see why after sampling this bit of deliciousness at the Brewed in Michigan event. It was by far the best beer I had and I will keep it in mind whenever I’m back in South Lyon.

Mucho Mango Smoothie IPA – Austin Brothers Beer Co – Alpena

This was the first beer I tried of the night and I was blown away! This beer was almost the New England IPA style, but was more creamy, like a smoothie! The rich mango taste made it go down easy and was refreshing on such a warm night.

Howden’s Field – River’s Edge Brewing Company – Milford

This beer had a ton going on! Pumpkin! Bourbon barrel! Smoke!

A very potent fall beer at 10.4%. The bourbon barrel gave it a boozy taste and helped smooth out the smoky punch in the face you got upon drinking it. I recently found this gem in a local bottle shop, too, so the goodness isn’t limited to just the brewery.

Next 3 Breweries I Need to Check Out

Rustic Leaf Brewing Company – Waterford

Rustic Leaf brought three IPAs and a decent brown to the party. While the styles were with the times (American IPA, Double IPA, and NEIPA), I could tell they had more to offer, and I cannot wait to see what at the brewery.

River’s Edge Brewing Company – Milford

Three of the four beers that River’s Edge brought were bourbon barrel aged, along with an Oktoberfest. I love BBA’s, so I cannot wait to check out River’s Edge soon!

Grand Armory Brewing Company – Grand Haven

I’ve heard great things about Grand Armory, and, heck, Grand Haven/Muskegon breweries in general. I need to spend more time out that way. The White Chocolate Blonde from Grand Armory was enough to get me wanting more!

3 Surprises

Bottles and cans, oh my

Most of the breweries brought canned or bottled beer, which led me to skip a lot of breweries because I could easily locate what they were offering at Meijer or a bottle shop. I paid more attention to the breweries who brought taps or who had smaller batches of things.

Food tickets

The food tickets were a welcomed surprise to anyone who was going to imbibe.

Providing myself with food breaks and the opportunity to try different food options was fun. What wasn’t fun was standing in line only to get to the food and be told that they were either out of what I was in line for or that it was going to cost me more than the one ticket I had left. Beer people are cool though and I was spotted a ticket to snag a slice of pizza.

Representation

When the beer list came out, I was disappointed in the 30 or so breweries present at this event. The event is in it’s tenth year!

The brewery breakdown as far as regions in Michigan were:

Metro Detroit – 17
Northern Michigan – 4
West Michigan – 6
Mid-Michigan – 3

It’s a well-known fact that the brewery landscape in Michigan has drastically changed over the past ten years, so I’d be interested to see brewery lists from previous for this event to get a better idea of the event’s growth. Overall, I think more breweries from all over the state could have been present to showcase their beer brewed in Michigan.

Overall, this was a fun event with tons of beers and food options to choose from with a few logistical flaws that can be easily fixed with signage and tapping more into the craft beer scene in Michigan.

More reviews of events will be coming soon!

Cheers!

Brewed in Michigan – Review (2018)

Published on October 8, 2018October 8, 2018

Top 3 Beers

Cinnamon Coconut Night Fury – Witch’s Hat Brewing Co – South Lyon

Mucho Mango Smoothie IPA – Austin Brothers Beer Co – Alpena

Howden’s Field – River’s Edge Brewing Company – Milford