Summer Beer Festival headed to Ypsilanti

By Jim Cavanaugh
Jul. 23, 2009    ·    11:36 a.m.

Beer lovers and brewers from across the state will descend upon Riverside Park this weekend for the 12th annual Michigan Summer Beer Festival.

The festival, which begins Friday afternoon, will feature more than 200 beers from about 30 Michigan-based breweries.

According to Scott Graham, executive director of the Michigan Brewers Guild, the festival started as a way for breweries to market themselves.

“Everybody wanted to sell their own beer,” Graham said. “They saw the festival as a promotional tool.”

The brewer’s guild puts on both the summer as well as a winter festival, normally held in Grand Rapids. The summer festival started out in Livonia, but moved to Ypsilanti after two years and has been held in the city ever since.

“[Livonia] didn’t seem to be a right fit with the local officials,” Graham said. “Ypsilanti seemed to be a great fit.”

This is the eighth year the festival has been held in Riverside Park. After moving the festival to Ypsilanti, it was first held in Frog Island Park, but according to Graham the event quickly outgrew it.

Although many people are expected to come out for the festival, the organizers plan to create as little waste as possible. Through work with Recycle Ann Arbor, the Brewer’s Guild expects as much as 90 percent of the trash created this weekend will either be composted or recycled.

This year’s festival will see several new breweries with tents in Riverside Park. Liberty Street Brewing Company from Plymouth and Hopcat Brewery from Grand Rapids will make their Beer Festival debut this weekend. And of course, there are many returning breweries, including Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor’s own Arbor Brewing Company.

Jimmy Alcumbrack McDaniel, pub manager of Arbor Brewing Company’s Corner Brewery, said he was extremely excited about the festival.

“We’re super excited about beer fest,” McDaniel said. “It gets bigger and bigger every year.”

Dave French, owner of Ypsilanti’s own Frog Island Brewery, said the personal interaction between the industry and the consumer is what makes the summer Beer Fest great. "Its always nice to put a face on your product.

"It's just a lot of fun,” French said. "It's like a class reunion, you get to see all your brewing buddies from across the state and you get the chance to interact with your consumer."

The Frog Island Brewery will be featuring its amber and cream ales, an imperial stout, two Indian Pale Ales and a coffee porter.

Additionally, French’s brewery will be unveiling a brew created specifically for the Ypsilanti Citizen 7 p.m. Friday. Called the Ypsilanti Citizen Choco-Berry, the chocolate porter uses 10 pounds of strawberries purchased from the Depot Town Farmers’ Market. The Citizen will be broadcasting live interviews from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Frog Island table.

Festival hours for Friday are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., with tickets at the available for $30. The gates open on Saturday at 1 p.m. and close at 6 p.m. Tickets for Saturday are $35 at the gate. For more information, please visit their Website