franThere are a few Michigan birthdays being celebrated this year, and they are undoubtedly being honored with the hoisting of a glass of ale, or maybe stout or IPA. Whatever your choice, a Michigan brewery can provide it.
First and foremost is the venerable
Frankenmuth Brewery, which turns 150 years old, making it one of the oldest breweries in Michigan. The brewery has been under new ownership since 2009, but it still operates in the traditional fashion that has made it a rich part of Michigan for a century and a half.
Then there is the
Michigan Brewers Guild, which celebrates its 15th year in 2012. The 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.
"We have four festivals each year to promote and sell Michigan beer," Graham says. "We increase awareness and make sure people understand what a thriving business and wonderful product we have in Michigan."
According to the Michigan Brewers Guild, Michigan's thriving brewing industry includes 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 as far as the beer industry goes.
Then there's a new brewery making some serious headway in the business.
Tri-City Brewing Company in Bay City is marking five years in business in 2012. With all the anniversaries, it's really quite a year for beer.
But, more than a century before the Guild or Tri-City were on the map, the Frankenmuth Brewery was a fixture. It will celebrate its anniversary in June during Frankenmuth's Bavarian Fest, as well as other summer activities.
"The brewery has a lot of history since 1862; it brewed beer until Prohibition," says Hiathem Sarafa, president of the Frankenmuth Brewing Co. "After Prohibition it started up again and then Fred Schumacher bought it in 1990. A fire took part of it down and Fred sold it to the Heine family, which built it up to producing 30,000 barrels and distributing in 25 states. In 1996, an F3 tornado took the rest of the building down. It took seven years for the Heine family to rebuild and open as a brewpub in 2003. It was foreclosed on by the bank in 2006 and stayed empty until 2009 when the new owners picked it up."
As you can see, it is a storied history, and Sarafa is well versed on the brewery's tradition. However, he understands running a solid business is not solely about understanding the past. It is more about the present and--even more importantly--looking to the future.
"Success is built on hiring great people, training them and always focusing on the customer experience." Sarafa says. "Our German beers are brewed to German purity laws of Reinheistgebot and our brew master has been brewing beer for over 40 years and is Seibel Brewing School-trained. We use high quality ingredients and traditional brewing methods."
And Sarafa has a tip for those who might not have sampled all of the brewery's offerings:
"My personal favorite is the Red Sky Ale which has great flavor and a smooth finish," he says.
The brewery has a wonderful location in that is stationed in the second largest tourist destination in Michigan. Frankenmuth plays host to more than 2.5 million visitors per year. But, making sure the visitors come to the brewery is up to the staff and the product it produces.
"Many of those visitors come to the brewery and try our beer and then want to know where they can get it closer to home," Sarafa says. "Frankenmuth beer is distributed in bars, restaurants and retail stores across all of Michigan as well as in certain areas of Wisconsin, Indiana and Pennsylvania."
This spring, Frankenmuth is expanding sales to be available in Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey and Florida. The various locations are listed
online by zip code if you're curious exactly where to get some.
Four core brands are distributed: Frankenmuth's Flagship Pilsner, Batch 69 IPA, Munich Dunkel and American Blonde. There are four seasonals, including Winter Bock, Red Sky Ale, Hefeweizen and Oktoberfest as well as a 12-pack sampler.
There also are some specialty beers from time to time for the restaurant only.
"The dining/banquet business is a very important part of our business with the food being 60 percent of total business," Sarafa says. "Our beers pair well with food and it is the combination along with the atmosphere that bring people back."
Officials at Tri-City Brewery are proud they are making a solid go of it during a difficult economic stretch in Michigan.
"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 is 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."
Tri-City doesn't limit themselves to on-site sales. Tri-City is sold "throughout Michigan," according to Kaczmarek. Check them out
online for retail locations.
Jeff Barr is a freelance writer who has lived in Michigan for 45 years. He has covered every part of the state, including the Bay area. You can reach Jeff by email.
All photos by Avram Golden.