Craft beer lovers, novices, and self-proclaimed experts will be able to unite over cold-brewed, locally-crafted beverages this September throughout the Upper Peninsula.
From Sept. 2-7, various venues throughout the Upper Peninsula will take part in the second annual
U.P. Craft Beer Week.
U.P. Craft Beer Week president Josh Marenger says A Pint Above, Inc., a non-profit organization which runs the week-long event, is a collaboration that was created along with Marc Rea and Jamie Strand.
The organization is no stranger to the world of craft beer. Rea is the owner of
Eagle River Inn and Fitzgerald's Restaurant, which is dining heaven for beer lovers that want to indulge with their choice of craft beer.
Strand, on the other hand, is the owner of the well-known
White's Party Store in Marquette (if you can't find what you are looking for there, chances are you won't be able to find it anywhere) and Marenger is a former officer of
Bay de Noc Brewers of Escanaba. Nowadays he is on the planning committee for
UPtoberfest in Escanaba and is working on a travel guide project that will feature breweries of the U.P.
So yeah, this group knows a little bit about craft beer.
Going on its second year, the U.P. Craft Beer Week began when the founders looked at what other parts of the state were doing.
"After seeing the success of the Detroit and Grand Rapids beer weeks downstate, Jamie and I started talking about how the U.P. definitely had enough of a beer scene to support something similar," Marenger says. "After talking with a few of the vendors and seeing how excited they were about the idea, we just ran with it."
Having a craft beer event in the U.P. is important, says Marenger, because the extent of the craft beer scene here is often overlooked. By dedicating an entire week to the local and fine-crafted brews, the group hopes to raise this awareness.
This year U.P. Craft Beer Week is seeing a growth in the number of venues that are participating and, unlike some beer weeks that take place in other parts of the country, the crew decided to only charge a small venue fee, rather than the large fee they often saw elsewhere.
"This is a labor of love for us and we don't take a dime out of it," Marenger says.
In the first year, being new to the beer week scene, Marenger and Strand found themselves using some of their own cash to run the week, limiting the promotions end of things. Learning from the past, they instead chose to charge a small venue fee of $20 to each participating venue to go toward the website, poster printing, and other promotional materials. The group also takes donations from individuals and companies, such as
Michigan Brewers Guild and some participating vendors that want to support the cause.
While Marenger, Strand, and Rea prepare for the 2013 Craft Beer Week, each participating craft brewery, restaurant, and beer store plays a huge role in making the week a success, as they are the ones that come up with the ideas and run their individual events, says Marenger.
Patrons of U.P. Craft Beer Week can attend a variety of specially planned events from tap takeovers at the local pub to bars and restaurants that will serve up a menu of food and beers pairings for guests to enjoy. Want to try Jalapeno Cream Ale at
Hereford & Hops? No problem! Or attend a special cask tapping at
Ore Dock Brewing Co.? You can do that too.
Never been to a craft beer week and don't know what to expect? Marenger explains:
"Most craft beer weeks are simply a community effort to promote craft beer through a series of events," he says. "I'd encourage you to check the
list and hit up as many as possible since there are a lot of great things 'on tap' during the week."
After a week of fun events celebrating craft beer in the U.P., patrons can join together at the
5th Annual U.P. Fall Beer Festival in Marquette for beer sampling and camaraderie. While not directly related to the U.P. Craft Beer Week, the fest in Marquette is a great way to end their week, says Marenger.
For those looking forward to next year's week already, well no fear, because Craft Beer Week in the U.P. is here to stay.
"I think that as we move forward we'll gradually add more and more events and venues each year," Marenger says. "The community is growing pretty rapidly as people become more aware of craft beer, and there are a few new breweries on the horizon. Other than that I think we'll keep things pretty simple on our end."
Julia Woehrer is a freelance writer, photographer and Internet content manager. She attended the School of Art and Design at Northern Michigan University where she concentrated in photography and minored in journalism. She volunteers at a local no-kill cat shelter and enjoys spending time with her cats, Bella and Macy. On hot summer days she can be found on the beach, probably taking a nap.