The first annual Lansing Fall Fest will take place Saturday, November 9th, 2013. This fall celebration will feature Michigan craft beer, cider and mead. The goal of Lansing Fall Fest is to raise awareness of the Michigan craft beer, cider and mead industry while raising money for our selected charity Child and Family Charities. (www.childandfamily.org/)

Renowned meadery B. Nektar held their first Spring Mead Festival on Saturday, April 20, from 12-6 pm in the massive parking lot of their Ferndale headquarters. The weather was typical of Michigan’s mercurial spring: chilly, overcast, with temperatures hovering around 38 degrees. However, this did not stop the mead-loving masses from enjoying a festive afternoon with several blood-warming delights.

Celebrate suds, snow and early spring fun with the 4th Annual Brew-Ski Festival at Boyne Highlands Resort on Saturday, March 9. Brew-Ski Festival features craft beer sampling, live music, brats on the grill, and the enjoyment of early spring skiing and snowboarding.

Hopcat is already the third best beer bar on planet Earth (per Beer Advocate magazine,) and they obviously have their sights set now on inter-planetary dominance based on this year’s Hoptoberfest festival. 40 Michigan breweries took over Ionia Street to celebrate. Standouts included Hudsonvile’s White Flame Brewing Co. which in addition to their astounding Bourbon Barrel aged Black Sheep IPA, also featured a beer drinking, cigarette smoking “G Man” super hero mascot making the rounds throughout the festival. Although there was no German beer tent this year, instead a booth of rotating taps featured such speciality pours as the Hopcat Rapture Wild Ale and Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout.

Motor City Brew Tours has taken over a floor of the Detroit Princess Riverboat to host a Michigan Beer Tasting. This event is a special Father’s Day afternoon boat cruise on Sunday June 17 from 2pm to 6pm. Motor City Brew Tours will have 25 different Michigan beers to sample from Arbor Brewing Company, Arcadia Brewing Company, Dark Horse Brewing Company, New Holland Brewing Company and North Peak Brewing Company. There will also be samples of Vander Mill Hard Cider, B. Nektar Mead and Valentine Vodka onboard. Everything available to sample at this event will be made in Michigan. The goal of this event is to expose people to the many great beers and spirits that are being produced in Michigan.

Crystal Mountain welcomes another summer season with over 60 Michigan craft beers and a dozen different brats from local markets during the 7th Annual Michigan Beer & Brat Festival, Saturday, May 26 (3-9pm).