A few years ago when I was living in Traverse City, I did what many do while there...I went wine tasting. As we drove around to each vineyard, I noticed these odd looking farms that sort of looked like an empty vineyard but with tall frames about 12 feet high and strings going from the top of the frame to the ground. After I saw about ten of these farms, I asked the locals about them. It turns out, they were hops' farms. It seems that hop farming has become quite popular in that area as hops are the key ingredient in Michigan craft brews. Since living there almost three years ago, at least four new breweries have opened and I've started to notice this growing trend in Michigan.

I have become quite a connoisseur of craft beer, especially Michigan craft beer. A moment that always stands out in my mind of the significance of Michigan's craft beer industry came when I visited Charleston, South Carolina last year. While on a walking tour of the city, I noticed a small corner store and a line out the door around the corner about two blocks down, and some said they had been in line for over an hour. We asked what could possibly be worth the wait. It just so happened that Bell's Brewery (located in Kalamazoo) had just that day released their seasonal beer, Hopslam (one of my personal favorites). It was a proud moment for me as a Michigander (and seven year resident of Kalamazoo) and a frequent customer of Bell's to hear that people in another state appreciate our craft beer so much. The best part is: they are buying a product outside of Michigan and those dollars are coming back to our state!

Fast forward to today, I have attended quite a few beer tastings at the Midland Country Club, Whichcraft and other locations. It's at these beer tastings where I met Beth Lowell, who specializes in craft beer at Fabiano Brothers, Inc. and really is an expert on Michigan's craft beer industry. It was hearing all of Beth's information about the rapid growth of this industry that got me thinking about the economic impact. Grand Rapids has now coined themselves "Beer City" because of all the breweries in west Michigan. They have even created a beer trail with brewery tours to draw in more people. The economic impact for the state of Michigan in this industry is over six hundred million dollars annually. One of the things I love most about this trend is the 'support Michigan' and 'buy local' mentality these breweries have. They all seem to support each other; they use local hops, grains, fruits and more to make their beer. They also try to buy local for other business needs and promote that others do the same, which is a part of why this industry has such a huge positive economic impact for our state.

All of this leads to our Third Quarter Luncheon and Economic Outlook on August 27, where the topic is Brewing up a New Economy. We will have a panel of local business owners who have a part in this industry, and will talk about the economic changes they've seen with the growth of this industry. We will also have Midland native, Brett VanderKamp, President and Co-Founder of New Holland Brewing as our keynote speaker. Brett will share his story as one of the pioneers of Michigan's craft beer and the rapid growth of this industry he has witnessed. For more on this event or to register click here.