Michigan's Great Beer State Podcast: Recent Episodes
Michigan Brewers Guild
Michigan's Great Beer State Podcast is a weekly show sharing conversations and stories from the passionate people who contribute to our vibrant Michigan beer community. It is made up of a mix between full-length, archived interviews from the Guild's first documentary book project, A Rising Tide, Stories from the Michigan Brewers Guild, and conversations recorded in the here and now. Each episode is kicked off with a conversational update from hosts Scott Graham, Executive Director and the Guild, and The Beervangelist, Fred Bueltmann, author of A Rising Tide.
We spoke with Adam Czap - Co-founder of Ascension Brewing of Novi, MI during Detroit Fall Beer Festival in 2021
We talk with Matt Gougeon, long-time champion of locally connected food, beverage and agriculture from the 2021 UP Fall Beer Festival in Lower Harbor or Marquette, Michigan.
We talked with Jim Warbritton, owner of Rave Associates, a friend of and a distributor for many Michigan beers in the Ann Arbor and Detroit area, while he was in Detroit for the Fall Beer Festival in 2021.
We sat with Phil Thomson of Big Hart Brewing about their origin story, community and making it through the pandemic, during the Great Beer State Conference in Acme, MI in January of 2022.
We talked with Stephen at Batch Brewing immediately after the Fall Beer Festival in Detroit, in October of 2022. https://www.batchbrewingcompany.com/
We talked with Tanya and Patrick about the story of Tantrick Brewing in Allegan, MI while visiting the Great Beer State Conference in January of 2022. https://www.tantrickbrewing.com/
Russel shares the origin story of Right Brain and several of their unique ideas and challenges. We sat with Russell outside of the Great Beer State Conference in January of 22.
We talk with Erik Harms in October of 2021 about his storied career in the Michigan Brewing Community.
We chat with Nick and Marina in their barrel cellar during the Michigan Brewers Guild UP Fall Beer Festival weekend.
We were joined by Gary and Jeff of Trail Point Brewing in early 2022 to kick off a new season. We learned about their home-brewing roots and the power of homebrew clubs.
We sat with Terry inside the Vierling just before the first MI Brewers Guild Festival since the pandemic; the UP Fall Beer Festival in Marquette, MI - September, 2021. Terry and Kristi Doyle opened The Vierling in 1985 and added the brewpub component in 1995.
We talk with Dave Engbers, co-founder of Founders Brewing Company in the Fall of 2018, about the early days of the Michigan brewing scene and what it means to look forward.
We talk with Dave Engbers, co-founder of Founders Brewing Company in the Fall of 2018, about the early days of the Michigan brewing scene and what it means to look forward.
We talk with Sherry Kepsel, the glue that keeps it all together, at the 2018 UP Fall Beer Festival in Marquette, MI.
We talk with Linus De Paoli who co-founded 3 Gatos with his wife Renata. Their story of opening weaves through international intrigue and overcoming COVID complications. Recorded in October, 2021
We feature host and past-President of the Michigan Brewers Guild, Fred Bueltmann, who sat with the Rising Tide crew as the final interview of the 2018 book project. Fred shares a lot of history, as well as an impassioned view on the importance of looking forward.
We talk with Danny in August of 2021 about founding Bière de Mac Brew Works and life by the Straights of Mackinac as well as their franco-belgian style approach to making beer.
A conversation about culture with the Michigan Brewers Guild. Co-chairs of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee: Kim Collins - Guardian Brewing, Jasmine Hairston - Eastern Market Brewing, Guild President, Isaac Hartman - New Holland Brewing and Executive Director, Scott Graham.
We talk with Brett, founder of New Holland Brewing about the early days and getting involved, while at the Knickerbocker in Grand Rapids in the fall of 2018.
We chat with Andrea and Wes at Ore Dock about how Ore Dock came to be and the importance of community. https://ore-dock.com/
We chat with Ray Sherwood of Sherwood Brewing in the here and now about how Sherwood came to be, and how they adapted to the pandemic. www.sherwoodbrewing.com
We sat with founder of Arcadia Ales, Tim Suprise in the fall of 2018 on the patio of the Kalamazoo location to talk about the early days of Michigan Brewers Guild.
We talk with beer and brewing educators across the Great Beer State! wsg:
Brian Lindberg - Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Cory Emal - Eastern Michigan University
Allison Hoekstra - Grand Rapids Community College/Secchia Institute
Dr Cordell DEmatti - Central Micigan University
Annette May - Schoolcraft College
Tom Block - Schoolcraft College
We sat with Chris in the fall of 2018 to talk about the origin story of Mitten Brewing and the importance of community.
We talked with Mike Plesz of Rochester Beer Company about his early days in the industry, co-founding Royal Oak Brewing, Rochester Mills and Detroit Beer Company. This interview is from the Rising Tide project and took place at Bell's Brewery in 2018.
Bret and Eric Kuhnhenn share their story, from early homebrew shop beginnings up to improvising and shifting to adapt to the pandemic. February, 2021.
We talked with Scott King about the early days of the Michigan brewing scene and the founding of King Brewing Company in Pontiac. This interview is from the archive of the Rising Tide book project.
We sat with John Mallett in 2018 as part of the Rising Tide book project. John is a natural educator and shares his enthusiasm for pursuing quality and helping everyone he can along the way.
This episode features Scott's interview for the Rising Tide book project in Fall of 2018. Scott shares his own history in the brewing industry as well as his perspective as Executive Director of the Michigan Brewers Guild.
In episode 31, we talk with "Bert" who has a long history in the Michigan Brewing community, including time with Kraftbrau, The Livery and New Holland Brewing. Bert shares his perspective and stories with his unique, enthusiastic passion for Michigan beer.
We talk with Kris & Jason Spaulding about their history in the MIchigan brewing scene that began with New Holland Brewing and led to their co-founding of Brewery Vivant in Grand Rapids, Michigan. www.breweryvivant.com
We talk with Isaac Hartman, President of the Michigan Brewers Guild Board of Directors, and long-time ambassador for New Holland Brewing and all things Michigan beer. www.newhollandbrew.com
We talk with John Svoboda, brewer and past board member for the Rising Tide book project in 2018. He shares stories from his more than twenty years brewing Michigan beer in Grand Rapids. http://www.thebob.com/bobs-craft-beer-brewery/
We talk with Pat Scanlon, whose career includes Detroit Brew Factory, Royal Oak Brewing and Motor City Beer Work. Pat was a big part of getting the Michigan Brewers Guild beer festivals off the ground, and he shares some colorful stories looking back over the years.
Mitch and Whitney Ermatinger founded Speciation Artisan Ales in 2016. We talk with Mitch about the origin story of their unique operation, the Michigan brewing scene and how they're adapting to the pandemic. https://speciationartisanales.com/
Alec Mull has a long history with the Michigan brewing community, dating back to the mid-nineties, prior to his current role at Founders Brewing. He shares his thoughts and stories in this conversation from the Fall of 2018. https://foundersbrewing.com/
We talk with Edwin Collazo of City Built Brewing in Grand Rapids, about how they came into the world in 2017, and how they've shaped the brewery in these current times, including choosing beer styles and interpreting his Puerto Rican cuisine in their tasting room. www.citybuiltbrewing.com
In this episode we share an interview with the founder of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Ron Jeffries. Ron is a past board member of the guild, and recent recipient of the Tom Burns Award, recognizing the pioneering spirit of the Great Beer State. www.jollypumpkin.com
Episode twenty-two brings us to Grand Marais, Michigan to talk to Karen Brzys, co-founder of Lake Superior Brewing Company at the Dunes Saloon. Karen started LSBC in 1994 when most people thought a brewpub was a crazy notion. She has since moved on from the brewing industry to run the Gitche Gumee Agate and History Museum, but she took time with us to share her story from the early days of Michigan beer.
David Manson and Andy Langlois took their robust home brewing hobby to a new level when they opened Blackrocks Brewery in 2010 in Marquette Michigan. They talk with us about mentorship, the UP and giving back to the community, from the beer garden of Blackrocks in the fall of 2018.
https://www.blackrocksbrewery.com/
Tim and his wife Patti opened Brown Iron Brewhouse in Washington, Michigan in 2015, serving scratch-cooked food and American craft beer. A year later they were serving their own house brewed beers. In 2020, a week before the pandemic shutdown, they opened their second location in Royal Oak. Tim shares with us what the experience has been like, and what Brown Iron is all about. https://browniron.com/
Episode nineteen is a special tribute episode to Shannon O'Brien, an important member of the Michigan Brewers Guild team for eight years. Shannon most recently held the position of Events Manager and Customer Services, however due to the impact of the pandemic her position was recently eliminated as the Guild adapts and restructures. We talked with Shannon in 2018 at the UP Fall Beer Festival, and are glad to share this conversation with you. Good luck and thank you, Shannon!
Episode Eighteen brings us back to the shores of Marquette's Mattson Lower Harbor Park where we talked to Eric Briggeman, Vice President and General Manager at Rochester Mills Production Brewery, Past President of the Guild, and recipient of the Tom Burns Award.
Episode seventeen takes us to the harbor town of Frankfort, Michigan and Stormcloud Brewing, which opened in 2013. We talk with Rick Schmitt, co-founder, who shares the story of getting Stormcloud started what it was like to transition from Fort Collins, Colorado. https://www.stormcloudbrewing.com/
*Our apologies for the less than ideal audio. Internet interviews in the days of the Pandemic have their challenges.
In episode sixteen, we talk with Joe Short, founder and charismatic leader of Short's Brewing Company, which began in 2002 when Joe was just twenty-two years old. We talked with Joe as part of the Rising Tide project in the fall of 2018 at Arcadia Ales in Kalamazoo.
www.shortsbrewing.com
In Episode Fifteen we talk with Edward Stencel, who opened River Rouge Brewing Company in Royal Oak in 2014. You'll hear a classic tale of a beer enthusiast turned brewery owner, that is of course, anything but typical.
http://riverrougebrew.com/
In 1982, Ted Badgerow and his friend Gordy were issued the first brewery license issued in Michigan in thirty-seven years. Ted shared stories from the early days and the too-short run of Real Ale Company in Chelsea, when we sat with him at Motor City Beer Works in 2018. Ted has returned to the Michigan Brewing scene, opening Ypsi Alehouse in 2015.
In episode thirteen, we go back to the Rising Tide archives for an interview with Aubrey Martinson, co-owner of Chelsea Alehouse Brewery. We spoke with Aubrey, who has since become a member of the Michigan Brewers Guild Board of Directors, about beer & community while sitting in Bell's Beer Garden in Kalamazoo, in the early fall of 2018.
In Episode twelve we talk in the here and now with the bearded half of Beards Brewery, and member of the Michigan Brewers Guild Board of Directors, Peter Manthei. Peter is a Petoskey local who always dreamt big and who says he also knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur growing up. www.beardsbrewery.com
Episode eleven takes us to the Upper Peninsula to talk to Derek “Chumly” Anderson, the original brewer at The Vierling Restaurant & Marquette Harbor Brewery, who's been brewing there since 1995. Chumly chatted us up on the patio of Blackrocks in 2018, about the early breweries of the U.P. and beer culture before and after the first U.P. Fall Beer Festival.
In episode ten, we talk with Melissa Brolick who founded Old Boys' Brewhouse on the shore of Spring Lake, in 1997. Melissa is a natural host and restaurateur, who shares her perspective on their early days, including converting from a microbrewer’s license to a brewpub. She also reflects on how they’re adapting to the current challenges to our world of hospitality. www.oldboysbrewhouse.com
We talk with Rene and Matt Greff, co-founders of Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor and Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, while enjoying beers at the original Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Michigan in the fall of 2018 as part of the Rising Tide project.
Matt & Rene are happily semi-retired and continue to follow their passions. Rene has become a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor and Matt continues to consult on the Arbor Brewing Company businesses in India. The Greffs reside half the year in the beautiful beachside state of Goa, India and spend the other half of the year living in a motorhome in the US visiting friends and family.
In Episode 8, we feature an interview from the here and now, with Tina Schuett. Tina is originally from Wisconsin and discovered her love for great beer while living in Germany. A friend taught her how to brew while she was studying Biology at the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point and it became her favorite hobby. She brewed part time while she worked as a park ranger in California and New Zealand and while doing children’s health research. But before long, she gave into her love of brewing and beer, making it her full-time job. It was that career choice that eventually led her to Traverse City, MI. Situated in a beautiful 1931 red brick building, Rare Bird’s mission is to provide an unsurpassed dining and drinking experience in Traverse City. From our intimate reclaimed wood booths to the cozy and cool lounge and German bier hall style seating made from massive wood slabs that Nate and Tina sustainably harvested, we have a space for everyone to feel comfortable.
We talk with Rex Halfpenny in this interview from A Rising Tide Archives. Rex and his wife Mary founded Michigan Beer Guide, a publication devoted to Michigan Beer in 1997. His voice and urging was a catalyst for the formation of the Michigan Brewers Guild later that same year, and he served as the Guild's first Executive Director during the inaugural Summer Beer Festival. Fred talks with Rex at Motor City Brewery Works in Fall of 2018. Rex and Mary are now Happily retired from 23 years of self employment publishing Michigan Beer Guide.
Episode 6 features an archived interview from "A Rising Tide" with Larry J. Bell, Founder of Bell's Brewery, which took place in Bell's Eccentric Cafe in Fall of 2018. Larry Bell opened Kalamazoo Brewing Company in 1985 after incorporating in 1983 as a homebrewing supply shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The company produced 135 barrels in its first year. In 1993, after actively pursuing legislative change to create the microbrewer and brewpub licenses, which allowed brewery tasting rooms to sell beer to consumers, the company opened the Eccentric Cafe. The company eventually transitioned from Kalamazoo Brewing Company to Bell’s Brewery, and their beers are widely distributed and internationally recognized.
In this episode we talk with David Ringer, Founder and Director of Happiness of Cedar Springs Brewing Company in Cedar Springs, Michigan. David shares his early roots that connect Kalamazoo, Bavaria and Detroit. A decade later, Ringler came back to the industry to share his take on Bavarian beer culture with his own brewery. and now also serves on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Brewers Guild. Dave was born in Grand Rapids and went to school both in Kalamazoo, as Bells Brewery was starting, and in Germany, where a love of Bavarian Bier und Kulture was solidified. With nearly two decades in the beer and hospitality industry, Dave is thrilled to no longer be wearing a tie to work. A fan of shade trees in the Biergarten, Tiger baseball, Steeler football, Chopin concertos, N.W.A. on cassette, and questionable clothing choices, he’s the man behind Gemütlichkeit in Cedar Springs.
Scott and Fred kick off an episode that features Motor City Brewing Works founder, John Linardos. John’s home brewing roots fostered his interest in brewing which was quickly put to work while he worked with his mentor, the late Tom Burns of Detroit& Mackinac in the early nineties. He continued on to start Motor City Brewing Works in Case Corridor, and also serve as an inaugural board member for the Michigan Brewers Guild as Vice President of Festivals. John is an artist in every sense of the word, and shares his thoughts on artistry, business and our beer community during an interview at his brewery in Fall of 2018.
We virtually connected for an interview with Kim Collins for this week's episode. Kim Collins is the owner and Head Brewer of Guardian Brewing Company, and currently serves as member of the Board of Directors for the Michigan Brewers Guild.
Kim is a certified Cicerone and has been brewing professionally since 2012, including five breweries before opening Guardian. She is passionate about recipe research, the art of barrel aging, kettle sours, and session beers. Before and after Kim became a brewer, she taught a variety of university-level courses for 13 years at Indiana University, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and most recently Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Sustainable Brewing Program. No matter how much Kim professes her love for craft beer, teaching is her life’s true passion.
In this episode, we talk with Jack Archiable, who founded Traverse Brewing Company in 1994, and recently retired from Short’s Brewing Company in Elk Rapids. We talked with Jack at the U.P. Fall Beer Festival in Marquette, Michigan as part of the documentary project, A Rising Tide in the fall of 2018.
In the inaugural episode of The Great Beer State Podcast by the Michigan Brewers Guild, Executive Director, Scott Graham and The Beervangelist, Fred Bueltmann introduce that what and why behind the podcast, talk about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the industry and to the Guild’s Spring and Summer Beer Festivals. www.MiBeer.com