Michigan Beer

[Downriviera]

I was just reading in Michigan Beer Guide [[congrats to Rex and Mary Halfpenny as they go into their 15th year of publishing this fine guide) that while we have 88 breweries in the state, collectively they only have 2% of the market share in Michigan. This is shocking to me. You can find any style and flavor you want brewed right here in our state, so what is everybody drinking? Are all the people complaining about foreign cars drinking Bud and Bud Light?

[gazhekwe]

I don't like beer myself, but DH is a connoisseur who will go for local brews all the time. His faves are still from Kalamazoo, but he always tries the Detroit area brews where he can get them on tap.

[professorscott]

I was just reading in Michigan Beer Guide [[congrats to Rex and Mary Halfpenny as they go into their 15th year of publishing this fine guide) that while we have 88 breweries in the state, collectively they only have 2% of the market share in Michigan. This is shocking to me. You can find any style and flavor you want brewed right here in our state, so what is everybody drinking? Are all the people complaining about foreign cars drinking Bud and Bud Light?

Larry Bell makes some damned fine beer, and he's only one of many, though perhaps one of the largest. But he doesn't have the gazillions of dollars to throw at television advertising that Anheuser Busch has.

The national preference for the Budweiser family of products is proof that advertising works. Then, since they sell so much of that swill and it's pretty nearly water anyhow, they can sell it for much less money than what Larry [[et al.) can get away with charging.

This is, in beer terms, the same problem as the national preference for Wal Mart over a small, locally owned dry-goods store. Scale over quality.

[Hamtragedy]

I agree with the professor. 2% actually seems kind of high, but congrats are in order for making such inroads. I also have a feeling the number of breweries will start to fall, as some of the 'lesser' breweries' product may or may not be of the quality, as is the case with any "new industry." Remember, Michigan was one of the last states to catch on to the microbrew phenomenon, while states like Massachusetts and Colorado have weeded out most of the start-ups.

Also keep in mind, that small craft brewing is hardly a money maker. It's 100% sweat-love,[[90% of that is cleanliness, 10% technique and recipe) and unless you have a brew-pub, selling beer in barrels wholesale is barely break-even. It's only when you get to sell your own product for $4 a pint that you can start to see any return.

And yes, Larry Bell is God. Dark Horse in Marshall places well, too.

[Augustiner]

Most of the 88 probably aren't that widely distributed around the state, either. You can get Bell's almost anywhere at this point, but I'd bet that at least 70 or 75 of the 88 are companies I've never even heard of, let alone seen on the shelves in my local party store or on tap at a neighborhood bar. There's nothing particularly wrong with a small, local company selling quality beer within a small geographic area, but you won't get much statewide market share that way.

[Goose]

i don't always drink beer, but when I do.... its often a bells product


stay thirsty my friend......

[Detroitnerd]

It's a weird thing about Michigan: Even though it has a great reputation nationwide among beer-lovers, comparatively few Michiganders drink Michigan beer. Maybe it's just the sheer volume of blue-collar Joe six-packs guzzling Bud and Pabst and High Life. But some states really drink quite a lot more of their local beer. I'm thinking particularly of the Pacific Northwest. Oregonians drink a lot of Oregon beer, and about 12.4 percent of all beer sold in Oregon is Oregon-made.

http://oregonbeer.org/facts/

[reddog289]

I have liked most of the Michigan Beers I have tried, Yet I am cheap and drink alot of Beer. Therefore I end up drinking PBR, High Life, and of course Bud. But even with that I do prefer Shiner Beer from Texas over any Beer I have had from Michigan.

[muskie1]

I have liked most of the Michigan Beers I have tried, Yet I am cheap and drink alot of Beer. Therefore I end up drinking PBR, High Life, and of course Bud. But even with that I do prefer Shiner Beer from Texas over any Beer I have had from Michigan.

I have always been a big fan of Michigan beers, you do have to search somewhat to find them. As far as the expense side of it just start Homebrewing. The quality of locally available ingredients has gone way up from when I started about 20 yrs ago and you can make some pretty great beer for usually less than a run of the mill domestic. As mentioned in another post it is easy to do and 90% of it is cleanliness.

[DetroitScooter]

I'm luck to have Holiday Market and Cloverleaf within walking distance and they have amazing selection of Michigan bottles. I'm blessed to be within walking distance of the Royal Oak Brewery and their awesome selection of very tasty brews, fresh from the barrel. You'll see me there a lot, and very often on Tuesdays, when the mug club gets a price break on filling their growlers. It's good value, supports the community and is a low-impact burden on the environment [[growlers are reusable!)

[9936Sussex]

I'm not a beer drinker, but my husband is. He is a big fan of Dragonmead beers [[from Warren). One of his favorites from them is "Under the Kilt" a dark ale. He also likes the beer from Motor City Brewery [[they have a place across the street from the Traffic Jam). He likes their Ghettoblaster. He used to be a fan of Bell's "Oberon", but is drinking this other stuff now.

[p1acebo]

Michigan beers are the best :P

[adamjab19]

You can get lost with Michigan beers. All are usually pretty good. To be honest while 2% market share sounds low we have alot of different breweries creating alot of different brews. I would rather have a low market share than a high one with only a few breweries. The small quantites that these beers are produced under also help out with the quality of the product. [[i.e.-oberon- tastes like shit now)

Anything from founders, new holland, short's, bell's [[although I hold a grudge against them), dark horse, the local beer company's, arcadia, dragonmead etc.etc. are all worth at least a try.

Go to a mix and match sixer place like clover leaf, westborn, beer baron in livonia among other establishments and try some out! I cna't support michigan beer enough!

[RO_Resident]

The distribution of some of the beers is self-limiting. Brewpubs can only produce 5,000 barrels of beer per year. Microbreweries can only produce 30,000 barrels per year.

I'm sure there are limits to how their products can be distributed, too.

[Downriviera]

adamjab19,

Don't leave us in suspense. Why the grudge against Bells?

[PaulieG63]

I spent the weekend in Ashville, NC a month or so ago and was pleasently surprised to see they had Bell's Two Hearted Ale in a bottle! In fact, our waiter "...highly recommended..." it to several surrounding tables...nothing beats a Michigan made beer when your missing home terribly, cept maybe a hot fudge creame puff sunday from Saunders, Buddys pizza...errr, you get the idea.

Paul

[adamjab19]

Bell's makes a good basic microbrew beer from what I can find in the stores. There brewpub I guess has a ton more to offer. I like their beers on occasion but as far as pushing the boundaries are concerned, which are the types of beers I am after, they are lacking a bit at least what is available on the store shelfs I come across.

Also, the grudge comes from the fact that I have heard that Larry Bell doesn't like the expanding michigan microbrew market for whatever reason. Maybe cuts into his profits. [[It's also why, I think, Lockhart's doesn't have any Bell's on tap, don't quote me on that.) I wish I could remember where I had heard/read that from because I guess if I can't prove it then it is irrelevant.

[Baselinepunk]

One of my favorite topics.



HUGE fan of Dragonmead. Before the smoking ban it was one of the only places that a person could go to and have some tasty libations and go home not smelling like a wet ash tray. They still allow you to bring in yer own food, have food delivered from other places or order from their in house menu that has the common standbys.

I highly suggest Earl Spit Stout, and of course Final Absolution. Yummerific!


WAB popped my micro brew cherry and have been going there ever since it opened. Great place, but sometimes it's hard to talk with people 1 foot away because the music can get a little loud depending on the time of night. However, you can't beat hanging out in their sidewalk cafe enjoying a brew and food on a nice summer day.


I think there are a few issues going on with market share. First is cost. Good beer cost more money and swill is cheap. Think fast food verses the Whitney as a broad generalization.

Next is distribution. A lot of micros can't get into as many stores as swill companies.

Next is diversity. Micros offer very diverse styles which can be very over whelming and intimidating to folks.

Next is brand loyalties. Some folks are just loyal and do not enjoy the types of taste micros offer.

Next is the hipster-doofus effect. Mircos are viewed by some folks as elitist, laden with overt snobbery.

[gazhekwe]

I heard WAB has a new brewmaster.

[professorscott]

I think there are a few issues going on with market share. First is cost. Good beer cost more money and swill is cheap. Think fast food verses the Whitney as a broad generalization.

Next is distribution. A lot of micros can't get into as many stores as swill companies.

Next is diversity. Micros offer very diverse styles which can be very over whelming and intimidating to folks.

Good post and I specifically agree with these points. Basically decades of advertising by Big Beer has conditioned us to believe that Bud Light is a beer [[which, to me, is up to argument) and that beer should taste like that.

Beer mavens call the style of beer typified by Coors, Bud Light, Miller High Life, etc., as an "American Light Lager". I offered some to a friend from Australia and he said, "thanks, but I don't drink American beer; it's too much like making love in a canoe."

This mystified me, so I asked him what he meant, and in a rather angry voice he explained "It's effing close to water!"

Now that I know what real beer is, I have to agree

If you have been drinking Bud or Labatt Blue [[or whatever) your entire beer drinking life, go blow nine bucks on a six-pack of an India Pale Ale or an English Brown Ale or a Stout, just for the experience. You might well prefer the light lager, it's what most of us are conditioned to, but it's a great experience just to see the variety out there. There are as many styles of beer as of wine, perhaps more.

[muskie1]

Before prohibition there were thousands of small brewerys and the lighter style lagers were not as popular. Only the big brewers survived this era, mostly by converting to making food products. I also read once that things like the six pack and lighter lagers were really marketed heavily during WWII in an effort to attract more women drinkers. I live downriver and Merchants in Dearborn has a real good selection and a little party store on Vanborn rd. in Dearborn Hts has tons of micro brews.

As far as brew pubs in the area there is Fort st. Brewery which I think sucks and Sports in Wyandotte is pretty good. Also the Oak bar in Wyan. has a great beer selection.

[DetroitScooter]

Also, the grudge comes from the fact that I have heard that Larry Bell doesn't like the expanding michigan microbrew market for whatever reason. Maybe cuts into his profits. [[It's also why, I think, Lockhart's doesn't have any Bell's on tap, don't quote me on that.) I wish I could remember where I had heard/read that from because I guess if I can't prove it then it is irrelevant.

From what I understand regarding Lockhart's, you are exactly correct. I'll ask for an update the next time I'm there.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

I had a Grand Rapids brewed "Founders" beer last fall when I was in GR. I asked for a Michigan brewed beer in my effort to support the local economy. Funny thing was, I stumped the bartender with my request; we had to examine the label by light of my iphone to figure it out.

[jon]

Traffic Jam makes some excellent beers and motor city has really improved their quality over the last two years. My favorite Michigan beer of all time is bells Uberon [[only at their brewpub in kalamazoo and seasonal to boot!). Shorts up north has crashed the scene recently, who know that opening a brewery in a tourist town would work out so well?

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Jolly Pumpkin, widely regarded to make some of the best craft beer in the world.

[reddog289]

Things have changed in my life since my last post.Yesterday I picked up George Wendt's book Drinking with George at Borders in the bargin book bin. Reading the first few chapters explains why I drink what I drink.
I also received a late Christmas present from a friend.Although not a Michigan beer, But Great Lakes Edmond Fitzgerald Porter isn't that bad.And lastly on the way home I stopped at Meijers for Ketchup and ended up bringing home a 6 pack of Kid Rocks Badass Beer.Which I don't see whats so bad or good about it. Tastes like regular beer to me.But it is from Michigan.
This thread has opened a can of worms.