The List – 20 Beers You Need to Try at the Winter Beer Festival (2022)

The Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival is back after a two year hiatus due to COVID-19!

The festival will be the 16th Annual and will take place on Saturday, February 26, 2022. Gates open for enthusiast members at noon and the general public gates open at 1 pm. The festival will take place at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, which is north of Grand Rapids, and run until 6 pm. There are still tickets available, so click here to get yours!

The Michigan Brewers Guild resumed beer fests this past fall in Marquette and Detroit, and it was good to be back. All of their beer festivals are outdoor which helps with social distancing and mitigation against COVID-19.

We’ve scoured the beer list of that over 100 breweries are bringing to the festival. Here are 20 beers we think you need to try at this year’s Winter Beer Festival.

FEBRUARY 26 UPDATE: The Michigan Brewers Guild created a program for the event which includes a map of the event. We’ve added locations for where to find the beers on our list below.

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20. Sweater Envy

Fetch Brewing Co | Whitehall | TENT 2

American Porter | 6.2%

Michigan Brewers Guild festivals always bring out a handful of excellent costumes from attendees. The Winter Beer Festival outfits are creative because of the warmth and style factors. The best way to people watch and be envious of them is with a Porter that encapsulates the vibes, so head over to Fetch Brewing Co‘s tent to drink and have Sweater Envy!

19. Exploratory IPA Series Vol 2

Big Lake Brewing | Holland | TENT 2

Double NEIPA | 9.5%

Big Lake Brewing is set to bring 8 NEIPAs with them to the festival. NEIPAs happen to be the brewery’s bread and butter. The second and newest installment of the Exploratory IPA Series should be a good one to dive in and see how the NEIPAs are developing over in Holland.

18. Weizenbock

Jamesport Brewing Co | Ludington | TENT 3

Weizenbock | 6.8%

According to the festival’s beer list, this is the only Weizenbock featured at the festival without adjuncts or barrel aging. If you’re looking to check out the wheat version of a German bock, stop on by the Jamesport Brewing Co‘s tent to see what the beer style and the brewery are all about. We know we’ll be heading over there because we don’t frequent Ludington very often.

17. Pity the Fool

North Grove Brewers | Montague | TENT 4

Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy | 10%

North Grove Brewers is made up of a creative bunch up in Montague. We checked them out at Burning Foot Beer Festival and featured their Tropical Stout for the U.P. Fall Beer Festival. They did not disappoint either time! A barrel aged Scotch Ale named after a Mr. T catchphrase?! I pity the fools who are going to miss out on this one!

16. Zum

Old Nation Brewing Company | Williamston  | TENT 2

Altbier | 5%

ALTBIER ALERT! ALTBIER ALERT!

If you know the show and our crew, Ken is a HUGE fan of Altbiers, so highlighting one was a no brainer. This beer was a  collaboration beer from Old Nation Brewing Company and Urbanrest Brewing Co. Out of the collaborators, only Old Nation will be at the festival. Altbiers are rare, so if you’re curious or want to know what the hype is about, check it out.

15. Perrin Fiesta

Perrin Brewing Co | Comstock Park | TENT 1

Imperial Stout | 12.8%

Besides being a backyard brewery to the festival, Perrin Brewing Co has MONSTER news. The Comstock Park brewery is part of the CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective, which was just purchased by Monster Beverage Corporation for $330 million! Help them celebrate by ordering their barrel aged coffee cake Imperial Stout, Perrin Fiesta!

14. Angora

3 Gatos Brewery | Wyoming | TENT 1

Belgian Tripel | 8%

Better on Draft’s social media channels recently posted about whether or not people are still using Untappd. The results were mixed, but we have to shout out 3 Gatos Brewery for their detailed beer descriptions on the app.

According to the description, this Belgian Tripel is “strong, dry, and spicy” with “good bread crumbs/crackers” notes. We can taste the beer already via this description. Let’s have the real deal at the fest!

13. Rye Whiskey Night Fury

Witch’s Hat Brewery | South Lyon | TENT 3

Imperial Stout | 13.5%

Rye Whiskey barrel aged.

Molasses and lactose.

13.5%.

All of this and more when you give one the Rye Whiskey version of Witch’s Hat Brewery‘s tried and true beers – Night Fury. If South Lyon and Witch’s Hat aren’t regular stops for you, stop by and see what the brewery has to offer.

12. Habanero Pilsner

Hop Hog Backyard Brewpub | Greenville | TENT 4

Pilsner | 5%

If the Imperial Stouts and boozy barrel aged beers aren’t your cup of tea and you need to warm up, give Hop Hog Backyard Brewpub‘s Habanero Pilsner a try. Drinking in the parking lot at Winter Beer Fests can be chilly, rainy, snowy, and/or windy with tents packed with people. A spicy, light beer is the way to warm up and drink a beer with a flavorful break without the heaviness a stout.

11. Mango Wheat and Heat

Brick Haus Brews | Sparta | TENT 3

Fruit Beer | 5.5%

The spicy beer recommendations are back-to-back! If you’re looking for a spicy beer with a fruity spin, this one is your beer.

Brick Haus Brews kicked their Mango Wheat up a notch! The Mango Wheat also happens to be a fruity version of their Winter Wheat. If you’re looking for an innovative beer, this may be the one of the festival to enjoy.

10. Iron Lion: Blonde

Albion Malleable Brewing Co | Albion | TENT 4

Belgian Blonde | 6.7%

Albion Malleable Brewing Co was one of seven Michigan breweries to win a Great American Beer Festival medalist in 2021. Iron Lion: Blonde took home a silver medal in the Belgian-Style Ale or French-Style Ale category. Line it up with the other Belgian Blondes at the festival (Fetch Brewing Co and Tri-City Brewing Company) or just sip on the greatness on its own.

9. This Is How We Gruit

Coopersville Brewing Company | Coopersville | TENT 3

Gruit | 6.3%

Not at a lot of breweries brew Gruits. Heck, up to this point, Mountain Town Brewing Company has been our main reference in Michigan with Gruits. We’ll see if the party is over there on the West side with Coopersville Brewing Company entering the chat! With Montell Jordan’s echoing in our heads, let’s see what it’s all about.

8. Bruiseberry

North Center Brewing Company* | Northville | TENT 4

Fruited Sour | 4.2%

North Center Brewing Company worked with Ann Arbor Roller Derby to make Bruiseberry, a light, fruited sour brewed with blackberries and lavender. Lavender is always a fun add into beer. I dare you to see whether it is a heavy hitter right off the bat or socks you in the mouth when you’re least expecting it.

7. Me Say Day Banana Bread Ale

Guardian Brewing Company | Saugatuck | FREESTANDING

Brown Ale | 6%

Banana bread in beer form is exactly what Me Say Day Banana Bread Ale sounds like. It includes caramelized bananas, toasted walnuts, and vanilla. I am looking forward to drinking this delectable goodness from Guardian Brewing Company. Saugatuck, Guardian’s home, is another location on the West Side of Michigan that we do not visit as much as we know we should.

6. Legend of Grindstone

Earthen Ales | Traverse City | TENT 3

Imperial Stout | 13.3%

Nestled near the water tower on the former Traverse City State Hospital grounds, Earthen Ales is a fun spot to drink beer no matter what time of the year it is. We were very excited to see them making the trip for Winter Beer Festival. They are bringing Legend of Grindstone, a 13.3% Imperial Stout that was aged in Grand Traverse Distillery Ole George barrels.

 

5. Cherry Croslene BA Battle Creek Stout

Handmap Brewing | Battle Creek | TENT 1

American Stout | 14%

“From the land of the hand,” Handmap Brewing channels true Michigan spirit. The Battle Creek brewery has an 11.5% Imperial Stout that has people buzzing in more ways that one. For the festival, they are bringing it along with a version called Cherry Croslene BA Battle Creek Stout. Both are going to be awesome, but the barrel aged version with cherries continues that state of Michigan spirit!

4. Chocolate Raspberry Stout

Draught Horse Brewery + Arctic Circle Brewing Co | New Hudson + Chesterfield | TENT 2

Stout | Unknown ABV

Draught Horse Brewery has been busy with FOUR collaboration beers with breweries in the Metro Detroit area, including Loaded Dice Brewery, Cadillac Straits Brewing Company, Rustic Leaf Brewing Company, and Arctic Circle Brewing Co. All four will be available at the festival. The Chocolate Raspberry Stout gets the nod from us. Stouts are Draught Horse Brewery’s bag and Arctic Circle’s dessert beers are to die for. Give all the collab beers all a try and see how our recommendation stacks up!

3. Ms. Pickles

Bier Distillery | Comstock Park | TENT 4

Sour | 4.9%

Similar to the spicy beers we recommended earlier, Bier Distillery‘s Ms. Pickles is another beer to go to to cut through the hops or heavy stouts. Pickle beers and seltzers are growing in popularity and any true pickle lover is sure to be happy to see this type of diversity hitting the beer scene. Bier Distillery is another backyard brewery to the festival and is almost a rock’s throw away being 1.5 miles up the road.

2. Prague Underground

City Built Brewing Company | Grand Rapids | TENT 2

Czech Pilsner | 5.9%

Prague Underground won USAToday’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards Best Beer Label in 2021. City Built Brewing Company was also named the third best brewpub in the US. Everything that comes out of City Built is top notch from the brewery’s atmosphere, beer coming out of its taps and available in cans, and its can labels stand out for all the best reasons.

1. 3x Wildberry

Arvon Brewing Co | Grand Rapids | TENT 3

Fruited Sour | 6%

We recently had Arvon Brewing Co on our podcast in episode #021 of the MI SERIES. We got down to the bottom of Arvon’s success within the saturated Grand Rapids beer scene. In terms of this Fruited Sour its brewed with three times the blackberries, boysenberries, and raspberries. It’s also thicc and thicc is trendy and delicious, so get on board the thicc train!

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Which beer or brewery are you looking forward to checking out at the Winter Beer Festival. In order to view the full beer list, click here. We’ll see you at the fest!

Cheers!

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Disclaimer: *North Center Brewing Company is a sponsor of Better on Draft Media. We appreciate their support!