Michigan Brewers Guild Cancels Summer Beer Festival

, Michigan Brewers Guild Cancels Summer Beer Festival

(maybe next year}

It wasn’t going to take place until July 24th …But now, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, it won’t be taking place at all this year.

First held in 1997, this is the Guild’s original festival, and is the only 2-day event among five annual beer fests, which include a spring and summer gathering, two fall festivals (one in Detroit, the other in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula) and the legendary Winter Beer festival held every February in Comstock Park.

Earlier this year, the Guild canceled its inaugural Spring Beer Festival which would have taken place Saturday, May 16 in Traverse City. And with them now pulling the plug on their summer event, one would not be surprised to see both fall gatherings also cancelled, especially in light of the Great American Beer Fest cancellation, which was scheduled to take place in Denver in late September and is now an online-only event.

, Michigan Brewers Guild Cancels Summer Beer FestivalMake no mistake the cancellations of these beer festivals, which help generate funds not-for-profits like the Michigan Brewers Guild and the Brewers Association, that in addition to the GABF, has already put an end to the Craft Brewers Conference planned for San Antonio in April and SAVOR in DC, come at an enormous cost…

On April 27 the Brewers Association announced that in an effort to “maintain the long-term viability,” it had laid off 23% of its staff…

“The health and safety of our guests, brewery staff, volunteers and the general public remain our primary focus,” says Scott Graham, Michigan Brewers Guild Executive Director….

“We are disappointed that we won’t be able to gather with our fellow Michigan beer lovers this July, but given the continued uncertainty and safety protocols that remain in place, we believe this is the appropriate decision at this time.”

“We will continue to promote Michigan breweries and the culture they create in the Great Beer State,” Graham says. “We invite you to follow our social media or visit our website for updates.”

Prior to the impact from COVID-19 Michigan’s brewing industry contributed more than 21,000 full-time jobs and generated over $2.5 billion in the state. But with the state still in shutdown mode due to the coronavirus, those kinds of numbers will unfortunately soon be history…

Tough times…

About AmericanCraftBeer.com

AmericanCraftBeer.com is the nations' leading source for the Best Craft Beer News, Reviews, Events and Media.
Scroll To Top