(LANSING, Mich) – Attendees at this year’s 15th Annual Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival on Saturday, February 22 will find more than 130 breweries offering samples of 840-plus different beers. Admission to the festival is for those 21 years of age or older, with valid I.D. required.
Tickets for the one-day event, held from 1-6pm outside at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park just north of downtown Grand Rapids, are available online for $55 (plus a $5 online service fee from EventBrite). Each ticket comes with 15 tokens which are exchanged for a 3 oz. sample of beer (certain higher-priced specialty selections may require additional tokens per sample). The detailed Beer List can be viewed online or is available in the official app from BeerFestList (iTunes and Google Play).
Those wishing to enter the festival an hour before the general public – when a handful of special beers will be available for sampling – should look at becoming an Enthusiast Member at an annual rate of $55. Other benefits include VIP ticket pre-sales for all festivals, members only events and MiBeer swag (a t-shirt, hat or bag).
This year’s entertainment includes Slumlord Radio on the stage from 1:30-3pm, followed by the ceremonial tapping of the festival keg and singing of the Michigan Beer Fight Song, then rounding out the day with Stone Soup and the Broken Teeth from 4-5:30pm.
For more about Winter Beer Festival, especially for those new to the event, the FAQ page provides details about everything from parking to designated driver tickets to what is allowed to be brought into the festival.
The MBG 2020 festival schedule includes:
- Winter Beer Festival – Saturday, February 22 at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park
Tickets on sale now - Spring Beer Festival – Saturday, May 16 at Turtle Creek Stadium in Traverse City
General admission tickets go on sale on Thursday, March 5 at 10am
- Summer Beer Festival – Friday, July 24 & Saturday, July 25 at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti
General admission tickets go on sale on Thursday, April 30 at 10am - U.P. Fall Beer Festival – Saturday, September 12 at Mattson Lower Harbor Park in Marquette
General admission tickets go on sale on Thursday, June 25 at 10am - Detroit Fall Beer Festival – Saturday, October 24 at Eastern Market in Detroit
General admission tickets go on sale on Thursday, August 6 at 10am
For more on each festival, visit MiBeer.com/events.
The Michigan Brewers Guild was formed in 1997 and held its first festival in July 1998. Today, the Guild hosts five festivals dedicated exclusively to Michigan craft beer produced by its more than 290 member breweries (a number that increases on a monthly basis).
The Michigan Brewers Guild is the network of innovative and passionate brewers that serves as the recognized advocate for the Michigan craft beer industry. The mission of the Michigan Brewers Guild is to promote and protect the Michigan craft beer industry with an overarching goal to help craft beer acquire 20% of the market by 2025.
Michigan’s thriving brewing industry contributes more than 21,000 full-time jobs and $872 million in labor income, with a total economic impact of over $2.5 billion. In terms of overall number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks #4 in the nation—supporting its title as “The Great Beer State.”
