By K.D. Norris
The Beer City Brewers Guild’s AlePrize, a celebration of art and beer at Grand Rapids area breweries, is exhibiting local art in two local craft brew pubs in the Kentwood/Wyoming area. The month-long, city-wide event pairs local artists with local breweries.
Broad Leaf Local Beer is showing the work of Ty Davis and David Ruggeri, and Ryan Crowley. Railtown Brewing Company is showing the work of Dave Battjes.
“It’s no secret that the pandemic has impacted the brewing industry in a major way,” according to a statement from AlePrize organizers. “From taproom closures to reduced capacities to the general anxieties of keeping staff and guests safe, these have been challenging times for our region’s breweries. Fall is typically a season where taprooms can expect an uptick in business from ArtPrize visitors, but this year looks different.”
Following the regional art festival’s cancellation, the Beer City Brewers Guild come up with the idea of AlePrize, an event “that celebrates local art and beer during the age of COVID-19,” according to the statement.
“All of us brewers in the guild are gonna miss ArtPrize in a big way,” Chad Atherton, guild board member and Director of Market Development at Founders Brewing Company “AlePrize isn’t a 100 percent supplement for what ArtPrize brings to the community, but we thought it would be a cool opportunity to connect with local artists and utilize our spaces to promote local artists.”
A $1,000 prize will be awarded to the artist who gains the most public votes and another $1,000 prize will be awarded to the top rated artist judged by a panel of local artists and culture community figures.
Of the more than 40 breweries in the guild, nearly half will be participating in some capacity. And beer/art fans should also be on the lookout for beers brewed specifically for AlePrize.
For more information on this event, visit AlePrize
Shorts Brewing part of anti-racism, anti-oppression project
Short’s Brewing Co. and non-profit Title Track have joined forces to create a call-to-action for the entire Michigan craft brewing community — step up and better our businesses and our communities for all people through support of anti-racism and anti-oppression efforts.
“As a Title Track board member, it’s been important for me to find opportunities that could support the work Title Track is doing,” Joe Short, founder of Short’s Brewing Co and Title Track board member, said in supplied material. “The craft beverage and hospitality industry made perfect sense as a platform to scale community conversations about anti-oppression programming to help us build strong and resilient communities.”
The goal is to raise $25,000 to develop anti-racism and anti-oppression programming. Short’s has made that goal even more attainable with an initial pledge of $5,000, according to supplied material.
Once the goal is met, Title Track will host five events across the state that are open to the brewing community. These events are designed to provide “a better understanding of racial justice and the steps needed to create meaningful, lasting change on the path to equity and inclusion for all — which is especially relevant in an industry made up of mostly white males.”
Title Track, a non-profit dedicated to clean water, racial equity, and youth empowerment, was launched in 2019 by Seth Bernard in the hopes of making his Michigan home a better place to live. Craft Libations for Collective Liberation is just one of many programs for the non-profit.
To donate, or learn more about Title Track’s Racial Equity Team, visit here. For more information about Short’s Brewing Company visit shortsbrewing.com.
Take a road trip to Stormcloud
If you’re taking a road trip up north, through Frankfort, before the snow flies, you might want to stop at Stormcloud Brewing Company and try their seasonal release of the brewery’s Harvest Tripel.
According to supplied material, “the innovative and unique beer blends the traditional Belgian Tripel beer style with freshly harvested hops grown in northern Michigan.”
Released annually using a different hop variety every year, the 2020 Harvest Tripel is brewed exclusively with Michigan Saaz hops grown by Michigan Hop Alliance in Omena.
They had me at “Belgian Tripel.”
For more information about Stormcloud visit Stormcloudbrewing.com.
