In February 2012, Grand Rapids played host to the Inaugural GR Beer Week. In May 2012, Grand Rapids was named “Beer City USA.” One cannot deny that these two monumental events are unrelated.
Michigan's second largest city, whose metropolitan area is home to 13 craft breweries (17 if you include nearby Hudsonville and Holland into the mix), will again host GR Beer Week when the week-long celebration of all things craft beer returns to the city in the week leading up to the fourth Saturday in February.
This year's GR Beer Week coincides with Experience Grand Rapids' Cool Brews Hot Eats promotion, which takes place February 18 – March 2 at participating restaurants in the GR area. MIBeerWeeks, a subsidiary of Liquid Table Beverage Solutions, and producer of GR Beer Week, is partnering with with Experience Grand Rapids in the marketing and promotion of both efforts. Many of the same restaurants will participate in Beer Week, along with many bars and breweries, by hosting beer-centric events such as tap takeovers, beer dinners, rare beer releases, pubcrawls and more. Many “Beer Celebrities” will be in town throughout the week, participating in many of the events.
GR Beer Week is also being produced in cooperation with the Michigan Brewers Guild, whose 8th Annual Winter Beer Festival in Comstock Park on Saturday, February 23, is considered the “finish line” of the week's festivities.
“We are excited to be affiliated with GR Beer Week in its second year,” stated Eric Briggeman, President of the Michigan Brewers Guild. “The Winter Beer Festival sold out in record time this year, so a whole week of beer events leading up to the festival is not only great added value for festival attendees, but wonderful for our beer fans who were not able to get tickets this time. More focus on craft beer in Michigan is always a great thing.”
MIBeerWeeks and Liquid Table staff will host several signature events each night during the week, along with supporting additional events to be organized by breweries, wholesalers and the bars and restaurants themselves, dubbed Beer Destinations. Constant updates will be posted on Facebook and the GR Beer Week website.
