July, 2012 is a big month for craft brewers in the Great Beer State as the Michigan Brewers Guild celebrates its 15^th anniversary with its annual Summer Beer Festival, the release of a “15^th Anniversary Ale” Collaborative Brew and the official designation of Michigan Craft Beer Month.

Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) released its recommendations on Friday, June 29 concerning many of the state’s liquor control issues – the latest in a series of reports issued by the Office of Regulatory Reinvention (ORR), aimed to streamline regulations in various areas of government and business operations. All recommendation reports are posted online at www.michigan.gov/orr.

Four Michigan breweries – Bastone, Dragonmead, Founders and Kuhnhenn – are among those from around the world to received awards from an elite international panel of judges in the 2012 Brewers Association World Beer Cup.

One of the benefits of membership in the Michigan Brewers Guild “Enthusiast” program is special VIP tours and tastings at member breweries around the state. To participate in one of these special tours, one must be a current Enthusiast member – a group dedicated to celebrating the growing craft beer industry in the Great Lakes State. Enthusiast memberships are $45 each and are available online at MBG Enthusiast Membership. There is no additional charge for the tours, but reservations are recommended and attendees must show their Enthusiast card.

We chatted with Chas Thompson, head brewer from Schmohz Brewing in Grand Rapids, at the 2012 Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival.

We had a chance to catch up with Jon Wojtowicz, self described, "Beer Liberator", of Short's Brewing Company at the Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival. Short's Brew Pub is located in Bellaire, a sleepy town set in the beautiful Grand Traverse Bay area of Michigan. This year, they featured 11 of their beers on a brand new, 22 tap system designed just for events like the Winter Beer Fest.

This is the first in a series of interviews we did at the Michigan Brewer's Guild Winter Beer Festival in Grand Rapids.

On Saturday we attended the magnum opus of winter beer festivals which is the Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival. We took the Motor City Tours Company bus to the festival and I must say it's the way to go so you don't have to worry about driving after the festival.

It’s coming. Five hours (six if you are an Enthusiast Member). 61 breweries. Over 450 beers. Cold. Ice. Chill. Beer. I’m talking, of course, about the 2012 Winter Beer Fest!!! It seems like we were just in Riverside Park, in the steamy, hot July weather…but here we are! To get you ready for this most excellent event, I present you with my five tips to check yourself before you wreck yourself!