The Michigan Cask Ale Festival returns Saturday, May 4, to Ashley’s Beer & Grill, 7525 Wayne Rd., with expanded hours and the largest lineup of cask-conditioned and served beers in the Festival’s six-year history – and the largest available at one time anywhere in the state.

Celebrate suds, snow and early spring fun with the 4^th Annual Brew-Ski Festival at Boyne Highlands Resort on Saturday, March 9. Brew-Ski Festival features craft beer sampling, live music, brats on the grill, and the enjoyment of early spring skiing and snowboarding.

Veteran Restaurateur Hoby Thrasher promised something new for Muskegon with the new Hank’s Tavern, and on Saturday, December 1st he has delivered. The Henry / Sherman St. location is not new; Previous businesses at this location have included a bank and fast food pizza joint with the short-lived Bonfire restaurant being the most recent tenant. However, this time around Hoby has really outdone himself transforming the building which once felt small and cramped to an expansive and vibrant atmosphere which will be sure to impress anyone familiar with the building’s former occupants.

This is the fourth year of the Michigan Brewers Guild Detroit Fall Beer Festival and it has been growing bigger and bigger each year. In fact, this festival has grown so much that the Brewers Guild decided to make it a two-day festival! For Paul and me, this was our second time attending this festival. I really love the fact that it is located in the heart of Detroit at the popular Eastern Market. I love the Eastern Market. We try to make it down there whenever we are in the area on a day that it is open. I am glad that the Brewers Guild decided to just extend the festival to two days rather than move it to an alternate location. I really feel that there is no better location within the Detroit City Limits to hold this wonderful festival.

Saturday, September 8, was your typical, run-of-the-mill late summer day in Michigan: chilly, cloudy, partly sunny, fairly warm, and with periods of light showers and no showers at all. Also included: U.P. Beer Fest 2012, set in Lower Mattson Harbor Park in beautiful Marquette, MI. The wife and I (well, mostly I) were anticipating a great day sampling the wares of more than 35 Michigan craft brewers, along with some local food and musical entertainment. In all, we were looking forward to five hours of controlled and polite beer mayhem!

More than 30 Michigan craft breweries will gather at Mattson Lower Harbor Park on Saturday, September 8 for the 4th Annual U.P. Fall Beer Festival where attendees will be able to sample from more than 160 different locally-crafted beers – along with food prepared by area restaurants and live, local entertainment.

Toast on the Coast takes over Fishbone’s in St. Clair Shores for a lakeside summer fete filled with brews, fish boils and bands.

Last Friday we helped sponsor Woldumar Nature Center's very first beer and wine tasting event, Petals & Vines. There were four breweries (Darkhorse Brewing Co., Arcadia Ales Brewing Co., and Mt. Pleasant Brewing Co., Dragonmead Microbrewery) and two wineries (Burgdorf's Winery and Sandhill Crane Winery) represented. There was also live music and a delicious, light dinner of kabobs, rice, pita & hummus,and fresh fruit. The Red Ledge Brewers Club of Grand Ledge was also there doing a homebrew demonstration.

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.

There is an exciting event coming up soon at Woldumar Nature Center in Lansing. Woldumar is the only non-profit, privately run nature center in Lansing and focuses on educating people, especially children, on the joys and wonders of the outdoor world. It is set on 178 acres of forest, wetlands, and restored prairie previously owned by the Olds family and runs along the Grand River on the far west side of town. They hold outdoor youth summer camps, boating events, owl watching and other community programs throughout the year.