Oktoberfest Dinner & Brew Cruise on MI Princess

Research efforts led by Michigan State University will soon be featured at the tap at Mount Pleasant’s Mountain Town Brewing Co. Malting barley grown in a variety trial in Isabella County in 2014 was recently malted by the Michigan native Pilot Malt House destined for a Spartan themed brew.

This year was the second year for Midtown on Tap put on by the Midtown Neighborhood Association in Grand Rapids. The event is held at the Midtown Green Park at Fountain and Eastern and was free to attend with family-friendly hours from 2 to 4 PM featuring helium balloons, face painting and frozen juice as well as games and prizes. Live music was also featured with local bands including Love Fossil, Cabildo, and The Juno Blacklist. The event also served to showcase local food vendors with a variety of options provided by B&Y BBQ and StoryLane Catering.

Brewing 101 will teach you the 4 basic ingredients of beer: barley, water, hops, and yeast. Being a Great Lakes State, one large reason for the great success of Michigan breweries is certainly a tremendous abundance of one of the key brewing ingredients: water. In recent years Michigan-grown hops have become quite a commodity as well, with many local breweries seeking out the freshest and best ingredients wherever they can be found. One essential ingredient in Michigan that is in the greatest demand: malt. Malt is the scientific process of altering grains, most often barley, to develop the enzymes that are required to turn starch into sugar. This process ultimately creates the alcohol found in craft beer and spirits.