Michigan Brewers Guild prepares for Beer Fest

MARQUETTE — As U.P. Craft Beer Week draws to a close, craft beer enthusiasts from around the country are descending on Marquette for tomorrow’s U.P. Fall Beer Fest.

The Lower Harbor may only look like several empty tents right now, but come 1 p.m. tomorrow, more than 4,000 people will mass together for the sole purpose of drinking good beer. With close to 60 breweries offering more than 400 beers, enthusiasts and novices alike have a lot to look forward to.

“It’s just a fun day with a lot of people who are out to have a nice time, sip on some beers, be with friends and just have a good time,” Scott Graham, Executive Director of the Michigan Brewers Guild, said. “The weather looks like it’s going to be great so I think we’re just in for a really nice afternoon.”

Recently, the Michigan Brewers Guild decided to split the Winter Beer Fest in Grand Rapids into two days due to its immense popularity. Although U.P. Beer Fest is still just a single day, it’s possible that it may one day be a two day festival as well.

Graham said, “We look at the logistics, you know, how is the event growing? This year’s about 25% bigger than last year and we like to have planned controlled growth, but we want to continue to expose more and more people also. As the event gets bigger we kind of look at it and evaluate: is there more space? How do we make more room for more breweries? And at some point we’ll get to where the event just seems full and we don’t want it to be bigger than that. Then we’ll have to consider going to a second day based on demand for tickets, really.”

The gates open at noon tomorrow for Michigan Brewers Guild enthusiasts and at 1 p.m. for everyone else.