Thousands gather to celebrate with big beers and plenty of cheer at the 20th Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Fest 2026 at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park.
Winter Beer Fest 2026 – A Lovely Day
I’m not going to lie, the fact that the snow held off until late made for a lovely day of beers and cheers at Winter Beer Fest 2026. Hard to believe that the Michigan Brewers Guild has been throwing this party for twenty years. This time around, on top of the cornucopia of big, bold beers, the Guild introduced new features to their festival, including a dedicated Enthusiast tent, more food options, and the biggest change of all—no tokens!
Did Someone Say Pre-Party?
This year, we decided to make it a beer weekend in Grand Rapids. We stopped by City Built Brewing for some delicious food and dandy beers. They were hosting their fifth annual Unofficial Pre-Fest Party with High Point Tattoo, offering up some sweet art for your body (in-house). Let me tell you, the Birria plate is killer. You get four corn tortillas stuffed with slow-stewed beef and cheese. On the side is some beef consommé and tangy salsa. Pair this up with their Brodelo dark Mexican lager or the Homeslice West Coast Pilsner, and you’ve got heaven on earth!!
With our stomachs full, we walked back downtown to the Pyramid Scheme. On tap was a night of music from four bands featuring at least one member who works in the brewing industry. Accompanying the bands were taps featuring beers from Blackrocks, Arbor Brewing, Founders, and Shorts Brewing.
Drama Team
Up first, from the Traverse City area, was Drama Team. While not completely familiar with the headliner, Braxton Hicks (more later), I had an inkling they leaned into the country-western realm. So it was a pleasant surprise to hear a melange of music that offered notes of Nirvana, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Hum. I love the emotive energy and punchy songwriting. The Drama Team delivered plenty of dynamics and gritty soul-searching vocals that kept you riveted to the music.
Death By Lions
If you are looking for post-punk/hardcore playing high-energy music with tons of melody, then I highly recommend Death By Lions. This band from Grand Rapids jumped on stage and cranked the power levels to eleven. Brewing their own special blend of punk and post-hardcore, their tunes vibed with such bands as Quicksand, The Used, and Pennywise. Each song was propelled by a furious rhythm section, sharp and glistening guitars, and powerfully ardent vocals. Death By Lions got everyone up and bouncing.
Moto
I became an instant fan of Moto as soon as I heard the flanger (or is it phaser?) fueled melodic riff rock. This power trio played stellar tunes full of fire, yet tight and expressive. I was reminded of bands that also embrace a variety of harmonic and melodic structures, such as Big Wreck and Queen. Vocally, I was shot back in time to the band Altered State (anyone remember the tune “Where is Harrison Ford?”). I definitely dig Moto, and I think you will too.
Braxton Hicks and the Contractions
The Practice Contractions, oh, I mean, Braxton Hicks & The Contractions (Google it) closed out the night with their patented blend of award-winning country-fried music. Think of it as brewed sonnets set to song. Billy Braxton (aka The Man, The Myth, The Legend) leads a band driven to telling tall tales while sharing down-home ales. Most of their smash hits are rarely heard, but surely heated some loins with the hot licks that only a certified country band of this high caliber could craft. It was a fine nightcap to a top-notch Winter Pre-Fest shindig.
Drop by our gallery for more photos from the Pre-Fest party at the Pyramid Scheme.
Winter Beer Fest 2026 – 20 Years of Winter Beers
We grabbed a delicious breakfast downtown at San Chez before making our way to LMCU Ballpark for the festival. A steady stream of people swelled both the Enthusiast/VIP and general admission lines. The sun was shining, the temperature was seasonably cool, and the atmosphere was festive as we counted down to the gate opening. The 20th Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Fest 2026 was underway!
Look Mom! – No Tokens
As we headed over to Perrin Brewing to get our first beer of the afternoon (Barrel of the Black Tide – a super rum barrel brown sugar stout), I found myself reflexively fumbling for my beer tokens. Then I remembered, no tokens needed! Thanks to legislation changes, tokens are no longer required at beer festivals. This year’s Winter Beer Fest 2026 was the first to experience this change.
It felt slightly liberating and less cumbersome to ditch the tokens. Instead of having to be mindful of how many tokens you had left, it freed you up to get more samplers. Instead of a full pour, we opted to try smaller amounts, which allowed us to try even more beers without worrying about tokens or getting over-served. This is especially important at the Winter Beer Fest, as many brews are heavy hitters.
Speaking of special beers, there were a ton of marvelous beers at this year’s festival, but one stood out, and that was Last Embers Cherry (Belgian Golden Strong Ale) from Elder Piper Beer & Cider. Wow, so much taste in this wonder beer. Coming in hot on its heels was Strict Observance (Belgian Dubbel) by Archival Brewing. Clearly, I was in a Belgian mood.
Warm and Enthusiastic
Another new feature at Winter Beer Fest 2026 was the addition of an Enthusiast/VIP tent. Not only was the tent kept warm, but it was also the only place at the festival where you could get some one-of-a-kind beers. On the hour, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., a beer was released with someone from the brewery to share some insights on their brew. The beers shared especially for the VIP/Enthusiasts included:
- 1p – Liquid Vinyl Anthology, a rare bourbon barrel-aged (BBA) stout from Arbor Brewing.
- 2p – Sweet Escape (BBA) stout from City Built Brewing.
- 3p – Coolship Framboise (lambic framboise) from HOMES Brewery.
- 4p – Porta Party (strong ale) from Shorts Brewing.
Each release was met with a strong contingent of enthusiasts who lined up for each beer and to hear a few words from each brewery. Most memorable line was from Nick Panchamé (HOMES) when describing the amount of raspberries in their lambic as “a fuck ton”. I’m pretty sure that is an old imperial measure, which is slightly larger than a metric ton.
Food Truck Frenzy
They say variety is the spice of life. While LMCU Ballpark offers a stellar selection of food, the Michigan Brewers Guild upped the ante with a new food truck alley. If you had a hankering for birria, Los Mariscos Ee Pancho had you covered. Down for a bad ass burger, Patty Matters would make it happen. Finally, everyone loves pizza, and for personal pies brimming with flavor, look no further than PizzaMI.
Hanging with the OG
One of the best parts of going to the Michigan Brewers Guild festivals is the opportunity to share a beer with some of the original gangsters in Michigan craft beer. We spent a couple of minutes savoring beers and talking with Jim Brown (one of the originators of The World Expo Of Beer and Happy Tappy Draft Services), Ted Bagerow (owner of the first Michigan microbrewery – Real Ale / current owner Ypsi Alehouse), and Jon Cole (Newer Gangster – Old Nation Brewing).
If I’d been thinking, I should have recorded our chat, as Jim and Ted have plenty of great stories about Michigan beer to share (guess we need to get them on the podcast, aye?). Jim did share the start of a story about a young man who used to hang out behind the Real Ale brewery in Chelsea back in the day. Turns out that young man was Larry Bell. Ted shared some notes on beer tasting, comparing the process to listening and enjoying music, which I can totally relate to. While we only hung out for a few minutes, it was a real treat.
Firkin and Great Lakes Brass
To ring in good cheer and help with the traditional singing of the Michigan Brewers Guild fight song was Great Lakes Brass. For a few minutes, we swayed with the spirit of the second line in the Big Easy before raising a glass and toasting our friends.
The traditional firkin tapping was conducted by Michigan Brewers Guild Executive Director Scott Graham and his daughter Lily (who recently turned 21). Lily had no fear as she drove the tapper home. Our celebration beverage was Lovely Day IPA from Harmony Brewing. Made with citra hops, lavender, chamomile, and orange zest, this brew is a golden gateway to summer. Now, if that damn groundhog would just get back in his burrow.
Brewing Up Some Tunes
Desmond Jones
No beer fest is complete without some tunes. Winter Beer Fest 2026 opened with the savory jams of Grand Rapids own Desmond Jones. Taking their name from The Beatles’ tune “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, they have a penchant for upbeat jams that span the genres of rock, folk, blues, and funk. They played a seriously solid set of vibrant tunes, including a left-field cover of “I Like Beer” by Tom T Hall.
Liquid Radio
Closing out the fest with a bevy of deep cut covers was Liquid Radio. Kicking things off with some ZZ Top, Liquid Radio ran through an impressive set of covers that you wouldn’t typically hear. Folks gathered up close to warm up with this lively set of music as the snow began and kept falling harder.
Looking Forward to Twenty More
Twenty years! The old adage that “Time flies” is no lie. Once again, another Winter Beer festival has come and gone. At its core, the Winter Beer festival is a celebration not only of Michigan beer but also of the hardy resilience of the people who love this beverage and their community. We’ll leave you with a few more classic moments from Winter Beer Fest 2026. You can find more photos in our gallery.
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