The Beer City Springfest 2015 had it all- great Michigan craft beer, wine and spirits, giant Jenja, delicious food, swing dancers, opera singers, the Boss Mustangs, Trixy Tang, something called the Mash MayHem and an earthquake just to shake things up a bit! The best part, all the proceeds from the Springfest 2015 benefited the American Legion Post 179 and the Friends of Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.
Springfest 2015
Even Darth Vadar had to give the dark side a break and enjoy the beautiful sunny day that had arrived for the Beer City Springfest 2015.
EB Coffee & Pub
EB Coffee & Pub was our first discovery. It is Michigan’s first coffee shop and brewery. They brought a couple of their mainstays: No X in Espresso and Silver Fox IPA. I tried the Silver Fox and it was good. Not overly hoppy but tasty. I didn’t try the No X in Espresso which is made with coffee.
Arclight Brewing
Joel from the Lunchroom recommend Arclight Brewing. We had no idea there was a brewery in Watervliet. Chuck had no idea Michigan had a town called Watervliet, I at least knew that! He tried the Camino El Dorado and recommends it. He claims the folks from Archlight were happy to see him. I think he might be right, they had some beautiful smiles.
Railtown Brewing Co.
Railtown Brewing is another new brewery we discovered at the Springfest. They won a Springfest award. We didn’t catch what the award was for, but if I were to guess, it was for their beer. Chuck sampled their Citra Warrior Imperial IPA and said “Damn Good Beer.” It doesn’t get much better than that.
We found Amy Sherman the host of the Great American Beer Trail near the Railtown Brewing Co table. Chuck “friended” Amy during the 2014 Michigan Winter Beer. Chuck made a lot of friends during that festival. It was a blur for me.
Journeyman Distillery
I can’t say I’m an expert on gin, but I have a soft spot for it. Journeyman Distillery knows how to make handcrafted spirits. I wasn’t disappointed with their gin.
Hudsonville Winery
There were several wineries at the SpringFest 2015 including Cascade Winery and Hudsonville Winery.
Fetch Brewing Co.
I’d like to nominate Fetch Brewing Co for best growler design.
They brought some tasty beers too! Ryptide, Swagger, and the Mad Swag! I didn’t try them all but I got this information from a reliable source.
We have a many more pictures of the many other breweries who were at the Springfest 2015 in our gallery.
The Boss Mustangs
Hey everyone, Chuck here for the music section. I love the Boss Mustangs. Just putting that out there for you all. I first saw these guys on my birthday last year at Fuzz Fest in Ypsilanti. They blew me away with a tidal wave of raw power. One thing that really makes Springfest standout to me is the quality of music. It doesn’t hurt that the music also tends to be on the heavy side (thanks Joe!). When I heard the Boss Mustangs were coming to Springfest 2015, I was in heaven!
There are so many good things to say about the Boss Mustangs performance at Springfest 2015. Vocalist Dan Cadillac has a blistering range and a truck load of stage presence. He left it all out on the stage. The guitar playing of Mickey Catalina was outstanding. The man can pummel you with sledge hammer riffs and pierce you with sweet string bending solos.
Then there are the men that kept this muscle of love deep in the groove; Hyde DeSoto on bass and J. Edsel Hoover on drums. Both of them are outstanding musicians and the heart of the band. They kept every piston firing as the band cranked through a set full of thumping rock music.
The only bummer about their show was that this was their last performance. It is sad when you see a great band break up. I read in Theresa Kiefer‘s great post about this show that Dan and Hyde have a new band called Imperial Sun Crusher. They will be at Fuzz Fest 2015. Joy!
There are more pictures of Boss Mustangs in our gallery.
Trixy Tang
Trixy Tang are a hair metal / glam rock band from Grand Rapids and they came out to kick some ass.
They played the gamut of 80’s and 90’s rock from Aerosmith (which is really 70’s) to Poison. The whole band was pretty solid. Their guitarist was a super shredder. It would have been cool to hear them play a little Dio as that guys tone was a lot like Vivian Campbell.
There are more pictures of Trixy Tang in our gallery.
Flash Mob!
In addition to earthquakes, they also have flash mobs in Michigan. I know, shocking. Between the Boss Mustangs and Trixy Tang several members from the Opera Grand Rapids shared their love for the opera.
Opera Grand Rapids
Swing Dancers
Not to be confused with swingers, the Grand Rapids Original Swing Society provided a demonstration of their moves on the dance floor.
Mash Mayhem
Several teams of brewers were brewing a batch.
Giant Jenja
I love giant Jenga. We first encountered this game at the Eternity Brewing in Howell, Michigan. It is especially fun to play after you’ve had a few beers.
Hammer Schlaggen
I get Giant Jenja, but Hammer Schlaggen remains a mystery for me. It involves hammers, nails and beer. I’m pretty sure this is not a good combination, but many sensible people lined-up to play.
Food
Yes, beer is food, but there were several other options at the Springfest 2015 including Big Bore BBQ, R-n-R comfort foods, Standard Pizza and Low-n-Slow BBQ.
And there was “beer gear” for you to purchase or just admire.
Psycho Brew
Psycho Brew makes “TOUGH ASS” brewing equipment right here in Michigan. I have to admit their tanks were beautiful!
Mad Moon Studio
Mad Moon Studio makes handcrafted bourbon barrel furniture and accessories. I was drooling and hoping that Chuck purchased me something for our breezeway.
Festival Goers
It was a beautiful day in Hudsonville, Michigan. The sun was shinning, the beer, wine, spirits and food was delicious and the music was unforgettable! Remember to “like” to the Beer City Spring Fest on Facebook so won’t miss the festival next year.
We many more pictures in our gallery!
Stay in Touch
If you went to Beer City Springfest 2015 lets us know. Leave us a comment or send us a message. We love to hear your stories.
Keep in touch with us by signing up for our email or you can find us on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Cheers!
