The Michigan Brewers Guild held their 15th Annual Detroit Fall Beer Festival at Eastern Market on October 19th. If you grew up trick or treating in Michigan, you know there was a possibility that we’d be wearing snowsuits for the festival. But instead, we were treated to perfect t-shirt weather.
The 15th Annual Detroit Fall Beer Festival
One hundred and seven Michigan craft breweries brought 530 unique beers in 87 styles to the festival. There were food trucks, music, and hundreds of very happy beer enthusiasts to complete the beautiful event. Honestly, it doesn’t get much better.
If you are sad you missed it, save the date for the Winter Beer Festival on February 22, 2025.
Fresh/Wet Hopped Beer
In 2021, I wondered if I had the stamina to do ‘my very beerfest-best’ and try all the pumpkin beers. Chuck, the wise man he is, didn’t say no and just agreed he thought it was a good idea to try. The wheels fell off the bus early, and I’ve never considered drinking a pumpkin beer again.
So you can see why beer festival challenges are not my thing. However, when I noticed the Brewers Guild had marked the fresh/wet hopped beers in the program with a special hop logo, I thought, “Now there is a beer challenge I’d like to try, sampling all the wet hopped beers.”
Then I counted them. There were 14 breweries with Fresh/Wet Hop beer. I didn’t try all of them, I confess. But there was one that I’m still thinking about: Elder Piper Beer and Cider’s 2024 Harvest IPA. They picked up hops from Hop Head Farms in Baroda during the fall harvest. Their Oak Leaf Oktoberfest Marzen was equally fantastic.
Life In Michigan Beer
Many thanks to our friends at Barrel + Beam, who crafted a beer embodying the spirit of Life in Michigan. This isn’t just any beer—it’s a stunning amber farmhouse ale made entirely from Michigan-sourced ingredients. The malt comes from Great Lakes Malting, the hops are from MILocal, and the water is straight from the Upper Peninsula. That’s right—all the ingredients are grown, processed, and pumped out of Michigan soil!
If you had a chance to try it, what did you think? Obviously, I’m a bit biased, but I thought it was delicious.
Better On Draft
Something cool always happens during the Detroit Fall Beer Festival. Last year, we made plans with Nick and Keven from Barrel + Beam to collaborate on a beer. This year, Ken invited us to join him on the Better On Draft Podcast they are recording during the 4 Elf Party at Dark Horse Brewing on December 14th. (Hint: You should definitely save the date for this party!)
A Few Favorites
Better on Draft published a list of their favorite 17 beers at the festival, covering various styles. Chuck has a few to add to the list.
Heights Brewing New You 120 Minute Black IPA: This beer is bold, black, and beautiful. The dark roasted grain gives it a tantalizing flavor, and the hops sit on top, nice and bright.
Elder Piper Beer and Cider’s 2024 Harvest IPA: This beer was so damn good we have to give it two shout-outs. Chuck said, beaming with joy as he finished off his sample, “This is the best damn beer at the fest this year!” Obviously, we are going to have to make a run up to Petoskey to spend more time at Elder Piper!
Archival Brewing Kranz Kolsch: Delightful, crisp, and full of sunshine, this beer sparkled like a diamond under the dazzling sunny skies at the festival this year. Superb!
Royal Oak Brewery Oktoberfest: One thing Chuck loves about Fall is Oktoberfest beers. After returning from Germany this year, he was ready to dive into the American treatment of a Marzen. Royal Oak had one of the best. Slightly sweet and malty, this is an excellent balanced beer that says, “Hello Beautiful, Welcome to Fall.”
Someday Brewing Hell(es) Froze Over: This beer definitely reminded Chuck of the big mugs of sparkling free Helles in the Augustiner tent. A flavorful party beer that will have you singing “Sweet Caroline” before you know it.
Fillmore 13 Oktoberfest: The good times kept rolling with another fantastic Marzen from Fillmore 13. Slightly drier than expected, this beer made the day that much brighter.
War Water Brewery BBA Ocular Love: For a change of pace, Chuck went heavy with this barrel-aged beer. Slightly boozy without being overly sweet, this big beer will kick-start your party.
Beer Buddies
It doesn’t get much better than hanging out with friends on a sunny afternoon in October.
Ok, maybe Stephen from Batch didn’t have as much fun as the rest of us.
Notice the GIG flyers? Just a bit of promotion.
Music
Once again, the music at the Detroit Fall Beer Festival did not disappoint. Of all the Michigan Brewers Guild festivals, Detroit seems to stand out in terms of music. This year, we were enthralled by two fantastic bands that break outside the typical festival offerings.
Marbrisa
The sun seemed to shine hotter as Marbrisa’s Latin-fused music filled the air at this year’s Detroit Fall Beer Festival. Her vocals captivated us, and her music bathed us with buoyant energy. Her set made us all feel lighter and full of potential.
The Pherotones
As soon as I heard the funkified jazz of The Pherotones fill the air with joy, I thought to myself, “Wow, this band is fabulous.” As I watched and listened, a feeling of deja vu crept in. Sure, I remembered seeing drummer Wes Fritzemeier with The Ben Daniels band, but the bass and horn players seemed really familiar. Then I had it, the legendary Macpodz from Ann Arbor! Ross Huff (horns) and Brennan Andes (bass) have teamed up with Wes and Giancarlo Aversa (piano) to lift us up with their ebullient tunes. They capped off a wonderful day in Detroit with their magic music.
Singing and Tapping
A time-honored tradition at all the Michigan Brewers Guild festivals is the singing of the fight song and the tapping of the keg. Dragonmead’s Lionheart pale ale was on tap, and Stacy did a fine job tapping the keg without crushing Chas’s fingers.
Photos
More 2024 Detroit Fall Beer Festival photos are in our gallery.
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