PRESS RELEASE FOLLOWS

The Michigan Brewers Guild recently elected its 2019 Board of Directors at its annual meeting, January 10, at the Kalamazoo Radisson Plaza Hotel. Each board position is a two-year term, elected in alternating years (4, 3).

This year, three people were elected to the Guild board:

• Isaac Hartman, “Ambassador of Great Beer” from New Holland Brewing Company, was elected to his sixth term.
• Rick Schmitt, Co-Owner of Stormcloud Brewing in Frankfort, was elected to his first term after being appointed in April 2018 to fill a mid-term vacancy on the board.
• Aubrey Martinson, Co-Owner of Chelsea Alehouse in Chelsea, was elected to her first term.

Additional board members include:

• Scott Newman-Bale, Vice President of Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire, continues his fifth term and remains the Guild’s President.
• Ryan Cottongim, Owner of Witch’s Hat Brewing Company in South Lyon, continues his second term and remains the Guild’s Vice President.
• David Ringler, Owner of Cedar Springs Brewing Company in Cedar Springs, continues his first term and remains the Guild’s treasurer.
• Chas Thompson, Beer Engineer at Schmohz Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, continues his first elected term after being appointed in 2017 to fill a mid-term vacancy on the board. He will remain the Guild’s secretary.

The conference was a record-breaker in many ways for the organization, with more than 750 attendees including nearly 130 vendors in the Allied Member Trade Show. The Guild also reported 256-member breweries at the close of 2018, up from 245 at the end of 2017.

The Michigan Brewers Guild is the network of innovative and passionate brewers that serves as the recognized advocate for the Michigan craft beer industry. The mission of the Guild is to promote and protect the Michigan craft beer industry with an overarching goal to help craft beer acquire 20% of the market by 2025.

Michigan’s thriving brewing industry contributes more than 14,000 full-time jobs, $662 million in labor income / wages with a total economic impact of over $2 billion. In terms of overall number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks #4 in the nation – thus supporting its claim as “The Great Beer State.”