I had the pleasure of visiting Saugatuck Brewing Company recently, and fell in love with every aspect of the brewery. The beer, the people, the process… I have made no secret about my love of the Michigan beer community, and Saugatuck Brewing truly exemplifies my feelings. They welcomed my entire family in, took us on a tour and talked to us about their unique on-site Be The Brewmaster program. Yes, you can actually make your own beer, right in the brewery!
On Sunday, May 5th, from 2-5pm, Saugatuck Brewing will be hosting a Celebration of Women & Craft Beer: a fantastic and empowering event featuring some incredibly prominent women in the Michigan beer community. And guess what? It’s FREE!
The keynote speaker for this Women and Craft Beer Event is Annette May, who is the first female Certified Cicerone in the United States. Becoming a Certified Cicerone is a challenging and long process for both men & women; Annette absorbed and studied every aspect of beer to earn this highest honor.
Other notable women in attendance Sunday will include:
Kati Spayde, from Sicilianos, a Certified Cicerone and award-winning home brewer.
Liz Crowe, a romance novelist and owner of Wolverine Brewing.
Dianna Stampfler, Founder of Promote Michigan and professional marketer, promoter & publicist for Michigan Brewers Guild.
Amy Sherman, chef, home-brewer & host of The Great American Brew Trail.
Laura Houser, a full-time brewer at Founders Brewing Company.
There will also be professional distributers, marketers, pub-tenders, beer enthusiasts and more on hand to chat with and clink pints of delicious beer you will have in your hand.
On top of the opportunity to talk to these lovely ladies in person, there will be special beer brewed during the event (remember Saugatuck Brewing’s Be the Brewmaster Program I mentioned?) by professional brewers like Laura Houser from Founders. This beer will be bottled and sold in 22oz bottles, and the proceeds of these sales will go to Sylvia’s Place in Allegan. Sylvia’s Place is a shelter for domestically abused women & children. Since 1996, Sylvia’s Place has provided women & children with over 40,000 safe beds.
Another bonus of attending this Celebration of Women & Craft Beer? Freebies & Raffles! Yes! Not only will this be a free and incredibly informative event, but there will be giveaways from area breweries, an autographed copy of Paradise Hops by Liz Crowe, a set of DVDs from The Great American Brew Trail and 2 tickets to the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival!! One raffle ticket is included when you enter the event at Saugatuck Brewing, extra raffle tickets can be purchased for $2 each. All proceeds will benefit Sylvia’s Place.
What more do you need to know? How about an interview with Megan Pruim from Saugatuck Brewing Company?
Please bare with the amateur-cameraman I hired (and paid in beer) and who is beckoned half-way through the interview… by my children. Keepin’ it real.
CHEERS!!!
