Episode 688: The state of Michigan craft beer with Annette May, Cedar Springs Brewery, Pigeon Hill and Elder Piper (Feb. 22-23, 2025)

It's all about Michigan beer on this episode of Behind the Mitten, with guests both old and new joining us to talk about what's happening at our breweries and beyond. 

We start off interviewing one of the most exciting and prolific women in the Michigan craft beer scene, the always interesting Annette May. She holds many titles, but she might be most proud of having achieved certified Advanced Cicerone status, a pretty cool thing and not easy to do. She is also an instructor at Schoolcraft College in their brewing program, and one of the founding members of the women's craft beverage collective Fermenta, which is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit trade group initiated by women, committed to education, networking, diversity, and empowerment within the fermented beverage and food industries. She and her husband Mike Bardallis are working towards opening their own brewery, Full Measure Brewing Company, in Detroit's Eastern Market soon.

One of our regular guests, David "Rings" Ringler stops by to catch us up on what is happening at his two German-inspired breweries located in West Michigan. Cedar Springs Brewing Company is where you'll find two sides to both the food and beer menus, both American and German. Indulge in traditional dishes like jagerschnitzel and spatzle, or pub-favorites like house-smoked pulled pork. You'll find the same beers here that you'll see at Kusterer Brauhaus on the West Side of Grand Rapids. Here, you'll find a tradtional German beer hall, with snacks and soccer to enjoy. We love his traditional style beers, including the always lovely Marzen. Now my mouth is watering.

Pigeon Hill Brewing Company in Muskegon just celebrated their ten year anniversary in 2024, and co-owner Michael Brower stops by to share some of their recent developments. The brewery now has two locations you can visit, the Brewer's Lounge taproom located on 4th Street right downtown, and the new Socibowl by Pigeon Hill. Socibowl is an entertainment complex right downtown that features duckpin bowling, darts, pinball, oversized yard games, food, and of course, plenty of great craft beer. Michael shares some new and old favorite beers from Pigeon Hill, which you can find in distribution throughout the state.

We are always excited when we get to meet new friends, and the owners of Elder Piper Beer and Cider did not disappoint. Trace and Eeva Redmond opened their Petoskey brewery in 2023, and were quickly named a "brewery to watch" by a national publication. The Redmonds bring years of top-level brewing experience with them, both here in Michigan and nationwide. When it came time to open their very own brewery, they decided to head back to Eeva's hometown, where they have been met with open arms. The Redmond's picked their Beach Grass Helles Lager as our selection for BEER OF THE WEEK this show.