Craft beer these days is a huge industry, over the last decade or so people have been turning away from mass produced beer to more locally made beer.

According to data from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, Michigan brewery’s had sold more than 600,000 barrels of beer in their home state of Michigan in 2017.  Those 600,000 barrels is about six times the quantity sold just a decade earlier.

Also we have found out that businesses that brew beer in Kalamazoo County produced more beer than any other county in the state of Michigan, which was actually sold in Michigan in 2017.  These Kalamazoo County Brewery’s sold approximately 196,382 barrels.

Which Michigan brewery sold the most barrels in Michigan, well it was Kalamazoo’s own  Bell's Brewery coming in at 185,732 barrels in 2017.  That is an increase of 9% when compared to 2016. Also did you know that Bell’s licensed as a Michigan brewer has locations not only in Kalamazoo but also Comstock Township and Escanaba, way north in the U.P.

Larry Bell, who started his brewing business more than three decades ago, was quoted in a Mlive article stating that “some of the most important things for brewers to focus on are innovation and quality”.  He specifically said:

"Do you want to just chase volume and you'll do whatever it takes to chase volume to get bigger? Or are you really gonna stick to your ethics of making the kind of great beer that you want to make and be happy at a certain size level?...When everything flattens out, I'm not going to make lower quality beer to chase volume."

The number two brewery in Michigan ranked via sales was Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids coming in at 136,742 barrels.

For the rest of the list please go to the following Mlive article which will give you the top 50 brewers in the state of Michigan.

Drink up but not when you are driving please.

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