Breweries, vineyards make drinks for the cold season

By: Dean Vaglia | Metro | Published December 19, 2022

 The Rochester Mills Brewing Co.’s Snow Daze beer. With its sherry, oak and roast flavors; dark-brown color; and 8% alcohol content, Snow Daze is emblematic of the kind of beers Michigan breweries are making for the cold weather months.

The Rochester Mills Brewing Co.’s Snow Daze beer. With its sherry, oak and roast flavors; dark-brown color; and 8% alcohol content, Snow Daze is emblematic of the kind of beers Michigan breweries are making for the cold weather months.

Photo provided by Rochester Mills Brewing Co.

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METRO DETROIT — Michigan is no dry state, and not just because of the rain and snow. Walk into any grocery store, restaurant, or party this season, and you will be sure to find some kind of Michigan-made craft drink.

“We’re sixth in the nation for craft breweries, (and) we’re ninth in the nation for wine production,” said Jenelle Jagmin, director of the Michigan Craft Beverage Council.

According to Jagmin, 2022 has been a solid year for Michigan’s craft drinks industry and a solid year across its various drink segments.

Michigan wineries have benefited from a “fantastic” growing season for Michigan grapes.

“We had a bumper crop,” Jagmin said. “Really one of those perfect seasons that allowed the grapes to ripen fully, and we fully anticipate this next vintage from this growing year is going to be awesome.”

Wineries were also able to stave off financial hardship during the pandemic due to being able to host tours and tastings outdoors, as well as having good online sales. A good apple crop over the past few years has benefited hard cider producers, which has helped the segment grow and open doors for collaboration between producers. Beer production has been slightly hampered by supply chain issues affecting ingredients and production materials, but the segment is still looking up.

The industry also saw some legislative wins in 2022, with the passage of House Bill 4842 in July, which lowered markup costs for distilleries using Michigan-made grain. In November, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed the month “Michigan Craft Beverage Month.”

“It is really to encourage the support of these small businesses into the holiday season,” Jagmin said. “There are so many ways people can be supporting (Michigan craft beverage makers). … Its priority is to lift up these businesses in the eyes of Michigan consumers and encourage their support into the holidays.”

There are many ways to support Michigan craft beverage makers in southeastern Michigan. For starters, look to the area’s many breweries and the specialty drinks they’re making for the winter season.

“At the pub, and especially during the fall and holiday season … we tend to focus on those darker beers that have warmer flavors, slightly higher alcohol content and are good for fighting off the cold, the chill, the snow and work really well in the winter,” said Jon Lapolla, director of marketing at Rochester Mills Brewing Co. “We focus on porters (and) stouts.”

Rochester Mills’ Snow Daze is emblematic of a “winter beer,” pouring at a chestnut brown color and featuring sherry, oak and roast flavors at 8% alcohol by volume.

For those who prefer wine, Michigan by the Bottle co-owner Cortney Casey says the company’s tasting rooms have been sampling various seasonal Michigan wines.

“We have semisweet spiced reds called Revenge of the Living Red and Night of the Living Red from Sandhill Crane Vineyards available at both our Shelby and Royal Oak locations,” Casey said. “They’re both spiced with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and orange peel, but the Revenge also is infused with hot peppers for a kick. These are great holiday wines to put in the crockpot to warm up.”

Michigan by the Bottle has locations in Shelby Township, Auburn Hills and Royal Oak.

Rochester Mills has a restaurant in downtown Rochester and sells beer made in Auburn Hills in stores throughout the metro area.

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