For most of us, early January is a time of reflection, and repose following the shopping, travel, logistics and overall chaos that is the holiday season.
There are, however, a few members of the greater Kalamazoo community who are now entering a time of manic activity that surpasses the whirlwind of November and December.
"We made it through Christmas and New Years, but Kalamazoo Beer Week is like way beyond that," says Brian Steele co-owner of Kalamazoo's Boatyard Brewing Company.
The eight-day festival of events, classes, beer tasting, games and general revelry, now in its 5th year, has become an annual tradition for fans of craft beer in Southwest Michigan, but it's also a time of anticipated--although welcomed--stress for brewery owners and employees.
"Having fun is the most difficult part of brewery ownership. We are exceptionally busy; I leave here; I'm dog tired; and want to go home. Any time off we have we want to spend with our families," Steele concedes.
But to support everyone who has helped make Beer Week, and the overall craft beer industry such a success, Steele, along with co-owner Dan Gilligan, will none the less make time to attend some of the more than 200 events taking place at area breweries, and bottle shops.
"It's so difficult for us to get out, but I'm going to make it a priority to at least to make one event at each of the Kalamazoo breweries," Steele says.
It's hard for Steele and company to mingle because Boatyard will be hosting 12 events, during the week, making the brewery, located at 432 E. Patterson St, one of the busiest sites of the week.
"Were really trying to spread the gospel of Boatyard Brewing to everyone in Kalamazoo," Steele says.
Steele knows that Kalamazoo brewers and beer drinkers are basically a family, so beyond just tasting events and parties, Boatyard will also be working hard to foster a community atmosphere by welcoming both the Kalamazoo Libation Organization of Brewers
(KLOB) and
Fermenta, an all female brewing club whose membership includes Boatyard brewer Amy Waugaman.
Fermenta, which began only a year ago is a nonprofit trade organisation for women in the craft beer, wine, and spirits industry. Its aim is to promote the work of women within the fermented beverage world, as well as allow members a fun and unique way to network and share their knowledge and experiences.
The 2015 Kalamazoo Beer week will be Fermenta's first opportunity to take part in what has become a highly anticipated event on the local and regional brewing calendar.
"I think Fermenta is really going to be a powerful organization within Michigan and I think the rise of women in the fermenting industry is going to take off. It's a grassroots organization. They’re just getting started, but Amy is a fantastic example of what women do in the fermenting arts," Steele says.
Fermenta and Boatyard will be co-hosting "We Can Brew It!" on Friday, Jan. 16. The night comes with a 1940's theme and will feature live music and dancing, and opportunities to meet some of the group's members or for potential members to get more information the group.
"It's great if someone decides they want to be a member of the group, but we've had events where people are just curious about a certain subject," says Pauline Knighton of Shorts Brewing Company and a founding member of Fermenta. "We always have men who come and are interested. For us, it's just important that we're providing educational and networking opportunities for women, people who either want to learn more, or are trying to get involved in the industry."
The educational aspect of "We Can Brew It" will feature a discussion on hop selection in Pale Ales as well as a brewing demonstration from Waugaman.
Fermenta, which boasts a membership split of both industry professionals and amateurs seeking to more knowledge is but one group of dedicated brewers who will be gathering at Boatyard, and showcasing their wares during Beer Week. KLOB, a home brewers society, active since 1993, will be out in force as well, descending twice on the nearly one-year-old brewery.
The first event, on Jan. 12, will be the release party for an Oatmeal Stout brewed in collaboration with the home brewers and Boatyard. The second event, taking place on the final day of beer week will be a glorified, public welcome, version of KLOB's monthly meetings.
"Dan and I both have our roots in home brewing so we thought it would be cool to support these guys and work with them on a beer as a collaborative effort," Steele says.
The collaboration gave Boatyard an opportunity to gauge what was trending the world of homebrew and gave KLOB members a chance to work with commercial equipment.
"Our system has been so streamlined that I told them this was going to be a whole lot more boring than home brewing," Steele says
Though Steele jokes that the vast majority of time spent brewing is actually spent waiting and watching the equipment, the end product, delicious locally produced craft beer, is anything but boring as is being proved by this weeklong celebration that continues to grow each year.
Besides favorites such as the third annual Bell's Snow Jog, a three-hour long race and adventure challenge through downtown Kalamazoo, and the KBW pub crawl, new happenings this year include a brewery trolley, provided by Dan's Ultra Party Bus, and a trend we can all get behind--pairing beer and dessert.
Some of the combinations of carbonation and confections include: Tapestry Brewing cookie and beer pairing and Short's Ice cream and beer pairing. Of course, there will be plenty of classic beer and food pairings as well, many of which will feature complete meals.
And for those seeking a less than four-star culinary experience, Shakespeare’s Pub will be hosting the second annual Dark Horse anti-beer dinner on Jan. 14. The night will feature "Hot Pockets, Ramen Noodles, Pop Tarts, and more."
As is the case every year, Kalamazoo Beer Week is a chance to enjoy all that the greater Kalamazoo brewing community has to offer, try something new, learn a thing or two about the brewing industry and to (safely) have as much fun as you can handle.
For more information on Kalamazoo Beer week and for a complete list of events please visit here.
Jeremy Martin is the craft brew writer for Southwest Michigan's Second Wave.
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