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Which craft?
Brewers offer unique selection of beers at festival
Blues, Brews and Barbecue is one
of themost highly anticipated events in
metro Detroit. Attended by thousands
of people throughout the region, the
event pulls together Detroit Blues leg-
ends, mouthwatering barbecue and a
sampling ofMichiganbrews
Michigan is ranked 5th in the coun-
try for number of breweries, micro-
breweries and brew pubs. The indus-
try, which consists of more than 200
brewing factories, contributes nearly
$7 billion to the state economy every
year. Since 2011, the number of
Michigan craft breweries has more
than doubled and there are now more
than 5,000 across theUnitedStates.
The selection at Westland this year
includes:
Atwater Dirty Blonde
- Atwater
Brewery was founded in 1977 when it
made its debut in the Detroit
Rivertown district. Today the brewery
is thriving and expanding at the origi-
nal location including a full scale bier-
garten and taphouse. The company
recently opened Atwater in the Park
located 8miles from the brewery and a
location in Grand Rapids in 2016.
Atwater Dirty Blonde is a wheat ale
brewed to be a bright straw color and
lightly sweet with a crisp finish which
includes fresh orange peel and corian-
der.
Erik the Red by Dragonmead
-
Dragonmead Brewery was founded in
1997, well ahead of the craft beer revo-
lution in Michigan. The company mis-
sion is to produce beer so good that it
