Celebrate National Beer Day with These Fun Beer Themed Activities

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JW offers a special Beer City package that let's you enjoy many of GR's best breweries.
JW offers a special Beer City package that let's you enjoy many of GR's best breweries.

April 7 is National Beer Day, the perfect excuse to spend today celebrating the great beer of West Michigan.

Cedar Springs Brewing HOsts Starkbierfest

Cedar Springs Brewing Company is putting on the third annual Starkbierfest, starting at  3 p.m. Saturday with a heated tent outside at the brewery in Cedar Springs. Starkbierfest is the lesser-known beer festival in Germany, Oktoberfest being the famous one, and it celebrates strong beers.

Beers being served in the tent include the Küsterer Maibock, a strong spring lager brewed with North Channel Brewing in Manistee, and Big Sid Rides a Buffalo, a barleywine aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels.

The festival will also include Michigan made smoked sausage, andoullie sausage and curry brats.

Dave Salvinski, Fauxgrass and Delilah DeWylde will perform throughout the day.

ENjoy a Beer City Staycation

Take a last minute staycation and book a night at the Amway Grand Plaza or JW Marriott Grand Rapids, with both offering beer-related packages for National Beer Day.

The JW Marriott’s Beer City USA Pacakage offers four local beers in-room and a 20 percent off the hotel’s beer spa treatment with hops and barley.

Amway Grand’s “Brew and Renew” spa specials include beer tastings and similar hops and barley uses in pedicures and exfoliations.

Enjoy Your Local Brew with Local Music

Check out a show at multiple breweries in town.

Blue Soul Express will be ripping out classic soul, funk and blues at Rockford Brewing Co. The free show starts at 8:30 p.m.

At Founders Brewing, Maryland-based Bumpin’ Uglies will be playing their mix of ska, reggae and punk rock.

Allendale will be rocking out with the Jim Shaneberger Band at Trail Point Brewing, 6035 Lake Michigan Drive, and Slows Bar BQ will be serving up the food.

Visit GR’s Newest Breweries

Grand Rapids has been lucky enough to get several new breweries in the past month, so check them out this weekend.

TwoGuys Brewing opened up on March 25 in Wyoming. Veteran West Michigan brewer Tom Payne now has his brewery after 10 years in the making.

Dexter-based Jolly Pumpkin opened up its Grand Rapids pizzeria and taproom, 428 Bridge St. NW, on March 22. An award-winning brewery since 2004, Jolly Pumpkin brews up some of the most unique beers in the country.

Reserve Beer

Speciation Artisan Ales releases its April bottle release reservations at noon.

Speciation was one of the most hyped breweries in the nation last year and for good reason, Mitch Ermatinger makes some stellar beer and releases it just once a month out of his Comstock Park brewery.

The release is April 14 and includes a golden sour with tangerine; tequila barrel aged sour with pineapple and dry-hopped with Denali hops; golden sour with chamomile, elderflower, hibiscus, marigold and rose; and a wild Northeast-style IPA.

Never fear, Speciation is currently working on a taproom.

*Photo courtesy of JW Marriott

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