Oct. 4, 2025 at Calder Plaza
One of the most surprising features of Grand Rapids’ award-winning beer scene is how well the people making and selling the beer get along. They may battle each other for market share, but the brewers of Beer City USA are a collegial bunch with a history of supporting each other and our beer-loving community.
In fact, local breweries and related businesses came to together in 2016 to form the Beer City Brewers Guild. This non-profit venture was organized to raise awareness of the local craft brewing culture through events, charitable giving, knowledge sharing and collaborations.
Over the years, Guild members have produced collaborative beers, transformed area breweries into art galleries and organized alternative events for Winter Beer Fest ticketholders when that event was postponed due to flooding of LMCU Ballpark. They’ve teamed up with Friends of GR Parks to raise funds to purchase and plant trees around the city. They’ve helped member breweries achieve food safety certifications for their staff members.
And they’ve hosted an annual community festival inviting the public to sample and celebrate the incredible diversity and craftsmanship of Grand Rapids beers. This year’s Beer City Brewers Festival will be held Oct. 4 at Calder Plaza.
This is a new name for a festival that dates back to August 2016, when the Guild’s inaugural event, dubbed HopStock, debuted at Calder Plaza with beer samples, food trucks and musical entertainment. The event has switched names, dates and locations a few times since then – and it skipped a year due to Covid – but the celebratory spirit has remained intact. It’s always a fun and festive occasion for breweries and attendees alike.
With over 20 breweries participating in 2024, the ProAm event continues to thrive, showcasing the best of brewing.
Photo by Brian Kelly for Experience GR
Pros and Amateurs Working Together
The Guild ratcheted up the excitement in 2017 by introducing a ProAm component. Guild members collaborated with local homebrewers to create original beers and compete against each other in a fun and friendly competition. A panel of jurors evaluated the entries per Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) guidelines to determine a winner. The event was such a hit that it became the defining feature of the event going forward.
“I’ve been looking, and I don’t know of any other destination that does this kind of ProAm,” says Jeremiah Zimmerman, Head Brewer/Lead Fermentation Engineer for Thornapple Brewing Company and current President of the Beer City Brewers Guild. (He’s also a member of the Government Affairs Committee of the Michigan Brewers Guild, an Executive Producer of the upcoming Beer City USA documentary and the CEO of Beer City Tap Handles, which makes custom pulls for drinking establishments, so he’s pretty plugged in to who’s doing what in the beer scene.)
“Grand Rapids has a slew of homebrewing clubs,” explains Zimmerman, singling out PrimeTime Brewers as the oldest and largest. “Members of the different clubs compete to create the best homebrew each year. Their entries are evaluated by Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judges and the members with the highest-scoring beers are invited to participate in the ProAm alongside local craft brewers.”
A May event brings professionals and amateurs together to determine ProAm teams. Homebrewers pick brewery names out of a hat, ensuring random assignments. The teams then get to work collaborating on an original recipe. More than 20 brewery-homebrewer teams are competing in 2025.
Jun’ & Juice, a juniper lime wheat ale collaborated on by Speciation Cellars and homebrewer Daniel Kurtz, was declared the winner of the 2024 ProAm competition.
The Beer City Brewers Festival offers a perfect chance to unwind and enjoy unique beers, live music, and more.
Photo by Alina Albin for Experience GR
Vote for the People’s Choice
Each year, the ProAm creations are offered on tap at their respective breweries for guests to enjoy, starting about two weeks before the Festival. Brewery visitors can vote for their favorite ProAm beers to win a people’s choice award during this two-week period, and also during the Festival on Oct. 4.
The new people’s choice award is bestowed alongside the longstanding juried award, just as the annual ArtPrize competition gives separate awards to artists who win a public vote and those deemed the best by a panel of experts. Both awards will be announced in the final hour of the Beer City Brewers Festival, and each winner will receive a trophy and a years’ worth of bragging rights.
This year’s Beer City Brewers Festival takes place the final day of ArtPrize 2025, and it’s a great opportunity to relax and refresh in between trying to see all the art you can before it’s gone.
Entry is free and there will be entertainment for all ages, including live music, food trucks, a bazaar and free caricature drawings. Adults over 21 years of age who want to sample beers will be carded and given a wristband enabling them to buy tasting tickets.
“It’s really a great event,” enthuses Zimmerman. “And a perfect example of how our beer community pulls together. Come down to enjoy some unique beers and have a good time!”
Vote for your favorite ProAm beer in the new People's Choice Award, with results announced alongside the juried awards at the festival.
Photo by Bryan Esler for Experience GR
Participating Breweries
ProAm collaborations will be available at these breweries starting Sept. 20. If you haven’t already, download the Beer City Brewsader app so you can vote in the people’s choice competition.
Brewery | Homebrewer |
---|---|
Adesanya Mead & Microbrewery | Nick Rodammer |
Archival Brewing | Bryce Hunter |
Bier Distillery & Brewery | Andrew Brouwers |
Big Lake Brewing | Paul Arends |
Bob's Brewery | Ian Purvis |
Brick Haus Brews | Charles Gies |
Founders Brewing Co. | Bob Rogers |
Flat River Brewing | Shawn Roman |
Gravel Bottom Craft Brewery | Steve Morren |
Harmony Brewing Co. | David Beerens |
The Mitten Brewing Co. | Dan Kurtz |
Oakestown Brewery | Mark Rocheleau |
Perrin Brewing Co. | Matthew Mead |
Pike 51 Brewery | Gregory Sanial |
Rockford Brewing Co. | Matthew Bair |
Speciation Cellars | Mark Hoffman |
Third Nature Brewing Co. | Eric Nelson |
Thornapple Brewing Co. | Craig Buno |
Trail Point Brewing Co. | Scott Mars |
TwoGuys Brewing | Gerald Gavin |
Vivant Brewery + Spirits | Eric Slater |
White Flame Brewing Co. | Paul Curran |