Is ‘local’ the next ‘craft?’ Big Lake Brewing adds Michigan-only brewery seal

Big Lake Brewing, one of the fastest-growing craft breweries in Michigan, is expanding brewing capacity again, doubling their capacity in the last calendar year. The Holland-based brewery is adding three more tanks next month, increasing the brewery’s overall output capacity to 7,000 barrels per year. It’s also squarely focused on its home state, and only its home state.

This month, Big Lake solidified that stance by adding a new “Michigan-only brewery” seal to every can, signifying that Big Lake beer is brewed in Michigan, for distribution only in the state of Michigan.

“We believe in our state, and are so thankful to Michiganders who have helped us grow by drinking our beer,” said Travis Prueter, co-founder of Big Lake Brewing. “Big Lake is growing by pioneering our own style and identity, and it’s important to us to stay independent, and keep that growth right here in Michigan.”

Big Lake recently landed on the Brewers Association list of fastest-growing independent and craft breweries in the United States, one of only two Michigan breweries on the list. The brewery currently has distribution across the entire state, in retail stores through Imperial Beverage, and on draft in bars and restaurants.

Big Lake Brewing opened in 2013 on Butternut Drive in Holland Township, and began expanding in 2016 with the purchase of a production facility in the city of Holland, which immediately tripled production capacity. In 2017, Big Lake purchased their current taproom at 13 W. 7^th Street in downtown Holland, opening the 200-seat taproom with an outdoor patio and launching a full lunch and dinner menu featuring food crafted much like their beer – from scratch and with the best ingredients, sourced locally in season.