• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

The craft beer boom has changed Grand Rapids’ culture and economy

May 13, 2013Keith Gribbins

There are certain cities that are identified as craft beer epicenters. Some of those are metropolises like San Diego and Portland, and others are small craft brew burgs like Asheville, N.C., and Fort Collins, Colo. Some the craft breweries in those small cities have grown so much that it’s changing the local culture. Grand Rapids, Mich., is a great example. The city’s reputation and self-image have undergone a noticeable swing, in part because of craft beer. The local ABC affiliate did a great piece of the town’s evolving economy and culture.

A town that not too long ago might have been perceived as staid is rallying around its brewers — perhaps never more noticeably than this week, as the scene’s supporters campaign for online votes to retain its Beer City USA title, which it co-held with Asheville, N.C., in 2012.

“I think the craft beer movement has changed Grand Rapids. … Politicians are waking up to the fact that craft beer is pumping tax dollars into the economy, generating income for the local businesses and so on,” said Steve Siciliano, whose Siciliano’s Market on the city’s west side is a mecca for craft-beer buyers and home-brewing enthusiasts. “We did have that reputation of being a very reserved, very conservative area. Grand Rapids is still conservative. But not as much as five years ago.”

Founders Brewing Co. is the biggest Grand Rapids brewhouse, but other local breweries like Grand Rapids Brewing Co. and HopCat are making the city a craft mecca. Learn more by watching the video above.

Founders Brewing
New Founders Brewing beer benefits ArtPrize
Founders Brewed4Us Logo
The ‘positive turmoil’ that propelled Founders Brewing into 2014
Founders Brewing Logo
Founders Brewing updates expansion timeline, delays distribution and canning
Grand Rapids breweries unite to create cool Beer City Brewers Guild

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nathan Stano says

    May 13, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    Nathan Stano liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  2. Weber Packaging Solutions, Inc. says

    May 13, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    Weber Packaging Solutions, Inc. liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  3. DenverBeerGuy says

    May 13, 2013 at 11:37 am

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: The craft beer boom has changed Grand Rapids’ culture and economy. Watch how @CityGrandRapids http://t.co/jcuurQzoCc

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Breweries that host RV travelers via Harvest Hosts can earn some extra cash
  • Joyride Brewing’s anniversary block party is going to be pretty rad, includes friendly collab competition
  • The wheeled Perlick Mobile Tap is a cool new roving beer station
  • A behind the scenes look at branding a startup brewery

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • A behind the scenes look at branding a startup brewery
    June 28, 2022
  • robot beer salesThe future of retail beer sales is here
    June 27, 2022
  • Sapporo to acquire Stone Brewing, that one brewery that kept saying it wasn’t interested in selling out
    June 24, 2022
  • Reebok-x-Rec-2Harpoon collaborates with Reebok, Elysian reveals new tarot labels and more beers to know this week
    June 23, 2022
  • Carlsberg announces largest test trial of its fully recyclable Fiber Bottles (Mads Mikkelsen’s a fan)
    June 22, 2022
  • Strategic Partnership HandshakeHarpoon parent company buys Long Trail Brewing brands
    June 21, 2022

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2022 · CBB Media LLC

Posting....