Hundreds of brewing professionals will gather once again at the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center for the Michigan Great Beer State Trade Show & Conference, January 14-16, 2026, presented by the Michigan Brewers Guild (MBG), Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) and Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA) - District Michigan.
Sessions on Wednesday morning geared toward Start-Up Breweries & Emerging Professionals, which may be of interest to individuals looking to break into or advance within the brewing industry. These sessions include From Classroom to Taproom: Brewing Education in Michigan, Anatomy of a Sales Call, and Technical & Business Resources for Breweries. Three sessions focused on a variety of Mental Health issues will also be offered on Wednesday prior to the Allied Member Trade Show, which features nearly 60 exhibitors providing goods and services to the brewing industry.
Following the MBG Annual Membership Meeting on Thursday morning, the group will hear special remarks from Dr. Tim Boring, Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). Afterward, this year’s Keynote Speaker, Ken Schramm of Michigan-based Schramm's Mead, will address attendees with his talk “The Future’s So Bright” (see details and bio below).
Author and noted beer writer Stan Hieronymus will present a General Session on Friday morning at 9am entitled “Talking Hops – A Love Language from Field to Kettle to Glass” as well as a breakout session on Thursday called “Timing is Everything – New Research into Hop Maturity Broadens Options for Brewers” (see details and bio below).
Another special guest speaker is Kathy Kelley - Professor of Horticultural Marketing and Business Management at Penn State University, who will present “Creating a Beverage Tourism Destination” at 2:30pm on Thursday (see details and bio below).
On Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, breakout sessions focus on three distinct tracks: brewing, business and agriculture (hops and barley). The complete schedule, including the featured speakers, can be found at MiBeer.com.
A highlight of the conference is the “Great Beer State Dinner,” a strolling food and beer pairing meal developed by Fred “The Beervangelist” Bueltmann and the culinary team at the Radisson. This follows a Happy Hour & Awards Ceremony, where the coveted Chinook Cup will be presented. The Guild will also recognize other leaders within the brewing community by presenting the 2025 Tom Burns Award, 2025 Michigan Beer Champion Award and 2025 Michigan Beer Defender Award.
Formed in 1997, the Michigan Brewers Guild held its first festival in July 1998. Today, it hosts four festivals dedicated exclusively to Michigan beer produced by its nearly 300 member breweries. Within the state, and beyond, Michigan is referred to as “The Great Beer State” consistently ranking in the Top 10 nationally for the number of breweries.
The Michigan Brewers Guild is a network of innovative and passionate brewers that serves as the recognized advocate for the Michigan beer industry. The mission of the Guild is to promote and protect the Michigan beer industry with an overarching goal to realize continued share growth and assure a healthy small business environment for breweries.
KEYNOTE: The Future’s So Bright with Ken Schramm, Schramm’s Mead
Craft beverages have faced more than their fair share of challenges over the 20 twenties. But hope springs eternal. The greatest alcoholic beverage producers have always known how to play the long game period alcohol appears to have been woven into human culture for tens of thousands of years, and for very good reasons. Over the past 110 years, American beer has made it through pandemics and prohibition. Let's look at how craft can capitalize on the solid foundation of humans seemingly eternal love with alcohol to create a bright future for our trade.
Often referred to as The Godfather of Mead, Ken is the majority owner of Schramm’s Mead, a family owned and operated meadery which opened in September 2013. Schramm’s specializes in fruit meads made with real, whole fruit, and unique honeys such as Tasmanian Leatherwood and Scottish Heather. Schramm began brewing and making mead in 1988, became a Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judge in 1989, and in 1992 he co-founded the Mazer Cup Mead Competition, the world’s oldest mead-only competition. He’s presented at conferences across North America over the past 30+ years, and at meadmaking seminars at UC Davis. He is the author of The Compleat Meadmaker (©2003, Brewers Publications). He received the 2014 American Homebrewers Association (AHA) Committee Recognition Award, and the 2018 American Mead Makers Association (AMMA) Roger Morse Lifetime Achievement Award. Schramm’s Mead’s “Year Three” was the highest rated beverage in the world in the 2024 UnTappd Community awards. In addition to Thursday morning’s Keynote, Ken will present a breakout session on Friday called “Crafting Mead.”
GENERAL SESSION: Talking Hops – A Love Language from Field to Kettle to Glass with Author & Beer Writer Stan Hieronymus
The rise and retreat of craft beer sales and American hop acreage mirror each other period quite obviously, new hot varieties and innovative products have been good for brewers, and IPA's have been good for the hop production. As both growers and Brewers seek to resume growth, they must reconsider how they work together and celebrate hops in flavor, aroma and even in choosing words for each audience.
Stan has been a contributor to many beer-focused publications, as well as writing about beer in other periodicals, since 1993. He is a former editor at RealBeer.com and ProBrewer.com, and former co-travel editor for All About Beer magazine. He has authored several books including Brewing Local (2016), For the Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops (2012), Brewing with Wheat (2010) and Brew like a Monk (2005). On Thursday afternoon, Stan will lead a breakout session geared toward brewers and growers and then on Friday morning he will present a General Session for all conference attendees.
Creating a Beverage Tourism Destination with Professor Kathy Kelley.
Kathy will present on trends describing what tasting rooms and related alcoholic beverage venues can implement to attract visitors. Strategies include developing events based on national trend data, partnering with complementary businesses, and customizing experiences based on surveying visitors and loyalty program members.
Kathy joined Penn State’s faculty in November 2001 and holds a 25% teaching, 25% research, and 50% extension appointment. Her research interests include studying consumer consumption of alcoholic beverages, purchasing attitudes and behaviors, and factors that encourage visits to tasting rooms. Kathy’s extension responsibilities encompass developing business and marketing educational programs for alcohol brands and tasting rooms. To help facilitate conversations, representatives from local tourism and visitor bureaus, as well as other hospitality related organizations, will be invited to attend this session.