Summer starts at Crystal with Beer & Brat Festival

Crystal Mountain welcomes another summer season with over 60 Michigan craft beers and a dozen different brats from local markets during the 7th Annual Michigan Beer & Brat Festival, Saturday, May 26 (3-9pm).

Short’s, Bell’s, Jolly Pumpkin, New Holland, and Founders have been anchors of the festival for years.  A number of new brewers will take part in 2012 including Cheboygan Brewing Company, Frankenmuth Brewery, Dark Horse Brewing Company, Liberty Street Brewing, Midland Brewing, B Nektar Meadery, and Saugatuck Brewing Company. These craft beers come in three sizes: a Slug (enough for a taste) for $1, a Chug (have a mug) for $2, and a Mug for $4 with select premium beers available for $6.

Over a dozen varieties of brats from Honor Family Market (Honor), Pleva’s (Cedar), Maxbauer (Traverse City), Dublin Market (Copemish), Ebel’s (Falmouth), and Bunting’s (Cedar) make up the other half of the menu. Flavors ranging from Philly Cheese to Apple-Bacon to Smoked Cajun will be available $2 for a half and $4 for a whole.

Photo courtesy of crystalmountain.com

Admission to the Michigan Beer & Brat Festival is $6 and includes live music from Jason & Nick (3-6pm) and The Outer Vibe (6-9pm). Tickets and tokens for beer and brats can be purchased online (click here).  Crystal Mountain will once again partner with Bay Area Recycling for Charities to make the festival a zero-waste event using washable utensils and glasses while recycling or composting other waste.

Memorial Day Weekend marks the beginning of the summer season at Crystal Mountain with the opening of the Park at Water’s Edge and the Crystal Coaster Alpine Slide. The annual Golf Demo Day is also on Saturday, May 26 (10am-4pm) at the Practice Center featuring clubs from Callaway, Titleist, Cobra, Cleveland, and more. Plus, free clinics, games, food, and prizes.