By Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
Brewing beer is something that has been around for thousands of years and it’s process is quite simple. Take a few ingredients, boil it, cool it down, add yeast and let it ferment.
As the craft beer phenomenon exploded in Michigan, especially over the past decade, it sparked an excitement for home brewers to play with recipes and become creative and complex with that simple process.
The Michigan Homebrew Festival (MHF) is an offshoot of that excitement bringing together hobbyists and competing for beer bragging rights.
Now in it’s seventh year, the MHF has outgrown their space at Groveland Oaks County Park and will set up at Camp Agawam on Clarkston Road.
The membership-based festival has grown from a mere 20 people to now drawing hundreds of craft beer artisans and enthusiasts.
The festival will run from Wednesday, August 17 to Sunday, August 21 and throughout the event they’ll have beer and food pairings, brewing challenges, a festival dinner, and will be announcing the best home brewed beers for 2016.
“If you have brewed beer before and are looking for a group of people that you can share ideas with this is the group you want to be with,” MHF Event Organizer Ben Ruppel said. “Even if you’ve never made your own beer before and you’re interested in coming to an event like ours it can answer and fill in so many blanks.”
Home brewers will have samples of their beer, vendors will be on hand showing off new products and brewing equipment, and local brewing clubs will have information about joining.
Their move from Groveland Oaks in Ortonville came out of need for more space.
According to Ruppel, they were designated to a 20-30 acre area and with renting Camp Agawam, they’ll have the ability to utilize the park’s 140 acre footprint.
Ruppel, who’s been brewing his own beer for a decade, says the MHF is an event that celebrates the art of brewing beer and gathering likeminded individuals enjoying the hobby and trading ideas. There won’t be any beer sold at the festival, and according to Ruppel, it’s not an event that gets out of control.
“This is not a large beer party, this is not a large beer tent, it’s not a kegger, and there’s no professional beer on site,” he said.
“The kind of person that we love to see and welcome with open arms are people that know craft beer and want to take that next step and possibly make their own beer.”
Members from MHF hope to pay-it-forward to Camp Agawam as they feel it’ll be a perfect fit for their festival for years to come.
Leading up to festival in the coming years they’re hoping to volunteer their time to help beautify the park and make it a home away from home for the township and the festival.
“If you come in and take care of something, you’re much more appreciative of it and I think looking at Camp Agawam, it is a jewel of the township,” Ruppel said.
“It’s a really perfect fit and we hope the township knows that we want to do things that will also benefit the park and benefit the township.”
In order to attend the Michigan Homebrew Festival, attendees will have to purchase memberships. A $30 membership will allow festival goers to attend on Saturday only.
For those interested in camping throughout the festival, that cost will range from $80-$500.
It’s preferred that festival goers purchase tickets online before the festival at mhfsite.com.
More information about the event, including a schedule of activites, can also be found on the website.
Camp Agawam is located at 1301 Clarkston Road.