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If you’re Kalamazoo and you’ve built a reputation as a mecca for the craft beer industry and its devoted fans, what do you do next? Make it bigger and better, naturally, so even more people can explore and enjoy some of the best Michigan has to offer in breweries—big and small.
Discover Kalamazoo, the county’s convention visitors’ bureau, is building on the popularity of its Give a Craft Beer Trail Passport program. It’s all part of a grand plan to expand beyond Kalamazoo County to include more of Southwest Michigan, home to some of the finest microbreweries anywhere.
“We also help to market the 269 area code and have decided it was a great next step to now expand this program beyond Kalamazoo County,” explained Dana Wagner, Director of Marketing & Communications for Discover Kalamazoo. “We hope this program expansion will ultimately bring more visitors to the area and generate continued excitement with Give a Craft.”
BY JON BECKER
It’s a great time to be a beer enthusiast in Southwest Michigan!
MIBREW TRAIL MAGAZINE
SPRING 2022
The beer trail passport program began in 2015. It’s since gone digital and more recently brought on 16 more breweries throughout the 269 area code.
New additions to the Give a Craft® Passport program include:
“Since the Give a Craft pass started in 2015, we have been looking for ways to reinvigorate the program for its continued success,” Wagner said. “The pass focused on breweries within Kalamazoo County and allowed participants to check into breweries and work toward earning a Give a Craft t-shirt once they had a minimum of 8 check ins.”
The digital passport makes it easy (no app required) for both breweries and beer enthusiasts to sign up.
Each brewer creates its own specials, including discounts on pints and appetizers, among other options. As a consumer, just visit a minimum of 8 participating breweries and collect a unique code at each location to check-in digitally on the mobile passport. This allows you to redeem discounts during your brewery visit. The revamped program remains free of charge.
“The pass has always been free for both the breweries to join and for people to participate and earn their prize,” Wagner said. “The digital platform allows breweries to include special offers and discounts to Give a Craft participants. We can also track the success rate of the program.”
Thus far, the response has been nothing short of outstanding. Some 2,179 people have signed up for the Give a Craft Pass and there has been 4,043 total check-ins at the participating breweries, according to Wagner. Pass users have come from 34 states and 3 countries outside the United States.
Check out Hearst’s newest brand showcasing Michigan Breweries at MiBrewTrail.com.
Back to Top
Home
MIBREW TRAIL MAGAZINE
SPRING 2022
“Kalamazoo is a craft beer destination,” Wagner said. “Southwest Michigan is a craft beer destination. What better way to celebrate than with a beer trail? The Give a Craft Beer Trail is a fun way to experience the beer scene around the 269 area code.”
There are two prize tiers for consumer: Level 1: check into a minimum of 8 participating breweries to receive a Give a Craft t-shirt. Level 2: Check into 8 more participating breweries (total of 16) to receive a Give a Craft backpack cooler.
*Limit of 1 t-shirt and 1 backpack cooler per completed passport. Limit of 1 digital passport per person per year. Passports are valid each year through December 31. No purchase necessary to participate.
There are now a total of 29 locations to check in to with more to be added throughout this year.
You can check out the full list of participating breweries at www.giveacraft.beer. Be sure to check back frequently because “there are even more breweries still signing up, so more will be added soon,” Wagner noted.
Kalamazoo and the rest of Southwest Michigan know a thing or two about hospitality. Check out the beer scene there on your next adventure. You won’t be disappointed.
If you’re Kalamazoo and you’ve built a reputation as a mecca for the craft beer industry and its devoted fans, what do you do next? Make it bigger and better, naturally, so even more people can explore and enjoy some of the best Michigan has to offer in breweries—big and small.
Discover Kalamazoo, the county’s convention visitors’ bureau, is building on the popularity of its Give a Craft Beer Trail Passport program. It’s all part of a grand plan to expand beyond Kalamazoo County to include more of Southwest Michigan, home to some of the finest microbreweries anywhere.
“We also help to market the 269 area code and have decided it was a great next step to now expand this program beyond Kalamazoo County,” explained Dana Wagner, Director of Marketing & Communications for Discover Kalamazoo. “We hope this program expansion will ultimately bring more visitors to the area and generate continued excitement with Give a Craft.”
The beer trail passport program began in 2015. It’s since gone digital and more recently brought on 16 more breweries throughout the 269 area code.
New additions to the Give a Craft® Passport program include:
Barn Brewers Brewery
Brewery Outré
Final Gravity Brewing- Decatur
Grand River Brewery
Guardian Brewing Company
Handmap Brewing
Liquid Note
Murray Street Brewing Company
Paw Paw Brewing Co
River Saint Joe Farmstead Brewery
Sister Lakes Brewing Company
Tantrick Brewing Co
Tapistry Brewing Co
Territorial Brewing Company
Three Blondes Brewing
Warner Brew Haus
“Since the Give a Craft pass started in 2015, we have been looking for ways to reinvigorate the program for its continued success,” Wagner said. “The pass focused on breweries within Kalamazoo County and allowed participants to check into breweries and work toward earning a Give a Craft t-shirt once they had a minimum of 8 check ins.”
The digital passport makes it easy (no app required) for both breweries and beer enthusiasts to sign up.
Each brewer creates its own specials, including discounts on pints and appetizers, among other options. As a consumer, just visit a minimum of 8 participating breweries and collect a unique code at each location to check-in digitally on the mobile passport. This allows you to redeem discounts during your brewery visit. The revamped program remains free of charge.
“The pass has always been free for both the breweries to join and for people to participate and earn their prize,” Wagner said. “The digital platform allows breweries to include special offers and discounts to Give a Craft participants. We can also track the success rate of the program.”
Thus far, the response has been nothing short of outstanding. Some 2,179 people have signed up for the Give a Craft Pass and there has been 4,043 total check-ins at the participating breweries, according to Wagner. Pass users have come from 34 states and 3 countries outside the United States.
Give a Craft
www.giveacraft.beer
Barn Brewers Brewery
Brewery Outré
Final Gravity Brewing- Decatur
Grand River Brewery
Guardian Brewing Company
Handmap Brewing
Liquid Note
Murray Street Brewing Company
Paw Paw Brewing Co
River Saint Joe Farmstead Brewery
Sister Lakes Brewing Company
Tantrick Brewing Co
Tapistry Brewing Co
Territorial Brewing Company
Three Blondes Brewing
Warner Brew Haus