Craft beer in Bellaire was a tough go at first. It’s almost funny to think about those early days now, as Short’s closes in on its 10th anniversary and a brand synonymous with craft brewing in Michigan. Some 20 brews on tap at the Bellaire pub every day Find it: 121 N. Bridge St., Bellaire, 231.498.2300     Microbrew Madness, The Ticker

Siren Hall is one of Mike Albaugh’s Picks for its scrumptious Seared Sea Scallops. Here’s the write-up:

Pearlescent divers scallops are seared and served alongside pork belly confit, Parmesan risotto, shaved Brussels sprouts and finished with truffle-infused veal demi-glace.   Posting

Green Elk Rapids Days Reception-Fundraiser

Sunday April 21, 3-5 p.m., at Blue Heron Gallery

Please join us to celebrate Earth Day, learn about Green Elk Rapids 2013
and why we work to make our village more “green.”

Enjoy local beverages, local hor d’oeuvres, local talent.

Suggested $10 donation

www.greenelkrapidsdays.com 

Chair person:  231-264-0618

Meijer presented plan modifications that included adding around 4800 square feet to the store, as well as less noticeably changes like moving the location of the pharmacy and bottle return. The commission approved the changes in an unanimous vote.    UpNorthLive

1. Evergreen Market is hosting Business After Hours at 8066 US 31, Williamsburg on March 21 from 5-7 p.m. Please join us for an evening of networking and socializing.
2. We have fewer than 10 openings for the Northern Michigan Business Expo and Job Fair, sponsored by Wanigan Corporation, Michigan Works and Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. This event will be held April 18 at the Williamsburg Dinner Theatre. See the flyer. Please print the ad and post it at your business.
3. The Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce Community Awards Dinner is planned for April 26 and will be held at the Turtle Creek Casino. Since so many of our community organizations also hold awards presentations with or without a dinner, we have invited any organization that wished to participate to present an award that evening. To our surprise and delight, we have six community organizations that will partner with us for this event: Elk Rapids Women’s Club, Music House Museum, Elk Rapids Harbor Days, Elk Rapids Lions Club, Elk Rapids Schools, and the Elk Rapids Fire Department. Tickets are $45.00 per person or $425.00 per table of 10. Sponsorship opportunities are available. See the attached flyer. For information contact the Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce at 231-264-8202 or email Annie Spence at aspence@elkrapidschamber.org  (Source: Email from Chamber)

Public Expo Flyer

Annual Flyer

In 1978, there were 89 breweries in the United States; at the beginning of this year, there were 2,336, with an average of one new brewery per day. Most of them are tiny, but a handful, like Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada, have become large national brands. At the same time, sales of Budweiser in the United States have dropped for 25 consecutive years.         NYT

But there is consolidation afoot, starting at the top. I’ve posted before about the pending merger between the parent companies of Budweiser and Corona. The Justice Department is investigating it for possible monopolistic tendencies.

What will become of the craft brewers? Time will tell.  See also: Is Bud afraid of craft beer?

Special thanks to britlog for pointing out this article.

Forty-eight shots of espresso, some protein powder, two bananas, a few caramel drizzle Frappuccino chips, some vanilla bean and a little soy later, Beau Chevassus ordered what may be the most expensive Starbucks drink ever on Feb. 9. He dubbed the $47.30 monstrosity the “Quadriginoctuple Frap.”    MSN

The new Meijer supercenters opening in 2013 be [sic] in: • Swartz Creek, Michigan • Portage, Indiana • Detroit, Michigan • Danville, Illinois • Evergreen Park, Illinois • Warsaw, Indiana.       Meijer Press Release

On Super Bowl Sunday, millions of Americans will devour chicken wings as they  watch the Baltimore Ravens duke it out with the San Francisco 49ers. That’s 1.23 billion to be exact. So says the National Chicken Council, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association for whom this weekend’s Super Bowl is,  well, their Super Bowl.

“This is without a doubt the biggest day of the year for  chicken wings,” said Tom Super, the group’s vice president for  communications.     Politico

At two wings per chicken, that’s a lot of poultry.

Also see:  The Great Chicken Wing Shortage of 2013 – Slate

The craft beer industry only accounts for about 5 percent of the $80 billion U.S. beer market — peanuts compared to AB InBev, the maker of Budweiser and other beers, which commands a 39 percent share of that market.

But Goliath is very, very scared of David. The number of U.S. craft brewers jumped from 537 in 1994 to more than 2,000 as of July 2012, according to The Brewers Association, a national trade group. Meanwhile, Budweiser shipments in the U.S. declined 13 percent from 2009 to 2011, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights, a trade publication, and sales of Budweiser to U.S. retailers in the first nine months of 2012 fell by 6 percent in volume, Bloomberg reported.

The increasing popularity of craft beer was a major factor in AB InBev’s decision to buy rival Grupo Modelo, Corona’s parent company, according to internal documents from AB InBev released Thursday by the Justice Department, which sued to block the $21 billion purchase.     Huffington Post