While some folks figure that a beach town like St. Joe rolls up the sidewalks once Christmas and New Years have come and gone and then hibernates until the spring thaw, nothing could be further from the truth. We’ll only be a few weeks into the New Year when St. Joseph Today begins a steady diet of downtown events and fun for everyone beginning with the weekend of January 25th and 26th.
That’s when the hearty crew at St. Joe Today fires up the 7th Annual Downtown Chili Tour followed by the 4th Annual St. Joe Winter Beer Fest, sponsored by The Buck Burgers and Brew and Re/Max by the Lake.
Southwest Michigan is a year-round craft beer destination. The Buck Burgers and Brew is owned by Ken Kozminski and he’ll be the first to tell you that, “January in Michigan is a perfect time to celebrate the craft brew industry.” He promises, “There will be a great mix of both regional and local brewers — 16 in all — bringing some outstanding specialty brews to this event. Expect to sample some of the best beers ever brewed and some never brewed before.”
The Beer Fest runs from noon until 4pm on Saturday, January 26th, with tickets going on sale at 10am next Wednesday, January 2nd. If you are 21 years of age or older, Ken and his friends are encouraging you to emerge from whatever hibernation you are planning and meet your friends atop the bluff at the corner of Broad Street and Lake Boulevard for the popular outdoor St. Joe Winter Beer Fest.
With tickets limited to only 850 available, Amy Zapal, executive director of St. Joseph Today has some advice, “This is one of the hottest tickets around. People come from all over the region to participate in this awesome fest.” Tickets going on sale at 10am on January 2nd will run you $35 in advance.
Your ticket price includes: admission, tasting cup, 12 tokens (one token per sample), entertainment courtesy of JellieFish Productions, and winter camaraderie. Food will be available for purchase from Nosh Village and Twisted Dawg. Festival attendees can order tickets online at themendelcenter.com or purchase them at the St. Joseph Today Welcome Center located at 301 State Street in the heart of downtown St. Joseph.
Zapal expects that beer fans will be excited about the lineup of Michigan breweries planned for the festival. Breweries include:
- Barn Brewers
- Bell’s Brewery
- Big Lake Brewing
- Black Dragon Meadery
- Ellison Brewery
- Founders Brewing Co.
- The Livery
- North Pier Brewing Co.
- Old Nation Brewery
- Round Barn Brewery
- Short’s Brewing Co.
- Silver Harbor Brewing Co.
- Sister Lakes Brewing Co.
- Tapistry Brewing Co.
- Watermark Brewing Co.
- Waypost Brewing Co.
St. Joe Today organizers are highly appreciative of the teams from The Buck Burgers and Brew, Beaudoin Electrical Construction, Re/Max by the Lake, and SWMI Brew Tours for their sponsorship of Winter Beer Fest and for their support of the community.
Everybody’s encouraged to make a full weekend out of it in Michigan’s Great Southwest. Launch your visit with the 7th Annual Downtown Chili Tour on Friday, January 25th. Whether you like your chili mild or fiery hot…your chili-inspired desserts simply sweet or sweet and spicy…or toasty hot beverages, you will find more than 25 ways to chase away the chill at the hugely popular Downtown Chili Tour which welcomed so many people last year tickets had to be reprinted several times over to accommodate the interest.
If you’d like to learn more about these and other winter events coming up, contact St. Joseph Today. You can visit them online at stjoetoday.com, or at facebook.com/stjoetoday or you can call 269-985-1111. You can even visit their Welcome Center at 301 State Street in the central business district.
St. Joseph Today is a membership-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, dedicated to developing and promoting events and businesses in St. Joseph, and its surrounding communities.
