Brewery Vivant Announces New Grand Lager, Farmer’s Hat & 2020 Release Calendar

From Brewery Vivant:

Brewery Vivant is releasing a beer into their year-round line up that may surprise fans of the European-inspired brewery. Grand Lager, touted as “Beer that is Beer,” will be released at Vivant and cousin location Broad Leaf Local Beer on February 20. The beer will be available on draft and in 16 oz cans with a special label featuring the Calder Plaza logo. Grand Lager will be featured at the Michigan Brewer’s Guild Winter Beer Festival over the weekend then roll into statewide distribution beginning February 24 as a draft-only product.

“While we love making the Belgian style beers we have been known for, sometimes we just need a regular kind of beer” says Head Brewer Jacob Derylo. As national trends push the definition of extreme, Vivant sees an opportunity to bring it back full circle. “Our industry has reached a point where putting Lucky Charms in your beer no longer seems strange so we thought we would go back to simple quality and see how that does,” Derylo adds. “I know that at the end of a hard day’s work for me, I look forward to having a beer that is beer.”

Craft beer has made gains over the years but still accounts for only 12% of overall beer sales in Michigan. Most beer consumed in the state still comes from foreign-owned breweries like Belgium-based InBev that owns Budweiser and South Africa-based SABMIller that owns the Miller, Coors and Molson brands. “Grand Lager is a beer we hope the people of West Michigan will embrace and be willing to trade up to. Lager is a familiar style for people, but we make ours with all grain malts and no cheap adjuncts like corn or rice like the big guys do” says CEO/ Founder Jason Spaulding. “We feel that Vivant has a strong brand with a reputation for quality. Our customers know what we stand for. If people want to support a truly locally-owned company that does great things for its community, all they have to do is vote with their choice for beer” Spaulding adds.

Also notable in the brewery’s 2020 release calendar is the “Unapologetic Fruit” line of beer. “What we set out to
do is make the best fruit beer you have ever had” notes Ryan Reichle, Distribution Director. “These four releases include fruit combinations that people in the Midwest are familiar with in pies & jams. Turns out that they are great beer combinations too.” The brewery is known as one of the top local producers for sour and wood aged beer. These fruit beers are blends of their premium sour beer, with freshly brewed beer and large
amounts of fruit. “The sour element really makes the fruit flavors pop. Normally beers like this would be sold in large format corked bottles. We feel great that we can release them in a convenient 16 oz can format,” Reichle adds. “Jam Jar” is making its first debut and contains blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and plum. The best known is “Strawberry Rhubarb Sour” which is released in April. The beer has been so popular and there have been so many requests that the Company is doubling production for this year.

About Brewery Vivant
Brewery Vivant is the world’s first LEED® certified commercial
microbrewery and one of a growing number of Certified B
Corporations. We brew beer in the European tradition with the
addition of American ingenuity. At our pub we strive to elevate
the enjoyment of beer & food and the sense of community in
everything we do. Brewery Vivant prides itself on being a
destination brewery in the “Beer City” of Grand Rapids. We are in the list of top 30 largest brewpubs in the U.S. according to
Brewer’s Association definitions and have distribution throughout the State of Michigan

I’ve also added in Cherry Apricot sour Unapologetic Fruit Series beer (5%-AbV, 16oz cans), Beach Patrol summer wheat ale with lime and sea salt (6%-AbV, 16oz cans), Farmer’s Hat New England-style IPA brewed with Citra, Amarillo and Huell Melon hops Witch’s Hat Brewing collaboration (6%-AbV, 16oz cans), Rapid IPA (16oz cans, 6.2%-AbV) & Straw Barb Unapologetic Fruit Series beer (5%-AbV, 16oz cans).