Alexander Alusheff

Lansing State Journal

PORTLAND – In the past two years, Jared Green has seen the craft beer scene take hold in Portland.

"When we got here, Portland was behind on the scene and not too many people were exposed to craft beer," said Green, head brewer and co-owner of The Gallery Brewery, which opened downtown at the end of 2014. "We've tapped onto an underdeveloped community, and it's cool to see it grow."

Portland will showcase its local craft brewery along with many other breweries from the region this Saturday during the second annual Beerfest on the Bridge. This year’s festival, hosted on the historic truss-style Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Grand River, features 14 breweries, two cideries and one winery.

The lineup has changed from last year, with more local breweries featured. A handful have opened in the area since the last festival. The local breweries include The Gallery, Steele Street Brewing, Sanctuary Spirits, EagleMonk Pub and Brewery, Ellison Brewery & Spirits and Uncle John's Cider Mill.

Others include Arbor Brewing Co., Atwater Brewery, Bee Well Meadery, Bell's Brewery, Latitude 42 Brewing Co., Leelanau Cellars, New Holland Brewing Co., North Peak Brewing Co. and Saugatuck Brewing Co.

Lansing's craft beer scene is booming

Paul Starr, of I'm a Beer Hound, is one of the organizers of the event. He said, while the lineup has been expanded, it's still smaller and more intimate than most beer festivals, and the bridge setting is unique.

"If we were going to do a festival in Portland, then it had to be unique," Starr said. "That bridge is pretty cool. With any beer fest, you need to have a cool atmosphere. It gives people a reason to come to Portland who normally wouldn't drive here."

Last year, the festival drew nearly 500 people and raised $6,000 for Portland's Main Street 50/50 grant-matching program, which helped downtown businesses make repairs caused by the tornado that struck the city in June of 2015. Proceeds from this year's festival will again go to the program to pay for improvement and beautification projects, said Shelley Perry, program manager.

"The beerfest was a great coming together for our community after the tornado," Perry said. "Now that everything is rebuilt, it is more of a celebration of what we did as a community."

Alexander Alusheff is a reporter with the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.

Beerfest on the Bridge

Beerfest on the Bridge runs from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets cost $30 or $35 at the gate and come with 10 tasting tickets. A VIP ticket costs $40 and allows people entry into the festival at 2 p.m. with a logo tasting glass and 15 tasting tickets.

The event will also include food from Sweet Carolines BBQ, Tommies Family Catering and The Pizza Oven. Live music will be performed by Don Middlebrook, Pearl Divers and We Three Strings.

To get tickets, visit beeronbridge.com.