“Initially, we started the partnership with Pure Michigan to promote Michigan’s hop-and-malt production, but since a lot of those farms are gone it has evolved to promote both Michigan agriculture and tourism.” Scott Newman-Bale, CEO for Short’s Brewing stated. 

 

Inspiring tourism and encouraging travelers to enjoy a Michigan-grown (and brewed!) beverage while traveling in the state have been among the goals of the partnership since the beginning. 

 

In 2025 Short’s Brewing purchased over 70,000 pounds of Michigan-grown malts and hops for their Pure Michigan product line. This year the brewer is adding Michigan-grown cherries and Michigan-grown apples to the mix for two new releases.

 

Pure Michigan Hard Cider is the first hard cider to gain Pure Michigan and Michigan Apple Committee stamps of approval. The cider is made with a blend of 100% Michigan Apples sourced from Peterson Farms in Hart, Michigan. The cider is bone dry with less than one gram of sugar, and is in stores now under the brewers hard cider line, Starcut Ciders.

 

“As the largest and most valuable fruit crop in Michigan, we appreciate Short’s spotlighting the great flavor of Michigan-grown apples in their newest Starcut Ciders release,” said Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee. “The collaboration between Short’s Brewing, Pure Michigan and Michigan Apples is a meaningful acknowledgment of our great agricultural tradition in Michigan, our dedicated apple growers, our successful processing companies and Michigan’s vast agritourism industry. What a delicious way to celebrate our state’s culture.”

 

Pure Michigan Cherry Kölsch features Balaton-cherry concentrate from King Orchards in Central Lake alongside grains and malt from Great Lakes Malting Company in Traverse City and hops from Top Hops in Goodrich, Michigan. Pure Michigan Cherry Kölsch is crisp and refreshing with a tart-cherry finish and will be available on draft and in six packs in May.

 

“At King Orchards, we love seeing Michigan-grown ingredients come together in something that celebrates our region.” Jack King of King Orchards shared, “Collaborations like this remind people where their food—and their cherries—come from, and we hope it inspires folks to visit the farm this summer to pick fresh fruit straight from the trees.”

 

Look for Starcut Cider’s Pure Michigan Hard Cider and Short’s Brewing’s Pure Michigan Cherry Kölsch on draft and in six packs near you, or head Up North to Elk Rapids or Bellaire and try them on draft, direct from the source. Many Pure Michigan brews will be on-draft for Short’s Brewing 22nd anniversary on April 25th in downtown Bellaire, Michigan.

 

For sales info: sales@shortsbrewing.com