I’ll level with you:  I’m no blogger!!!  When I get inspired to write (about every 15 years or so) look out!  So when laying out www.craftbeerlocator.com, we all agreed that allowing the brewers an opportunity to blog would be a good thing.  We also agreed that we would use the blog too!  However, it’s not easy to keep active . . . especially when life is so busy.

But sometimes a flash of inspiration hits and you tell yourself, “Hey!  Get busy!  Write something!!!” So here’s my day:  I spent a good portion of this day inviting people to our Release Party tomorrow night in downtown Detroit.  We look forward to seeing 50 – 70 beer people there.  I have two good friends helping put this together:  Jon Piepenbrok and Jason Peltier.  Both are passionate about craft beer and are extending themselves in behalf of me and Craft Beer Locator.  Thank you guys! You are AWESOME!!!

Among my calls today was to a start-up beer company in Michigan, Wolverine State Brewing Company (www.wolverinebeer.com).  At this point, Wolverine is having their beer contract-brewed at Michigan Brewing.  (By the way, Michigan Brewing contracts for several other companies and does an AMAZING job!)

Wolverine at this point has one beer available in the market and I have seen it in several stores.  It’s an American Lager.  Now before you roll your eyes and let out a sigh, save your judgment until you try it!  I had my first sample of this beer at Bo’s Bistro (Pontiac, MI) last week.  It was surprisingly good!  I will tell you that this is not normally a beer I would choose to drink.  After all, I’m the guy who will drink water at a wedding reception where the only thing they have is Bud!  However, Wolverine is NOT Bud.  Let me count the ways:

1)  They are not owned by a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate!
2)  They are not owned by a company headquartered on another continent!
3)  They are not a company that has hundreds-of-thousands of employees!
4)  They are not a company with a budget for several Super Bowl commercials!
5)  They are not a company with a few hundred other beers in their stable!
6 – ???) Wolverine is not a Fortune 500 company, does not have an equestrian estate with draft horses, doesn’t own billboards, trucks, distribution companies, multiple-locations . . . you probably get the picture.

Let’s talk about what they are:  Wolverine State Brewing Company is a small company with a passion for making beer.  The company has three partners:  Matt Roy, Trevor Thrall and E. T. Crowe.  They have brought on Oliver Roberts as their brewer and they look forward to brewing soon in their Ann Arbor location (three blocks away from The Big House) at 2019 West Stadium.  Local Ann Arborites will recognize their location as the “Old George’s Warehouse.” Wolverine will really be focusing on the tail-gating crowd for the games come the 2010 football season and will have 6 – 8 taps available at their bar, with plenty of room for watching the games on one of their TV’s if you weren’t able to get tickets.

Here’s what their beer lineup will look like:
Wolverine Premium Lager: I like what their approach is here.  Wolverine sees this as not only their flagship beer but as a “gateway beer” to the craft beer world.  Someone who drinks the macro-brewed beer this country offers will find this a pleasant surprise!  A premium American lager with real flavor!!!
Dark Lager: This beer will be available late in 2010.
Light Beer: This will not be a watered-down version of their Premium Lager, but will be a “true light beer.”  Using enzymes, Wolverine will be able to offer a beer that is truly light in calories but NOT light in taste!

Okay, I already admitted that this is a beer that I normally wouldn’t order at a tap room or grab a six-pack to take home.  So why take the time to write about this?

1)  They are not a “me too” company.  They are not positioning themselves on a gimmick (remember the beer “Moon Shot” in the movie Beer Wars?  The caffeinated beer with the number 69 on the label???  COME ON!!! Is there really a niche beer market for 15 -20 year-olds???).  They have a product with much more flavor than the “Big Three.”  They know they are not a Founders or a Dogfish Head and this is not the market they want to enter.  They see hundreds of millions of BMC drinkers out there who may give another beer a chance, but not that ‘hop bomb’ that we may love.  Wolverine is marketing their product as a “gateway product” to craft beers.  That’s a good thing!

2)  While I have yet to meet Matt Roy and Trevor Thrall, I have met E. T. Crowe.  Within seconds of meeting E. T. you feel her passion for what she does . . . a passion for her product and her company.  Have you seen Wolverine Premium Lager in your favorite beer store?  If so, it was E. T.’s passion that got it there!  E. T. is also an avid blogger.  Check out her work at www.a2beerwench.com.

3)  I’m someone who has not been in a Walmart for over three years.  I drive cars that my neighbors helped build. I try to buy local whenever and wherever possible.  I live in Michigan and purchase Michigan products when I can.  (Please don’t call me a hypocrite if you see a Belgian beer or two in my cellar.)  I’m really tired of the homogenization of the products forced down our throats by humongous companies.  I like seeing the small start-up companies succeed against the odds . . . going to market with a great product and a tireless energy to share their message with the world!

I wish Wolverine State Brewing Company success as they move forward.  We’ll keep you in the loop as they do.  In the mean time, if you see Wolverine in a beer store pick up a six-pack for that certain neighbor / relative who stops in and wants a beer.  Perhaps you’ll be repaid when you stop over his (or her) place and notice the fridge isn’t loaded with bad beer thanks to you opening the gate!