UNION PIER, Mich. — Michigan is known for its beer scene, with Grand Rapids boasting the title of Beer City, USA and hundreds of craft breweries dotted across the state.
Each year, USA Today releases a list that dives into the best of the beer scene in the U.S., ranging from categories like Beer City—which Grand Rapids has a long history of winning—to the best beer label.
This year, a distillery in a small town of 600 people has taken home the title of Best New Brewery: Seedz Brewery in Union Pier.
Union Pier is an unincorporated area of Berrien County, just miles from the Indiana border and near the Lake Michigan shoreline. The town is best known for being home to St. Julian Winery and Distillery—but with this new designation from USA Today, that could change.
The idea behind Seedz Brewery started back when founder Ryan Ziarko began brewing beer in his cousin's basement during college. His goal of opening his own brewery was put on hold until he graduated and began working at Burn 'Em Brewing, where he learned more about creating recipes and perfecting his brew.
In 2019, Ziarko, a New Buffalo native, bought the building that now houses the taproom and tasting room and began renovating it.
Ziarko aimed to open the tasting room in 2020. Those plans were postponed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Michigan in March. During that time, Ziarko worked on new recipes and brews to wow customers upon opening.
Seedz officially opened in February 2021 with the brewery's first bottled beer, called Sleeping Sickness.
Now, Seedz offers small-batch brews made with local ingredients, specializing in German and Belgian styles. The brewery offers slow pours—which can take up to seven minutes to pour—to get a pile of foam on top of the brew.
USA Today's picks are chosen first by experts and then voted on by readers.
You can learn more about Seedz Brewery here.
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