North vs. South: Civil Beer War underway in Maple City

Amidst the rolling hills and serene lakes of Leelanau County a great battle has begun. The Michigan Civil Beer War began with its first battle this weekend at the Little Traverse Inn in Maple City. The competition, which will take place through March, pits the breweries of the Northern part of the state against “heavyweights” of the South.

Graeme Leask, owner of Little Traverse Inn, began working on the creative competition earlier this fall. “I had mentioned the idea to a group of fellow beer enthusiasts whilst they were at the Inn, one afternoon in early fall. During our conversation it evolved into a ‘Civil’ beer war, where we were going to pit Northern Breweries versus Southern,” he explained.

After making contact with breweries and distributors, contenders for the first rounds were randomly drawn. First up: Stormcloud Brewing Company vs. New Holland Brewing Company.

Stormcloud opened less than 2 years ago in Frankfort, but has made a large impression on the craft market with its t

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