The Michigan Brewers Guild presented its 2025 Defender of Michigan Beer Award to Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) at its annual conference Thursday night, January 9, 2025, at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo. Introduced in 2023, the award recognizes a legislator who is important to the industry for their own distinct service and commitment.
Scott Newman-Bale of Short’s Brewing Company, co-chair of the Guild’s Government Affairs Committee and former Guild president, presented the award in front of about 300 people from the Michigan brewing industry.
“Senator McMorrow is a true champion of our industry,” Newman-Bale says. “When everyone else in Lansing failed to recognize a trojan horse of a bill, she noticed that something was not right and took a public stand. While she stood alone at the time, her action led to others asking questions to the point that bill detrimental to the craft brewing industry was not passed.”
Senator McMorrow was elected in 2018 and began her service in January 2019, today representing the 8th Senate District (which includes parts of Clawson, Detroit, Royal Oak, Beverly Hills, and all of Berkley, Birmingham, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, and Royal Oak Township). She became the Senate Majority Whip on January 1, 2023.
The Michigan Brewers Guild was formed in 1997 and held its first festival in July 1998. Today, the Guild hosts four festivals dedicated exclusively to Michigan beer produced by its nearly 300 member breweries.
The Michigan Brewers Guild is the network of innovative and passionate brewers that serve as the recognized advocate for the Michigan craft beer industry. The mission of the Michigan Brewers Guild is to promote and protect the Michigan craft beer industry with an overarching goal to help craft beer acquire 20% of the market by 2025.
Michigan’s thriving brewing industry contributes more than 17,000 full-time jobs and $700 million in labor income / wages, with a total economic impact of over $2.4 billion. In terms of overall number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks #6 in the nation—supporting its title as “The Great Beer State.”