Feb 16, 2022

Michigan Craft Beverage Council names 13 recipients of 2022 research grants

The Michigan Craft Beverage Council (MCBC) has announced 13 projects will receive funding through its 2022 research grant program.

MCBC recommended $335,000 in project support for research and education, advancing agricultural inputs for craft beer, spirits, wine, and hard cider. Six of the proposals selected are continuation projects from the 2021 and 2020 grant programs in good standing. The projects leverage more than $170,000 in matching funds.

“I’m proud the Michigan’s Craft Beverage Council is focused on advancing the beverage industry through collaboration, innovation and relationship building,” Gary McDowell, chair of the Michigan Craft Beverage Council and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said in a news release. “These grants provide a variety of opportunities to local businesses and reinforces that Michigan is a world-class craft beverage destination.”

The 2022 research grants align with the following research priorities of the Council: climate change impacts; crop quality including pest and disease management and soil health; new varieties of hops, fruit, barley, rye, and other agricultural inputs used in craft beverage production; and sustainable water use and wastewater discharge projects.

Projects selected for 2022 research funding include:

• New apple varieties for Michigan hard cider production
• Evaluation of corn varieties for the Michigan craft distilling industry
• Evaluation of new herbicide in Michigan hops for crop safety and weed control
• On-going evaluation of winter hardiness to advance winter malting barley as a climate adaptation strategy in Michigan
• Role of planting date and seeding rate in optimizing winter survival, yield, and quality of malting barley
• Evaluating terroir of rye whiskey in Michigan – Genotype x
• Evaluation of apple fruit rot control and of the diversity of wild yeast populations on cider and dessert apple varieties and outcomes on fermentation
• Field scale management of late season cluster rots to increase crop quality of Michigan wine grapes
• Monitoring statewide grapevine cold hardiness evaluations to develop the Michigan grapevine cold hardiness model
• Michigan grape and wine industry educational project
• Reducing fungicide inputs without sacrificing late season disease management and crop quality in Michigan hop and barley production
• Evaluation of a greenhouse ecosystem to manage craft beverage wastewater
• Education and training for P45 wine grape growers

At the close of the grant cycle, final reports will be posted to the Council’s website research database. Searchable by keyword, author, year, category and crop, the database is designed to make the research of the Council easily accessed by industry members.

For more information about the Michigan Craft Beverage Council, including grants, grower connections, business support, and a map of craft beverage licensees, visit michigancraftbeverage.com.

The Michigan Craft Beverage Council is a 10-member, governor-appointed board that is advisory to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and was established to provide for research, marketing and promotion of Michigan agricultural products that are used in the production of Michigan craft beverages.