New Holland aims to use 100% Michigan-grown ingredients

It takes a village to raise a great craft brewery, and once that brewery becomes a success, it’s time to give back to the village. It’s local support that makes the brewing community so successful, and that support goes both ways. We noticed recently that New Holland Brewing Co. once again renewed its long-standing commitment to support Michigan — specifically agriculture in this case — with an announcement from its Pub on 8th restaurant and brewpub in downtown Holland.

The brewery is committing that by 2016, all specialty beers brewed at Pub on 8th will be brewed exclusively with Michigan grown ingredients, including malted barley, wheat, hops, fruit and yeast.

“New Holland was our first customer and will remain one of our biggest customers for years to come,” stated Erik May, president of Pilot Malt House in Grand Rapids, Mich. “It’s one thing to say you ‘support local’ and you ‘buy local’ but New Holland lives and breathes it. We hope to fill a much-needed gap in their supply chain and further their connection to Michigan agriculture. It’s always our honor to deal with New Holland, particularly on something as important as The Hollander.”

On Friday, April 3rd, New Holland will kick off their largest commitment to Michigan agriculture to date, with collaborative brew, “The Hollander — Michigan Saison.” The Hollander, is collaboration between New Holland, Tulip Time and several Michigan suppliers, including: Empire Hop Farms, Top Hops, Hopyards Of Kent, Hophead Farms, Michigan Malting, Pilot Malt House and Craft Cultures. Holland Mayor, Kurt Dykstra, Pure Michigan, Michigan Brewers Guild, Michigan Beer Trail and Michigan Beer Guide will also be on hand to toss in some hops, smell the mash and send the brew on its path for a Tulip Time release.

The Hollander is pure Michigan from top to bottom, featuring a yeast strain from the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the U.P., 100-percent Michigan-grown hops from our four suppliers, 50 percent Michigan-grown and malted barley, 100-percent pure Lake Michigan water.

“This growing opportunity is about going beyond just substituting one source of ingredient for another,” stated Fred Bueltmann, VP of brand and lifestyle. “We are inspired by these ingredients to celebrate terroir by developing beers and spirits that explore and showcase the true flavor of Michigan and our world around us.”

New Holland Pub on 8th brewer, Steve “Bert” Berthel is no stranger to celebrating Michigan ingredients in his pub specialties, including “Water Sign” an annual brew for the Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival.“As someone who has embraced the idea of supporting local farmers and sustainability in my personal life for years, it is truly an honor for me as a brewer to be aligned with a company that will allow me to bring my values to my job,” Berthel continued. “I am excited to be able to have a day where we can make a beer that showcases the high quality ingredients that these Michigan suppliers are providing us and be able to showcase the finished product at this years Tulip Time celebration.”

Alex Wiesen, owner and operator of Empire Hop Farms added: “New Holland has been incredibly supportive of the hop industry from the very start. Their feedback and guidance from all levels has been a valuable mentoring experience for us. We can’t thank them enough for helping Empire Hops become one of the leaders in the Michigan hop industry.”

For more on New Holland, head over to the brewery’s website.