Olivia Fellows
9&10 News
Short’s Brewing Company
ANTRIM COUNTY — Short’s Brewing Company is expanding its Pure Michigan product line to include two new releases featuring fruit grown in Northern Michigan.
The expansion includes Pure Michigan Hard Cider and Pure Michigan Cherry Kölsch.
The cider is the first to receive stamps of approval from both Pure Michigan and the Michigan Apple Committee. It is made with 100% Michigan apples from Peterson Farms in Hart and is currently available in stores under the Starcut Ciders brand.
The Pure Michigan Cherry Kölsch uses Balaton cherry concentrate from King Orchards in Central Lake.
It also includes grains and malt from Great Lakes Malting Company in Traverse City and hops from Top Hops in Goodrich. The beverage will be available in May on draft and in six packs.
“Initially, we started the partnership with Pure Michigan to promote Michigan’s hop-and-malt production, but since a lot of those farms are gone it has evolved to promote both Michigan agriculture and tourism,” Scott Newman-Bale, CEO for Short’s Brewing, said.
The partnership aims to inspire tourism and encourage travelers to consume Michigan-grown products while visiting the state. “As the largest and most valuable fruit crop in Michigan, we appreciate Short’s spotlighting the great flavor of Michigan-grown apples in their newest Starcut Ciders release,” Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee, said. “The collaboration between Short’s Brewing, Pure Michigan and Michigan Apples is a meaningful acknowledgment of our great agricultural tradition in Michigan, our dedicated apple growers, our successful processing companies and Michigan’s vast agritourism industry.”
King Orchards sign. (Bill Froehlich)
Jack King of King Orchards said the collaboration reminds people where their food and their cherries come from.
“We hope it inspires folks to visit the farm this summer to pick fresh fruit straight from the trees,” King said.
In 2025 Short’s Brewing purchased more than 70,000 pounds of Michigan-grown malts and hops for the product line.
Several Pure Michigan brews will be on draft for the Short’s Brewing 22nd anniversary on April 25 in downtown Bellaire. The new releases are also available at the brewery locations in Elk Rapids and Bellaire.