How Michigan’s largest independent brewery rose above the craft beer boom

HOLLAND, MI — Since the craft beer bubble burst in 2019, it’s become common for craft breweries to branch out into wines, ciders and spirits just to stay afloat, said Scott Graham, president of the Michigan Brewers Guild.

West Michigan’s New Holland Brewing Company, however, seems to have set the template for sustainable growth. The formerly “micro” brewery founded in 1997 broke into the distilling business in 2004 before the craft beer boom hit Michigan.