Michigan Craft Beverage Council Announces 2024 Research Grant Awardees

The Michigan Craft Beverage Council (MCBC) today announced the winners of its 2024 research grant program. The 12 selected projects total $345,706 in funding for research and education, advancing agricultural inputs for craft beer, spirits, wine, and hard cider. Four of the proposals selected are continuation projects in good standing.

"Michigan's craft beverage industry supports our state's diverse agricultural offerings from hops, grains, and fruit," said Tim Boring, chair, Michigan Craft Beverage Council and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director. "Governor Whitmer's most recent budget recommendation highlights how vital innovation is to Michigan's growth. Our craft beverage industry is an excellent example of an industry that continues to utilize innovation to create new products, leading to good-paying jobs and increased economic opportunities."

The 2024 research grants align with the research priorities of the Council including climate change impact; crop quality, new varieties, and flavor profile analysis for hops, grapes, fruit, small grains, or other agricultural inputs used in craft beverage production; sustainable water-use and wastewater/process water discharge projects; increasing use of Michigan agricultural products in craft beverage production; and benchmarking best practices accelerating the use of local agricultural inputs.

Projects awarded 2024 research funding include:

• Alternative Corn Varieties for the Michigan Craft Distilling Industry, Michigan State University
• Exploration of Plant Morphology and Physiological Mechanisms to Avoid Winter Injury in Barley, Michigan State University
• Investigating Michigan Grain Terroir: Evaluation of Michigan Grain Varieties via Phenolic Acid Determination by HPLC, Michigan State University
• Assessment of Plant Varieties and Disease Management Practices to Improve Hop and Barley Quality, Michigan State University
• Reduced Risk Management Tools for Late Season Cluster Rots to Increase Crop Quality of Michigan Wine Grapes, Michigan State University
• Benchmarking Best Practices to Expand Craft Beverage Markets for the Michigan Value Chain, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Protecting the Michigan Hop Industry Through Germplasm Evaluation for Hop-Cyst Nematode Tolerance, Michigan State University
• Field Susceptibility Trial of Cider Apple Cultivars to Bitter Rot and Black Rot, Michigan State University
• Improving Michigan Hop and Beer Aroma and Flavor Using a Biostimulant, Michigan State University
• Advance Continuing Education Training Opportunities for the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Parallel 45
• Elevating Michigan's Viticulture and Winemaking Industry - Dirt to Glass, Intentional Agriculture
• Supporting Michigan's Grape and Wine Education in 2024, Michigan State University

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.