Short's Brewing Co. has big plans for 20th anniversary, including downtown Bellaire party

Short's Brewing, the beloved northern Michigan brewery, will mark its 20th anniversary on April 27, and it has big celebratory plans for that day.

Short's, founded by Joe Short in 2004, will have 20 beers on tap at its sprawling brewpub in downtown Bellaire, just east of Torch Lake, with live music, pub food pairings and outdoor games.

There's also a giveaway contest this month; from now through Feb. 29, the brewery is hosting a Short's-est Month Getaway Giveaway, with the winner receiving a weekend trip to celebrate with Short's Brewing. The grand prize ($1,700 total value) includes a stay for up to three of the winner's guests at the company's Airbnb above its event space; a swag bag; gift cards for dinner and travel; a tour; tastings; and a reserved table for the anniversary party. You can enter at shortsbrewing.com.

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Another special celebration will take place June 8 at the brewery's annual Short's Fest, which will take place at the Short's production facility, the "Pull Barn," in Elk Rapids.

Short, who still leads the brewery's beer development, opened Short's in 2004 in a renovated hardware store in Bellaire. Over the years, the business has become one of Michigan's largest craft brewers. In 2017, Short sold a 20% stake of his brewery to Heineken, allowing it to expand production and distribution.

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Short's' brewpub now covers five storefronts in downtown Bellaire and includes a retail store and private dining space. The pub in Bellaire is known for its pizzas and pretzels with dough made from scratch daily and includes a by-product from the brewing process."We love what we do and where we live, and every day we get to share our northern Michigan lifestyle and beer culture with the world! That's pretty darn cool," Short said in a news release.

Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Short's Brewing has big plans for its 20th anniversary celebration