The growler is having a moment. The 64-ounce vessel reminiscent of a moonshine jug can often be seen lining the shelves of brewpubs, ready to be filled with a beer geek's favorite beer and toted home to enjoy. Though they are undoubtedly trendy, growlers offer far more than artisanal accessorization.

"I think any brewery should offer growlers," says Kris Spaulding, the co-owner and sustainability director of Brewery Vivant. "Not because growlers are unique, but because being very community-focused, a growler makes sense."

 What was once a basement hobby for a dedicated few now has many in the state viewing craft brewing as an economic engine for the state.

The growth of the craft beer industry is outpacing that of the rest of beer industry. Craft beer sales grew 13 percent in 2011 compared to an overall 1.9-percent decline within the beer industry as a whole, according to data from the U.S. Brewers Association. Michigan’s craft beer industry generates $133 million in economic activity, and the state ranks fifth in the nation in the number of breweries, according to the Michigan Brewers Guild.

A basic rule of life is that beer is always better when it's served in large quantities. It's even better when it is served in large quantities at inexpensive prices. This sounds like a bit of an anomaly, but two local breweries have you covered on consecutive nights, every single week. Both New Holland Brewing and Brewery Vivant offer stein nights where customers bring their own drinking vessel (as big as they want, but both places have certain restrictions) and the barkeep fills them for a nominal price.

Traverse City is now home to a handful of microbreweries, and the beer scene in our upstate is starting to grow. One of the forerunners of the movement is Right Brain, led by Owner Russell Springsteen.