Cedar Springs brewing staff includes (from L to R): Director of Happiness, David Ringler; Benevolent Overlord of Brewing, Matt Peterson; and Fräulein Brewster, Manda Geiger.

It’s been a banner year for the Cedar Springs Brewing Company, the restaurant and brewery that opened in November 2015 and continues to win accolades from loyal customers and critics alike. In May, customers voted it the best brewery in West Michigan. In June/July, customers nominated them for their fried chicken and MLive visited and named them as one of the best (#11 out of 52) in their search for Michigan’s best fried chicken, calling it absolutely delicious.

In May, they came in at number five out of MLive’s top 10 new breweries in Michigan. Customers nominated their favorite new breweries all across the state (from 2012 til now), and then MLive reporters Amy Sherman and John Gonzalez visited 30 finalists before making their decision on the top 10. When writing about Cedar Springs Brewing Company, they talked about how owner David Ringler learned to brew in Germany, and how his love for their country, traditions and traditional beers is infectious. They called his German beers excellent examples of classic styles, and called the Cedar Springs beer, CSIPA, a subtle, clean, quality beer. “The beers have nothing to hide behind, and don’t need to,” they wrote. “Their taste speaks volumes.”

In October, the brewery’s Küsterer Original Weissbier was the recipient of the bronze medal in the “South German Wheat Ale” category at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival, held in Denver, Colorado.

“We are immensely proud to have brought home this award to Cedar Springs and Beer City, USA in our first competition,” stated owner David Ringler. “We are passionate about this style, along with Bavarian brewing traditions, and we continue to strive to get better every day. We thank everyone who has supported us along the way as this wouldn’t be possible without them.”