After only being open six months, the Cedar Springs Brewing Co. came out on top last week in a contest posted online by WZZM13 for the best brewery in West Michigan.

According to WZZM13, 2,800 people voted in the initial poll, nominating 98 different breweries. They narrowed it down to the top ten with the most votes, and Cedar Springs Brewing Company was on the list. They then had another round of voting, and narrowed it to the top four.

In the final tally, Cedar Springs Brewing came in first with 2,533 votes; Pigeon Hill Brewing in Muskegon took second with 2,171 votes; Fetch Brewing in Whitehall was third with 840 votes; and Founders was fourth with 691.

WZZM13 will be filming at CS Brewing Co. today (Thursday) at 11 a.m., and they will be featured on the Saturday morning, May 28 edition of “A Taste of My Town.” The other four breweries will be also be profiled in upcoming shows.

David Ringler, owner of Cedar Springs Brewing Co., thanked friends and supporters for voting, in an email last week.

“While this is certainly not a true measure of anything other than local support, it has been wonderful to see the Cedar Springs community and friends turn out over the past two weeks, through two rounds of voting, as we’ve asked for your support via club members, newsletter, email, on social media and all of you who visited us personally,” he wrote. “To you all, we say Danke!”

“Our community is blessed with so many outstanding brewers, including, but not limited to, the final four with our friends at Pigeon Hill Brewing Company in Muskegon, Fetch Brewing Company in Whitehall, and Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids,” he added. “We encourage you to visit each of the four finalists to see what they’re all about. We are blessed and humbled to be in the conversation.”

post photo by J. Reed

What is the best brewery in West Michigan? WZZM13 is asking people to tell them, and, according to voters in West Michigan, Cedar Springs Brewing Company is one of the top four contenders.

The other three are Pigeon Hill Brewing Company, in Muskegon; Founders Brewing Company, in Grand Rapids; and Fetch Brewing Company, in Whitehall.

According to WZZM13, 2,800 people voted in the initial poll, nominating 98 different breweries. They narrowed it down to the top ten with the most votes, and Cedar Springs Brewing Company was on the list. They then had another round of voting, and narrowed it to the top four.

This is the final round of voting, and you have until Friday, May 20, at 4 p.m. to cast your vote. The winner will be announced on Saturday, May 21, and be featured in a “Taste of my town” segment on May 28, and the other three will be featured in subsequent segments.

To vote, go to: https://polldaddy.com/poll/9416880/

Cedar Springs sophomore Collin Alvesteffer (center) receives the 2014 Season MVP award from WZZM13 and sponsor Mercy Health during last Friday’s edition of “On your sidelines.” Brent Ashcroft, left, and Dan Harland, right, are the show’s anchors. Photo by K. Alvesteffer

By Judy Reed

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks Varsity Football team had a great season, going 9-2 and winning the OK-Bronze Conference Championship outright. They won their first playoff home game at Red Hawk Stadium, against Forest Hills Northern, and were defeated by Muskegon in the district regional the following week. They scored an average 35 points per game.

One of the sparkplugs that fired that success was sophomore quarterback Collin Alvesteffer, who was equally efficient on both offense and defense. He received a great honor last week when he was voted by fans as WZZM13’s 2014 Season MVP. WZZM listed 10 nominees for the award, and fan voting online narrowed it to three. Fans then voted again, and Collin came out on top. He was given the award on their final “On your sidelines” show of the season last Friday evening.

Collin was selected as a MVP of the week earlier in the season, and also voted to MLive’s defensive dream team. That’s a lot of attention for a 15-year-old. The Post asked how he was dealing with all the attention.

Collin Alvesteffer scored both touchdowns against the Muskegon Big Reds. Photo by K. Alvesteffer.

“It’s all exciting, but I just try to focus on the team’s success instead of my own,” said Collin. The attention was not something he was expecting. “I knew I was not the best football player that we had, so figured they would get all the attention,” he added.

Football is in Collin’s blood. He started playing flag football at ages 4-6, and then Rocket at age 7. He’s continued to play ever since.

The Post asked him if he did anything special to prepare for this season. “I just tried to become the best player and teammate that I could,” he remarked.

And it seems to have paid off, not just for him but the whole team. “We had excellent team work and effort in practice and during the offseason,” he explained, when asked why he thought the team did so well.

Collin knows his success was made possible by those around him.

“I want to thank my teammates and coaches for always pushing me and making me better,” said Collin. “But most importantly, I want to thank my Mom and Dad, because they support me no matter what and are my biggest fans.”

Collin’s Mom, Kelley Alvesteffer, won’t argue with that. “Collin has always excelled at football and I have always been proud of him for that. However, this year he learned that it is not about him. He learned to play for the team—not for himself. He learned good sportsmanship and learned to be truly humble.”

Congratulations to Collin, and we look forward to seeing what the Red Hawks can do in 2015!