GR and City Built Brewing unveil official beer for 175th Anniversary

GR and City Built Brewing unveil official beer for 175th Anniversary

Published on September 15, 2025

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The City of Grand Rapids is proud to partner with hometown brewery City Built Brewing Company to debut the City's official beer in celebration of its 175th Anniversary. Today, City Built Brewing rolled out a special lager - a light, crisp brew crafted to toast Grand Rapids' milestone.

"As Beer City, it just made sense to reach out to our local brewers to help us celebrate our dodransbicentennial," said Assistant City Manager Doug Matthews. "City Built was enthusiastic and eager to take on the challenge of creating a refreshing and unique brew to mark this historic occasion."

"Being part of GR175 is a tremendous honor for City Built," said Edwin Collazo, CEO of City Built Brewing. "We were thrilled to get the call from the City. It was incredible to see our teams collaborate so seamlessly to bring this beer to life. As we've always said, 'You built this city, we brew its beer' - and now, we truly are."

The limited-edition beer is now available on draft and in cans at the City Built taproom, located at 820 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 155, in Grand Rapids. It is also available at the following restaurants, bars and retail outlets:

7 Monks Taproom, Art of the Table, Blue Dog Tavern, BrickYard Tavern, Celebration Cinema Studio Park, D. Schuler's Fine Wine & Spirits, Devos Performance Hall, Frederik Meijer Gardens, Gravity Taphouse Grille, Hopcat - Downtown and E Beltline, Horrocks Market Kentwood, Kingma's Market, Old Goat, One Twenty Three Tavern, Reservoir Lounge, Rishi's International Beverage, Siciliano's Specialty Beverage, SILVA, Smitty's Specialty Beverage, SpeakEZ Lounge, Stella's Lounge, The Copper Vine, The Crushed Grape, The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, The Sovengard, and Westside Social.

As part of the celebration, Kendall College of Art and Design graphic design students participated in a competition sponsored by the City and the Beer City Brewers Guild to design the commemorative beer can. The winning design, titled Flora, was created by student Abe Jannenga and features a tranquil, nature-inspired theme that reflects Grand Rapids' natural diversity. Its GR175 branding blends harmoniously with the market-friendly aesthetic.

The City of Grand Rapids marked its 175th Anniversary on April 2. Led by a diverse planning committee of civic, cultural and business partners, the City launched a year-long series of community events, digital initiatives and a traveling photo exhibit in collaboration with the Grand Rapids Public Museum. It also hosted an official commemorative poster competition for Grand Rapids' 175th anniversary, with local artist finalists and the winning design to be unveiled during the ArtPrize opening ceremony on Sept. 19. The celebration included the unveiling of an official anniversary logo, a June birthday bash at Rosa Parks Circle, and widespread community engagement through social media using the hashtag #175GR. The city also acknowledged its deep Indigenous roots, including the Anishinaabeg peoples' stewardship of the land prior to French settlement.

More information is available at https://www.175GR.com.

• Media Releases