July is Michigan Craft Beer Month, and some 8,000 brew fans expected at a festival in Ypsilanti's Depot Town this weekend will serve as testament to one of the state's rare growth industries.

The 12th annual Michigan Summer Beer Festival takes over Riverside Park July 24-25, bringing together brewers from across the state and the people who like to drink hand-crafted suds.

Organizers expect more than 50 microbreweries and brewpubs to showcase more than 300 specialty beers.

"I think the real news is that industry wide, we're looking at another year of growth, in fact another year of growth that outpaces the national trend. So we're a success story in a troubled economic environment, that's for sure," said Scott Graham, executive director of the Michigan Brewers Guild.

Annual craft beer sales volume in Michigan was up more than 10 percent in 2008, Graham said, compared to a nationwide growth of 6 percent.

The East Lansing-based Brewers Guild says Michigan's $133 million beer-brewing industry contributes more than $24 million in wages and ranks No. 6 nationally at more than 70 licensed breweries, brewpubs and microbreweries employing 500-600 workers.

Other estimates go much higher.

The Washington D.C.-based trade association Beer Institute estimates the U.S. beer industry directly and indirectly contributes more than $4.6 billion to Michigan's economy and provides 54,000 jobs in the state, paying $1.4 billion in wages.

The attendance expectations for the two-day beer festival would be an increase over previous years and continue a trend. In February, the Brewers Guild sold 45 percent more tickets for its Winter Beer Festival in Comstock Park than the previous year.

"To be there for fans of Short's, as well as supporting a growing industry in the state of Michigan - one of the few growing industries in the state of Michigan - is extremely important to us," said Jon Wojtowicz, food and beverage manager for Short's Brewing Co. in Bellaire.

The acclaimed five-year-old microbrewery recently opened a bottling production facility in Elk Rapids and plans to soon release a retail version of its Soft Parade, a fruit-infused rye ale. At the festival, it plans to showcase its pilsner, IPA and strawberry Short's cake concept brew.

"We're really trying to bring real beer back to the masses," Wojtowicz said.

In Ann Arbor, the Blue Tractor brewpub is among numerous microbrew ventures operated by Grand Rapids-based Mission Management Services Inc. planning to participate in the festival. The brewpub opened in November and has done well even as students have mostly left town for the summer break, said Dan Glazer, general manager.

"There's just a market for it," Glazer said. "I think people are into beer that's produced in this state."

This year's festival will also work with Recycle Ann Arbor to reduce waste through use of recycling bins, compostable plates and cutlery and bulk water stations in lieu of bottled water. Organizers hope to improve upon last year's results of more than 80 percent of waste kept out of landfills.

But mostly, the festival is another way for the state's close-knit craft-brewing community to gather, share ideas and make some new fans, Graham said.

"The consumers in Michigan are really supportive and are informed and know what good beer tastes like, knows what they like and where to find it," he said. "That kind of consumer knowledge helps ratchet up the quality level."

Photo by Robert Ramey: Dan Glazer, general manager for Blue Tractor.

Sven Gustafson writes about technology, health and other topics for Michigan Business Review.