Clinton River Association of Fermenting Trendsetters (C.R.A.F.T.) was established in 1996 in Art Barack's hardware store in Mount Clemens, MI. Art is the proprietor of Cap 'n' Cork home brewing supply store in Macomb, MI and a founding member of CRAFT.

CRAFT supports the brewing of beer, meads, ciders, and the occasional wine, but the club's primary focus is on beer. Members of CRAFT actively support a number of brewing organizations including the AHA (American Homebrewers Association), Michigan Brewers Guild, and the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program).

Membership is around 80, and monthly meetings typically draw 35 members. Currently, nine members are ranked in the BJCP organization, including National level judges with another class studying for the BJCP exam. Many members regularly win awards in various competitions with both All-Grain and Extract based brewing methods. Fred Bonjour (C.R.A.F.T. past president) recently won the AHA Club-only competition for the Imperial Anything competition, with his 1.163 SG / 1.030 FG Imperial Barleywine. And fellow club President Mike Zukowski's Munich Dunkel won the Dark Larger competition, Jim Cunningham took a 2nd with his Scottish Ale and Jerry Bonnici took 2nd place with his Am. Wheat in the light hybrid category.

Monthly meetings are held at local brewpubs (usually Sherwood Brewing Company) and occasionally at member's homes. Dates vary so check their website (http://CRAFThomebrewClub.org) for current meeting information, but roughly the 3rd Tuesday of each month. During a typical monthly meeting, a review of an educational topic and/or activity is presented, and frequently samples of a classic beer style are shared. CRAFT also encourages members to bring in problematic beers for tasting, evaluation & recipe review for future suggestions for improvement.

Club member Bill Gornicki said “Its nice to have expertise at meetings when you've brewed a beer and want an opinion on it other than "That's Good!" or "I don't like that". The CRAFT judge base has grown through our commitment to the BJCP. New brewers join CRAFT and acknowledge the expertise that a BJCP judge has acquired and they want "IN" too… I really like CRAFT's "leave your attitude at the door" approach to beer and brewing and I think that is the main reason why we've been able to create and retain membership.”

Some of CRAFT's current projects include brewing with a variety of hops and techniques to understand what the hops do to a brew.  A bottle of each different beer will go to each participant so they can perform side by side comparisons.  Also, the club has completed three 55 gallon bourbon barrel brews featuring a Baltic Porter, a Barleywine, and a light, low hopped, Kentucky Ale using authentic Kentucky bourbon barrels. The three barrels get as many club members involved as possible. Also under development is a portable tap setup which will have two independent 6-tap setups, 2 nitro taps and 2 beer-engine taps.

An annual Summer Picnic and a Winter Holiday party are club highlights. C.R.A.F.T. also participates in demonstration brews such as Big Brew Day and Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day. These occur the first Saturday of May and November, and members take their brewing equipment on the road to brew behind Cap 'n' Cork. Each of these events boasts over 100 gallons brewed by their members. Both of these events include a BBQ & members bring interesting foods to sample with the highlights being those made with or related to beer in some manner. Equipment available to members includes tap boxes, Pico System, and a Randall.

Fred Bonjour, past club president states, "Perhaps the most important part of the club is being associated with like-minded people who are passionate about home brewing. It is by joining a club that you get a chance to talk about the technical aspects of your brewing and learn how to improve your beer and you're brewing. For this reason and this reason alone, everyone that is interested in brewing should join a club."