Big things are brewing in Warren
BY MELODY BAETENS
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121220/ENT05/212200301/Brew-bonanza-Warren-serves-up-fine-craft-beer?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Entertainment
Warren, the third largest city in Michigan, isn't exactly known for dazzling nightlife or cutting-edge restaurants.
But with two long-standing breweries — Dragonmead Brewery and Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. — and a third on the way, the city is a destination for craft beer enthusiasts and those keeping an eye on this continually growing industry.
"When we first started this brewery in 1997, there were about 56 breweries and brewpubs in Michigan," says Dragonmead Brewery co-founder Bill Wrobel. "Now there are 118 in Michigan."
Dragonmead opened as a brewpub in 1998. Wrobel said they chose Warren because it was a neutral location.
"I think it's easy for people to convene here, and the city has been great in terms of working with us," he says. "It's been a really good place for the beer culture to take hold."
He adds that Dragonmead also has a good relationship with other breweries in the area, such as Kuhnhenn's, which has been brewing at Chicago Road and Mound for 12 years.
And Wrobel is looking forward to camaraderie with Falling Down Beer Co., a new brewery and restaurant slated to open in a few weeks.
"We're in it together," Wrobel says. "If anybody comes into a craft brewery in Warren, they're going to have a great beer. If they go to Kuhnhenn's first, they're going to come in here next. If they go here first, they're going to go to Kuhnhenn's next. Hopefully, the Falling Down Beer Company will continue that tradition, and I know they will."
Falling Down Beer Company owners Mark Larson and George Lang are in the process of completing renovations for their brewery. The location will be in My Mother's Place, a homey diner. The diner is open half the week while work is being done to complete the brewery.
The business name will become Falling Down Beer Company once everything has been approved by Macomb County.
"I'm a believer that Michigan is nowhere near brewing saturation, and I think Falling Down will fit in well with the Warren market," says Seth Porter of MichiganBeerBlog.net.
"Their story is a familiar one: a couple of home brewers making the jump to brewing professionally. Many experience great success marketing their product to a public audience."
The pair already has big ambitions for the next 12 months. The plan is to brew 400 barrels in their first year. (In contrast, Kuhnhenn's produced 1,400 barrels last year.)
In the first half of next year, Falling Down's owners also want to serve a full menu along with the house-made beer and wine. Thoughts of becoming a distillery are also on the table, but for now the focus is on getting approved to start making beer.
"I have over 30 recipes ready to go," says Larson, who has a background in both cooking and IT. "My plan is to open with a stout, a pale ale, an IPA, an amber, some sort of seasonal beer and a porter."
His goal is to have beers with unique ingredients, themes and titles. One of his recipes is for a beer he's calling "Ninja Chicken." He also wants to make an ice cream beer to honor the diner.
"This place used to be an ice cream shop in the area where we built the brewery, so I'm going to dedicate a series of beers to the previous owner. We're going to do My Mother's Place ice cream ales."
Falling Down Beer Company hasn't yet dirtied a pint glass, but the owners already are feeling the love from other local craft breweries.
"The brewing community in southeastern Michigan is fantastic," Lang says. "We've had help from Kuhnhenn, Rochester Mills and even Witch's Hat (in South Lyon). These guys have all been really helping us out."
Brew-ville Dragonmead Brewery and Pub
14600 E. 11 Mile, Warren
(586) 776-9428
www.dragonmead.com
Hours: 3-11 p.m. Mon.-Wed., 11 a.m.-midnight Thurs.-Sat. Call for Sunday hours.
Beers: More than 40 beers on tap at once, plus house-made mead, wine and soda pop. Dragonmead offers American, English, German, Belgian, Scottish and Norwegian-style beers.
Food: Fried snacks, pretzels, popcorn, meat and cheese. Patrons also are welcome to bring in food or have it delivered from nearby businesses.
Growing distribution: Since opening in 1997, Dragonmead has won awards from local publications and worldwide beer competitions. In the early days of the business, Dragonmead operated mostly as a brewpub, with only 20 percent of its sales coming from distributing the beer to other retailers. Today, about 75 percent of the beer is distributed to bars and stores statewide.
Kuhnhenn Brewing Co.
5919 Chicago, Warren
(586) 979-8361
www.kbrewery.com
Hours: 11 a.m.-midnight Mon.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fri.-Sat. and noon-10 p.m. Sun.
Beers: Around 20 beers are usually offered at one time, plus mead, wine and root beer.
Food: Beer-friendly snacks such as quality cheese and crackers, plus pizza.
Winter Solstice: This weekend is one of Kuhnhenn's most popular times of year because of the release of its Winter Solstice line of beer, mead and wine. The party starts at 11 a.m. Friday and Saturday with live music, food, glass-blowing demonstrations and more. Eric Kuhnhenn says folks start lining up early in the morning to get the limited edition beverages.
"We're all feverishly working on bottling to get them all done."
Falling Down Beer Co.
2270 E. 10 Mile, Warren
(586) 799-2739
www.fallingdownbeer.com
Beer: 24 beers on tap, plus house-made wine.
Food: To be determined.
Hours: Could open as soon as early January.
Also of note in Warren
Brewing World, a home brew and winemaking supply store, run by the owners of Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. 5919 Chicago, Warren. (586) 264-2351. Open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Sat. and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun.
Champane's Wine Cellars, extremely well-stocked liquor, wine and beer store. 7007 Chicago, Warren. (586) 978-9463. Open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon.-Sat. and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun.
mbaetens@detnews.com
twitter.com/melodybaetens
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