Ann Arbor swims in new microbreweries

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 | Source: Concentrate

If you think the selection of local micro-brews is starting to become bigger than that for macro brews, you're not too far from the truth, especially in Ann Arbor.

The college town is welcoming its sixth craft brewing establishment with the Wolverine State Brewing Co, making it the municipality with the most microbrews or brewpubs in Michigan. Add in the local craft breweries in the surrounding area and the Washtenaw County runs close to the Metro Detroit tri-county area, which has more than 10 times the population.

"Certainly the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area is a great place for Michigan craft beer," says Scott Graham, executive director of the Michigan Brewers Guild. "I think there is a lot of room for more growth still."

The four people behind Wolverine Brewing are looking to capitalize on it. They are turning the warehouse for Big George's old store on Stadium Boulevard (behind Great Lakes Cycling & Fitness) into their microbrew. They'll be turning the old "Scratch and Ding" sale room for Big George into a tap room. There the 3-year-old company, founded by a couple of local students-turned-townies, will focus on trying to create the best microbrew lager in Michigan.

"We feel like we can complement all of the great ales you can get at Jolly Pumpkin, Ann Arbor Brewing Co and all of the great brewpubs," says E.T. Crowe, a co-owner of Wolverine Brewing.

That sentiment is one of the keys to Ann Arbor's success at foster craft brewing, according to Rene Greff. The co-owner of Ann Arbor's first microbrew, Arbor Brewing Co., says clustering businesses like this allows them to grow off each other. Plus, it helps that Ann Arbor's populace has many of the attributes common with microbrewery consumers, such as high levels of education, lots of disposable income and being well-traveled.

"Ann Arbor has the perfect demographics for microbreweries," Greff says.

Source: Scott Graham, executive director of the Michigan Brewers Guild; says E.T. Crowe, a co-owner of Wolverine State Brewing Co and Rene Greff, co-owner of Arbor Brewing Co.
Writer: Jon Zemke