USA, MI: Couple wants to establish Hartland Brewing Company in Hartland Township

Ryan and Nikki McDonald are husband and wife. They're craft beer enthusiasts and foodies. And they're hatching an idea for a new microbrewery in Hartland Township that would serve beer, hard cider, wine and non-alcoholic craft brews, The Livingston Daily reported on February 23.

The couple wants to establish Hartland Brewing Company, a proposed 3½-barrel microbrewery in a space at the Hartland Town Center previously occupied by Kahuna Coffee.

“The craft-brew craze has come true, and it’s something I’ve always been interested in,” Ryan McDonald, 43, said.

While neither are beer brewers, they have a professional brewer lined up and plan to hire about 15 employees.

The microbrewery would serve food from 59 West, a banquet hall and restaurant his parents own in neighboring Oakland County community Highland Township. The couple met there, where they work as managers.

The menu will feature "comfort food that is well-rounded, not too out of the realm of normal, comfortable and inviting food," McDonald said.

"It's something we wanted to do in our community, because Hartland is in need of something like this," he said. "Breweries typically have a family-friendly, laid back atmosphere, and we want it to be a communal place where people know each other, their kids are in school together, they are neighbors."

Nikki McDonald, 29, is excited to start a new family business with her husband.

"I told him after we got married that I always wanted a place of my own. His dad recently let go of some work (at 59 West) and (Ryan) has been taking over for him a little bit, and it just got us into thinking about doing our own business and how it would be fun to pass it on to our kids someday," she said.

Her husband is more into beer and she is more into food, and the couple has made a hobby out of pairing drinks and meals.

"We like to mix them and see what goes with what," she said.

The couple is well on their way to making their business idea a reality.

Hartland Township's Planning Commission voted on February 22 to recommend township officials approve a special use permit that would allow the McDonalds to operate a microbrewery in the space. The township's board is expected to vote on the special use in March. The couple is also in the process of applying for a state microbrewer license.

"With Ryan's experience in the restaurant business, I think this will be a restaurant that will be run properly and will be around for a while," John Luke, a commercial broker with RE/MAX in Hartland, said. "Diversification in every community is important. We don't have a brew pub here in Hartland. In other communities, there's several. ... It will be a great ... local run, local owned asset."

The plan is to start brewing beer by August and open the 2,400-square-foot space at 1836 Old U.S. 23 to the public in October.

Several breweries have been established or are in the process of being established in Livingston County.

Aberrant Ales opened in November at 219 W. Grand River Avenue in downtown Howell.

Block Brewing Co. opened in 2014 at 1140 S. Michigan Avenue in Howell and expanded to a second location last fall at 1840 S. Old U.S. 23 in Brighton Township.

American Concrete Products owner Brad Jonckheere and Manager Neal Maddox, who brew beer for Block Brewing Co.,have proposed a microbrewery for a vacant office building at the gravel pit and concrete business, 4944 Mason Road in Howell Township.

Brewery Becker opened in 2014 at 500 W. Main Street in Brighton.

Eternity Brewing Company opened in 2014 at 4060 E. Grand River Avenue in Genoa Township.

Howell MainStreet Winery, 201 W Grand River Avenue, brews one variety of beer.

01 March, 2018