E-Malt.com News article: USA, MI: Unruly Brewing Co. to open in June in downtown Muskegon

Unruly Brewing Co. is beginning to take shape in the Russell Block Market in downtown Muskegon and owners hope to be open sometime in June, mlive.com reported on April, 12.

Equipment is being installed in the lower level of the historic building undergoing renovation, said co-owner Jeff Jacobson. Hopes are for a June opening of the downtown craft-beer microbrewery, but the business will be open for sure by Muskegon Bike Time in July, he said.

“We are making progress and moving along in bringing craft beer to Muskegon,” said Jacobson, a Muskegon business attorney for Parmenter O’Toole. “We think this brewery will be a downtown destination and help bring tourism and many more businesses downtown.”

Unruly isn’t expected to be the only downtown Muskegon microbrewery but it should be the community’s first. Also in the planning stage is the Pigeon Hill Brewing Co.

Rumors continue to float around town about a third and possibly a fourth Muskegon-area microbrewery wanting to establish a location, but no formal announcement has been made. Meanwhile, earlier this year the Fetch Brewing Co. announced plans for downtown Whitehall.

Plans for Unruly have been sent to federal and state licensing officials and approvals are already being granted, Jacobson said. His partners are local construction contractor Mark Gongalski and Eric Hoffman, a West Michigan steel salesman who will be the brewmaster.

The Unruly tap room will have 75 seats and be able to hold 150 customers.

As weather improves, the brewery will create space for many more in an outside beer garden on west side of the Russell Block Market building.

Unruly Brewing Co. will have three-and-a-half barrel brewing system, which will allow 100 gallons of beer to be produced in an eight-hour period. Typical craft beers will then be fermented for two weeks before being able to be served, Jacobson said.

The microbrewery will have six standard beers from 1890, a light “pre-prohibition cream ale,” to the darker, heavier Revel Rouser, an Indian pale ale, which Jacobson said is for “hop heads.” Unruly will also have other seasonal specialty beers on tap, including potentially “community” beers from local home brewers who will be given a chance to brew on the company’s equipment, he said.

As a microbrewery, only Unruly products will be sold in the tap room. The brewery will sell its product in half-gallon “growlers” to go along with larger kegs that can be used at parties or sold to local restaurants and pubs.

There are no plans to immediately bottle the Unruly product for outside sales but that could come as the business develops, Jacobson said. The microbrewery also will look to produce hard cider products in the future, he added.

Jacobson welcomes Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. and any other breweries downtown. As a craft beer fan, he said he and his wife will travel to other communities and the more brewery outlets the better.

“More breweries will bring more people downtown,” he said.


17 April, 2013