E-Malt.com News article: USA, MI: Latitude 42 Brewing to open in Portage

Scott Freitas, the head brewer of Latitude 42 Brewing has been brewing beer for more than 20 years and relocated from Maui Brewing Co. in Hawaii last August to help start up Portage's first microbrewery, slated to open in late July, Kalamazoo Gazette reported on July, 8.

"I'm not at the beach every day and I'll miss the weather, warm water and the aloha spirit but I brought my aloha spirit," said Freitas, 43, who has also worked at Steelhead Brewing Co. and Wild Duck Brewing Co., both in Eugene, Ore., in the past. "I'm going to brew my beers with aloha; we need happy beer."

A savvier craft beer community trumped tropics for Freitas, who had been overseeing a crew of 15 brewers in Maui and producing more than four times the amount of beer Latitude 42 plans to barrel this year.

The microbrewery replaces a vacant business and garage on a 1.2-acre parcel. The microbrewery is called Latitude 42 for the 42nd parallel north that passes through the area.

Builders of the microbrewery installed long slabs of granite for a bar and hand-crafted tulip wood panels for booth benches for the restaurant. The establishment will seat about 200 people; feature an outdoor patio, a merchandise counter, a private party room and a 15-barrel-system microbrewery.

Latitude also brewed a Portage 50th Anniversary Red Ale to celebrate the city's milestone. The amber ale features local honey from Schoolhouse Honey in Scotts and will be available for the rest of the year.

The microbrewery already has a canning line and will have growlers available in time for the grand opening. Latitude 42 is distributing with IHS Distributing Co. and expects to begin canning beers for distribution in Southwest Michigan in the next two to three months.

Freitas plans to add a 90-barrel fermenting tank in addition to a 45-barrel tank by the end of the year, which would increase Latitude's production to 12,000 barrels by the end of 2014. A 3,000-square-foot warehouse is constructed in the back of the microbrewery for later expansion.

Freitas sipped on his favorite Red Beard's India Red Ale while discussing the microbrewery.

"My favorite beer is always the one in my hand," said Freitas. "We're going to make some great beer and we built this place for high volume production. We're hoping to be in local stores by fall."


10 July, 2013