E-Malt.com News article: USA, MI: Liberty Street Brewing to open production site in Livonia

The Livonia City Council approved a microbrewery license for Plymouth-based Liberty Street Brewing Co., hometownlife.com reported on December, 16.

The approval means the brewery, which operates a taproom in Plymouth, will be able to move forward with its license with the state to open a production facility in Livonia.

Mark McAlpine, president of the brewery, said expansion of the production facility was needed after demand for their product increased.

“As we’ve grown, so has the demand for our beer,” he said. “The purpose of this facility is purely production: for bottling and kegging, for production and sale through distribution.”

The approval means the microbrewery, which opened in 2008, can soon begin producing beer in Livonia, the first such microbrewery in the city.

“This is sort of the first of its kind for the City of Livonia,” said city attorney Don Knapp. “Because it is a new license, council has the limited authority for approval or denial of the license, pursuant to state law.”

Beer bottled at the facility would be labelled as coming from Livonia, a point of pride that council president Maureen Miller Brosnan was happy to see.

“That’s very exciting,” she said.

McAlpine said the state application still needs to be taken care of, but expects bottling of beers and wines to begin sometime in January. The brewery has already secured a federal brewer’s permit for the site.

While the microbrewery license through the state would allow for a tasting room and sale of the products brewed and fermented on the premises to the general public, that’s something the brewery is not looking to do, McAlpine said.

“It’s in a building that’s not proper even for parking for a tasting room,” he said. “Our other facility is five minutes away from this location, so we certainly have no intention of doing anything except production at this facility.”

McAlpine said when the facility opens, the existing brewers at the Plymouth location will spend time working at the Livonia facility. The future could lead to several part-time positions in the facility, though McAlpine was unsure of a number.

Craft beer is a product that has grown across the state, with more than 140 breweries and brewpubs in Michigan, according to the Michigan Brewers Guilds. Other surrounding communities have seen requests for breweries, including the North Center Brewing Co., in Northville and the ROAK Brewing Co., in Royal Oak in October. The Farmington Brewing Company, located on Grand River in downtown Farmington, opened last month.

McAlpine said while Liberty Street Brewing Co., has no plans to open a brewpub or tasting room in Livonia, he encourages those interested to come to the Plymouth location. It’s his hope, he said, to see his brews in several bars across the city and six-packs on the shelves at more local markets.

“I would rather see our beer on tap in Livonia,” he said.


26 December, 2014