E-Malt.com News article: USA, MI: Dutch Girl Brewing hoping to launch in Spring Lake by fall

Another microbrewery is coming to the Muskegon area: this time, in Spring Lake, Mlive reported on June 8.

Dutch Girl Brewing is a project of the husband-wife team of Luke Finchem and Kelly Rozema Finchem. The duo is still in the planning stages and a location hasn't been officially decided upon, but Kelly said it will be located somewhere in Spring Lake and they hope to open by the fall.

The opening of the brewery continues the trend of microbreweries popping up throughout West Michigan. The movement that started in Grand Rapids has since spread to the Lakeshore.

A pair of breweries, Unruly Brewing Co. and Pigeon Hill Brewing Company, opened in downtown Muskegon in December 2013 and March 2014, respectively.

Another, Fetch Brewing Co., is set to open its doors in Whitehall sometime this summer and nearby Grand Haven is already home to Oddside Ales. "Dutch Girl" will join Old Boys' Brewhouse and Vandermill Cider in Spring Lake.

"The beer scene in Michigan is one of the top five in the nation," Kelly said. "Along the Lakeshore, they've been popping up all over the place. You can never have enough, there's definitely a market for it. It's like Luke always says, 'Are there ever enough wineries in the Napa Valley?' The answer is no."

Luke has been brewing his own beer for more than two decades, but Kelly said the couple didn't really get serious about starting a brewery until about a year and a half ago.

Both Luke and Kelly are longtime fans of craft beer and felt the timing was right for them to pursue their own brewery. The name "Dutch Girl Brewery" is an ode to Kelly's heritage.

"We thought it was unique," Kelly said. "It's got a witty, quirky sound to it."

Plans are still in their early stages and beers are still being developed, but the idea is to have about eight beers on tap at any given time. Kelly said she and her husband are fans of IPAs, brown ales and amber ales as well as barrel-aged beer.

That being said, the plan is to suite what they brew to season and demand. Plans are also in place to offer a hard cider as an alternative for visitors who prefer something other than beer.

Kelly said people in the community have already been asking about the progress of the brewery, so she knows people are excited.

"People want to get out in the neighborhood and try new things," she said. "It's a great area and we want people to stay here in this community."


11 June, 2014