USA, MI: Chelsea Alehouse Brewery to open in downtown Chelsea

Chris Martinson will reclaim a piece of Chelsea’s history in a couple of weeks when he opens the Chelsea Alehouse Brewery in the Clock Tower Complex on the north edge of downtown, annarbor.com reported on December, 10.

While it will be Chelsea’s only microbrewery, it won’t be the first. Chelsea hosted the state’s first microbrewery, the short-lived Real Ale Company, in 1982.

While the Real Ale Company was an idea before its time - customers used to Miller Lite, Budweiser and other nationally bottled beers didn’t know what to make of craft beers - Martinson said he’s confident the community is now ready.

“It’s not always best to be the first,” he said. “There was no built-in market.”

Chelsea has a vibrant downtown and microbreweries are in a huge growth phase, Martinson said.

Chelsea Alehouse will have a soft opening in mid-Decemeber and an official opening at the end of December.

The Chelsea Alehouse’s microbrew state license allows Martinson to serve and bottle his beer, but bottling won’t come until next year, he said. Once he’s at full throttle, he plans to have 10 different ales on tap, which will be rotated seasonally.

12 December, 2012