USA, MI: Mitten Brewing Company opens in place of Northport Brewing in Northport

The craft beer scene in Northport underwent a quiet transition this month.

Northport Brewing, a main attraction in the quaint town, closed abruptly in early July. Grand Rapids-based brewery, Mitten Brewing Company, opened in its place at 112 W. Nagonaba the next day, The Record Eagle reported on July 19.

"It wasn’t something that was really in our short term plans," said Max Trierweiler, who co-owns The Mitten in Grand Rapids with Chris Andrus.

But the two wanted to help when they heard from their longtime friend Kevin Murphy in May that the small brewery and taproom likely couldn't stay open much longer. Murphy's food truck — Earth, Wind and Fryer — served up food in the beer garden at Northport Brewing, which didn't have its own kitchen.

"He told us about the situation at Northport," Trierweiler said. "There were no brewers there anymore and the partners had left the business. They were waiting until the last keg of beer was gone to close, and there was no plan after that."

Trierweiler and Andrus were soon in talks with a former Northport Brewing owner, Karl Wizinsky, to buy the brewery and transform it into a Mitten taproom.

"It’s a hugely important part of town," Trierweiler said. "We know how truly important it is for the area to have its own neighborhood brewery and what the impact would be if it was gone."

The Mitten had already been contract brewing for Northport Brewing during its last few months of operation, in which the brewery began to limit its business hours. Northport Brewing, which hadn't brewed since the fall, was relying on its remaining beer supply to stay in business, Trierweiler said.

He and Andrus took over the brewery and its four-person staff with lofty goals of opening The Mitten's tasting room by summertime.

"The summer is the lion's share of business there — the town quintuples in size — but also we wanted to keep the workers there employed." Trierweiler said. "The people were our main priority."

Trierweiler and Andrus worked with state senators and local government officials to help accelerate the process of transferring Northport Brewing's license to The Mitten by their July deadline. It was the most challenging part of the process for both owners.

"We didn't want to make the announcement until we officially had licensing, but we got it done," Trierweiler said. "It might have taken a year off my life, but it was worth it."

The Mitten in Northport now serves nine of the Grand Rapids brewery's beers on tap, including its two bestsellers, Triple Crown Brown — a silver medalist in the World Beer Cup — and Country Strong IPA.

But other than a change in beers and ownership, the brewery's operations under The Mitten have remained relatively unchanged. Earth, Wind and Fryer still provides the taproom's food. Trierweiler and Andrus still depend on Northport Brewery's longtime manager Dan Frank to oversee taproom staff and operations while they work out of Grand Rapids.

"We’re trying to do this as delicately as possible," Trierweiler said. "We’re not these big rich people from Grand Rapids coming in for a harsh takeover. We’re excited to be a part of the community up there."

The two plan to bring a brewer into the Northport location's facilities to make sour and barrel aged beers once the busy summer season subsides, Trierweiler said.

The Mitten Brewing Company in Northport is open from noon to 8 p.m. on Mondays through Wednesdays and Sundays, and from noon to 11 p.m. on Thursdays through Fridays.

24 July, 2016