USA, MI: Presidential Brewing Co. plans to open this fall in Portage

A new brewpub in the works could be the first of many new brewing enterprises in Portage after the city updated an ordinance officials hope will encourage more to open, MLive.com reported on June 18.

Presidential Brewing Co. is the brainchild of husband and wife Jake and Kayleigh Lohse of Portage. After years of experimenting with making beers and planning, the couple recently signed a lease for their new location at 8302 Portage Road, with plans to open this fall.

Business plans progressed after Portage city officials made changes updating the city ordinance to allow smaller brewing operations with fewer requirements.

The updated ordinance allows establishments like Presidential Brewing Co. to move into areas where they would not have been permitted under the previous ordinance, established in 2003. It also loosens requirements for serving food.

Under the previous ordinance, microbreweries and brewpubs were allowed as a special land use in the General Business District, B-3. Those zones in Portage include existing businesses along portions of Westnedge Avenue and Portage Road, among other areas, and extends as a permitted use in the City Center Area District.

The new ordinance adds B-2, community business district and CPD, commercial planned zoning districts, to the list of zones where brewing facilities can now be located.

The change adds pockets along West Centre Avenue and elsewhere in the city. The Crossroads mall would be allowed to host brewpubs under the updated ordinance, said Christopher Forth, Portage's deputy director of planning, development and neighborhood services.

It means the businesses are now allowed in the primary retail corridors or Portage, Forth said.

Lohse approached the city about making the change and said he wasn't surprised the city council approved it during their April 24 council meeting, because he saw it as out of date compared to state rules.

The big change, he said, was lowering the occupancy requirement for a restaurant within the brewpub, from 100 down to 50.

"Through my experience, they were able to see how that could be restrictive for a new brewery coming in," he said.

The couple looked at several smaller locations that would have had occupancy of less than 100 people, though they ultimately decided to sign a lease on the property on Portage Road that will exceed 100-person occupancy requirement, Lohse said.

The old ordinance required a full lunch and dinner menu, Forth said, and the updated version only requires a restaurant component.

Presidential Brewing Co. aims to engage homebrewers and customers by serving beer brewed by the people, for the people, Lohse said.

It will feature beers named after presidents, with names like Lincoln Lager and Oatbama, he said. The owners plan to hold contests to give homebrewers a chance to have their recipes produced and served at the brewpub, and later ask customers to vote for their favorites.

At the site of a former mini golf business, Presidential Brewing Co. plans to keep nine holes of golf for customers to play while they enjoy their beer. The rest of the outdoor space will be converted into a beer garden with games and seating, Lohse said.

Lohse said, when he began homebrewing years ago, he never expected to be opening his own brewpub. But he was encouraged when people responded positively to his idea and his beer, he said, and other brewers have welcomed him with open arms.

"There's something really magical about the beer industry, we want each and every brewery in this area to be successful," Lohse said. "The more successful breweries we have here, the more people will come from far away to see our individual breweries."

Portage officials see benefits of encouraging more brewpubs and microbreweries.

"We want to open up the whole craft brewing industry so there are more opportunities for craftsman brewers to come to Portage," City Manager Laurence Shaffer said. "It's a great business model and something we want to encourage."

More breweries could help Portage maintain its "preeminent commercial and business profile in the community," Shaffer said.

"We think this is what people want to see," he said.

18 June, 2018