E-Malt.com News article: USA, MI: Stiggs Brewery plans to add Charlevoix location by summer 2025

Excitement is brewing as Charlevoix prepares to welcome “Stiggs Garage,” a new microbrewery and distribution center from Stiggs Brewery, set to open to the public by summer 2025, News-Review reported on October 29.

Located at 743 Petoskey Ave., the new venture is led by Michael Castiglione, a Charlevoix High School alumnus and founder of Stiggs Brewery and Kitchen in Boyne City. The new location will be primarily focused on beer distribution, while also offering a seasonal taproom, outdoor seating and food trucks specializing in barbecue.

“We're hoping to have the tap room open by summer of next year, but we will, for sure, be brewing beer out of there before then,“ said Castiglione.

Castiglione noted that the name "Stiggs Garage" isn’t final.

"The previous use was a garage, so we are thinking about going with that name," he said.

The Charlevoix facility will center on the production of flagship beers like the Hay Burner, a popular hazy IPA, with an estimated 300 barrels brewed annually for distribution to local restaurants, liquor stores and party shops. Unlike Stiggs' Boyne City location, which operates as a full-service restaurant, the Charlevoix site will primarily focus on beer distribution. Its taproom will provide limited indoor seating, open year-round, with outdoor seating during warmer months. Plans are to scale back to weekend operations during slower winter months.

In addition to beer, patrons will enjoy food from food trucks, including a dedicated Stiggs barbecue truck.

“We’ll have a Stiggs food truck, maybe one or two others,” Castiglione said.

The transformation of the long-vacant, once-blighted gas station property at 743 Petoskey Ave. addresses years of community concerns about environmental contamination and the neglected state of the building along Charlevoix’s main thoroughfare, U.S. 31.

“This brewery fits perfectly with our vision for the area," said city planning and zoning director Jonathan Scheel. "It not only aligns with our plan but also revitalizes a site that has been an eyesore for far too long.”

After years of the property sitting idle, the Charlevoix City Council recently approved rezoning the front portion from Multi-Family (R-4) to General Commercial (GC), permitting the small-scale brewery while restricting more intensive commercial uses that were previously allowed on the property. Under the rezoning agreement, if the brewery were ever to close, the entire 1.4 acre parcel will revert to residential zoning, preventing other commercial ventures like gas stations from taking its place.

According to Scheel, the site aligns with Charlevoix’s Master Plan, focusing on low-impact, walkable businesses that add to neighborhood charm. The city council’s final approval of the project at a special meeting on Oct. 14 also addressed residential concerns, adding requirements for vegetative screening between the brewery and nearby homes to mitigate noise and lighting. Parking will be limited to 12 on-site spaces, helping maintain the brewery as a neighborhood-focused, low-traffic establishment.

Mayor Lyle Gennett expressed his support for Stiggs' new location.

“I think it’s a very good idea, and I look forward to them being in town. It’s a location that definitely needed something new, and it’s time for a change,” Gennett said.


29 October, 2024