\nCurrent Editor<\/strong><\/p>\n
A new attraction opened up last month in Manistee: North Channel Brewing Company<\/a>, located across the Manistee River from the downtown area and next to the drawbridge. The brewery is originally the brain child of Ron and Dawn Ford of Grand Rapids, and many in the community are hoping that the brewery will breathe some new life into downtown Manistee<\/a>, just as Stormcloud Brewing Company<\/a> has done for downtown Frankfort over the past four years.<\/p>\n There are many reasons that locals are getting excited, and it is not just about the beer \u2014 the Texas-style food is different than anything else around; the brewery will feature live entertainment several nights of the week; and the project has rehabilitated a 100-year-old building in a derelict part of town. Additionally, 14 new housing units will soon be available above the brewery in the same building. <\/p>\n So, to review: jobs, homes, and beer, oh my!<\/p>\n Why Manistee?<\/strong> Ron Ford and his son had been home-brewing for about two years at this point, and they thought that Manistee was the perfect place to open a craft brewery since, at the time, there were no breweries between Ludington and Traverse City. Then Stormcloud opened in June 2013 in Frankfort and was very successful, so the idea for a Manistee brewery continued to gather momentum in the Ford household. With a 29-page business plan, they secured partners: Aaron and Erik May (brothers) and Phil Johnson.<\/p>\n The concept for the brewery was \u2014 and still is \u2014 to mix creativity and science. They wanted to produce high-quality beverages and gastro-pub food at a reasonable price, using as many locally sourced ingredients as possible. <\/p>\n A Dozen Taps<\/strong> Joslyn\u2019s plan is to make \u201cclassic-style beer with locally sourced ingredients,\u201d according to the Manistee News Advocate<\/em><\/a>. He expects to make 400 to 500 barrels in the first year.<\/p>\n The beers currently on tap consist of: <\/p>\n Every beer on the menu lists what percentage of malt and hops are Michigan-sourced ingredients. There are also two ciders: a hard cider and a blueberry cider. Jacob Walsh, the bar manager, says that they will be selling liquor shortly, with creative cocktails.<\/p>\n Southern-inspired Food <\/strong> Bobby Elkins is the sous chef. He is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, but has lived in Manistee for quite awhile now; he worked for seven years at Manistee\u2019s Little River Casino<\/a> and two years before that at Battle Creek\u2019s Firekeeper\u2019s Casino,<\/a> which Elkins says is a completely from-scratch kitchen. This was good preparation, he says, since 98 percent of what comes out of the North Channel kitchen is made from scratch, too \u2014 the potato chips, the tortilla chips, the sauces, the dressings, almost everything.<\/p>\n Elkins says that Eskridge wrote the menu, and Elkins helped to tweak it. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been fine-tuning it together,\u201d Elkins says. \u201cFor instance, we wanted the brisket to be absolutely perfect before opening.\u201d<\/p>\n Every benchmark that they have set so far has been surpassed, Elkins says, and so their benchmarks are going up every week, as their food has been in high demand. And there is no wondering why\u2014 it is good. And it is different from what most others in the area are serving.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a couple of places nearby, like Ludington, that are doing Memphis-style barbcue,\u201d Elkins says. \u201cBut we are doing Texas- or Louisiana-style, with a heavy dry rub. I call it \u2018mop barbecue sauce,\u2019 because it\u2019s thin. And coffee is the main ingredient.\u201d<\/p>\n The burgers are ground in-house, and they contain 50 percent chuck and 50 percent brisket.<\/p>\n \u201cMost places you go, the blend is 70-30,\u201d Elkins explains. \u201cAnd we use a heavy grind \u2014 some would call it a \u2018rough grind.\u2019 You know how typically a beef patty at a restaurant is like a meatloaf-like consistency? Well, ours is heavier in texture, more like a steak.\u201d<\/p>\n When you go, make sure to order the Bacon Slaw Burger, which comes with homemade bacon jam, creamy Southern coleslaw, crispy-fried shaved onion, and white cheddar, served on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Just make sure to grab a napkin or two, as the huge, super-tasty treat takes two hands to grip and oozes with each bite. Seriously: the colesaw is the creamiest slaw that this writer has ever tasted, and the bacon jam is delightful \u2014 to make one quart, it takes two bounds of bacon, seven jalapenos, and one red pepper. But the result is \u201call sweet, no heat,\u201d Elkins says. (The jam has been so popular that they are thinking of bottling it and selling it.)<\/p>\n Elkins says that he has been wanting to do a barbque place in downtown Manistee for quite some time now. <\/p>\n \u201cFunny story, but I actually almost bought this same building before they did,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Elkins credits his friends for persuading him to apply for the position at North Channel.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the beer junkie; I\u2019m the barbecue guy,\u201d he says. \u201cSo my friends pushed me to apply for this job \u2014 and man, they were right.\u201d<\/p>\n Live Entertainment<\/strong> Jacob Walsh, the bar manager, has been working for North Channel for the past few months, preparing for the big opening. Raised in New York and having lived for a decade in southern Florida where he managed restaurants, Walsh moved to Manistee two years ago and has been working in the restaurant industry just across the river.<\/p>\n \u201cI love food and beverage management,\u201d he says. \u201cI love good food. I love good beer. I take lots of pride in the local community.\u201d <\/p>\n What is his favorite North Channel beer? The Bock.<\/p>\n Walsh is excited about the upcoming entertainment schedule. Throughout the winter, he says, they plan to have live shows, such as music and stand-up comedy. They are also planning a New Year\u2019s Eve party, with details still in the works. (Check their Facebook page for updates.<\/a>)<\/p>\n Old Building Gets New Life<\/strong> The structure was in worse shape than the business partners originally thought, so it took eight months of construction to get the brewery ready. But there are further plans for the building: the brewery and restaurant are located in 8,000 square feet on the first floor, and there are 13,000 square feet comprising 14 apartments upstairs, though those will not be ready until 2018. <\/p>\n The brewery\u2019s soft opening was Friday, November 10, and this event \u2014 complete with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony \u2014 was geared toward the many contractors, vendors, and city officials who had helped along the way. Saturday, November 11, marked the official grand opening to the general public.<\/p>\n More good news came at the end of November, when MLive<\/em> reported that North Channel will receive $970,000 from the state<\/a> to complete the $5.4 million building restoration, turning it into both a commercial and retail development. The Michigan Community Revitalization Program award is dependent upon the project creating at least 20 jobs that pay an average of $18 per hour, which it already is doing at the brewery. Additional funds for the project are coming from a loan from Shelby State Bank<\/a>, historic tax credits, and 13 percent of the project\u2019s costs are coming from the City of Manistee.<\/a><\/p>\n North Channel Brewing Company is located at 86 Washington Street, across the street from the Farmers\u2019 Market and next to the Manistee River at the drawbridge. You might even look out the window to see a pile of cars lined up at the lifted bridge as the occasional freighter goes by. Learn more at NorthChannelBrewing.com.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" North Channel Brewing Company opens in downtown Manistee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[199,176,48,41,44,49],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/betsiecurrent_manisteebrewery.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3TDCr-xz","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2081"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2098,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081\/revisions\/2098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe Fords first came to Manistee in 2002, when they were driving the Lake Michigan coastline looking to find a summer place. At the time, Manistee had a microbrewery on River Street, and the Fords considered this a perk of choosing to vacation there, according to the brewery\u2019s website<\/a>. By 2012, the brewery had long-since closed, and the town was suffering the effects of the housing bust and the Great Recession. However, over this same decade, the craft-brewery scene had exploded. <\/p>\n
\nBill Joslyn is the head brewer<\/a>, and there are 12 taps that are made on-site. Josylyn moved back to Northern Michigan from North Carolina specifically for the position with North Channel Brewing Company. Joslyn first began home-brewing in 1990, when he was living in Northern Michigan and working as an artist. In 2000, he was accepted into the Master Brewers Program at the University of California-Davis<\/a>, and later that year, he began working at Boulder Beer in Boulder, Colorado<\/a>. By 2003, Joslyn had moved to The Saint Louis Brewery (Schafly Brand)<\/a> in St. Louis, Missouri; he later spent a few years at Oskar Blues Brewery<\/a> in Longmont, Colorado, and in Brevard, North Carolina. <\/p>\n![\"Manistee](\"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BetsieCurrent_IMG_0499_1000.jpg\")
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\nAs for the food side of things, Carl Eskridge is the general manager and executive chef<\/a>. His idea was to serve Texas-style barbecue and Southern-inspired cuisine. For instance<\/a>, they have alligator bites on the menu all the time, and sometimes some rattlesnake. They have fried pickles, Southwestern shrimp, jalapeno cornbread, and pork carnitas tacos. The restaurant is currently going through 40 briskets per week, in addition to the baby back ribs and chopped barbecue pork that comes out of the smoker.<\/p>\n![\"Manistee](\"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BetsieCurrent_IMG_0487_1000.jpg\")
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\nThe brewery can hold about 150 people at capacity \u2014 about 75 in the front room with the bar and a dozen tables, and another 75 or so in the back room that is filled mainly with booths.<\/p>\n![\"North](\"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BetsieCurrent_IMG_0497_1000.jpg\")
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\nNorth Channel Brewing Company is located in a 21,000-square-foot, three-story, 100-year-old building that sits on just over half an acre. The building was once Manistee Manufacturing, a furniture company that began in the 1890s. At one time, the building encompassed the whole block, according to the brewery\u2019s website, but it had several large fires that eventually led to the company\u2019s shuttering. The building has had several uses since \u2014 all manufacturing through the early 2000s, though it was most recently used as a resale store until 2010. Then the dilapidated building sat vacant for many years. <\/p>\n