Alpha Michigan Brewing Company

The Alpha Michigan Brewing Company (AMBC) is a nanobrewery in the village of Alpha in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Alpha Michigan Brewing Company's logo

Background

The establishment describes Alpha as "the smallest village in America with a brewery".[1] Mike Bjork later told a local news outlet that the small size of the town around them, estimated by Bjork as being between 105–115 people, led to much skepticism about their business plans.[2]

AMBC's beer names are all related to Alpha, its former Porter school, nearby Mastodon Township, or Iron County, the county of Alpha and Mastodon Township.[3] As of 2019, its beers carry logos designed by local artist Tracie Wayman.[4]

The brewery's business is heavily focused on Alpha and the region around it. AMBC sources its barley, oats, and some of its hops from local farms, at least one of which is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) away, and as of 2018, it donates a portion of its net sales to charitable organizations during fundraisers.[5][4] For example, during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the brewery donated US$200 plus 20% of their Saturday beer sales to three nearby St. Vincent de Paul locations.[6]

Owners

The brewery was registered as a company by Stu Creel in 2012.[7] By the time it opened in 2018, the brewery was owned by Stu Creel and his wife, Julie, along with Mike and Mary Bjork. All four lived in the local area.[5][4][8] In July 2023, the brewery announced that the Creels had sold their stake in the business to another local couple, Dan and Jackie Rosek.[9]

History

AMBC was started in 2012 by Stu & Julie Creel [7] and opened in May 2018.[8][3][10] A year later, AMBC ran out of beer after above-normal sales during the US Independence Day holiday.[8] In early 2021, the brewery added outdoor heated tents to expand its COVID-appropriate seating. The funds to purchase them came from a Michigan weatherization grant program.[11]

In 2022, the company hosted an "Ice Bowl" winter disc golf competition to benefit a local food bank,[12] and brewed a pilsner beer to support Ukraine during the Russian invasion of that country.[13] Over the 2023 US Memorial Day weekend, the brewery celebrated its fifth year in operation.[2]

Location

AMBC is located at 303 E. Center St. in a former bus garage attached to Alpha's long-closed George F. Porter Public School.[5] The school building is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places as part of the Alpha Public Buildings Historic Complex, all on a single block.[14] The Porter School was last used as a school in 1967 and sold by the village in 2005.[15]

The interior of the taproom was partially constructed from secondhand materials gathered from around the village. Its bar was previously used for a buffet at the Alpha Inn and at the Alpha Veterans of Foreign Wars, changing hands when the locations closed, and a pew from the shuttered St. Edwards Catholic Church in Alpha is part of the brewery's available seats.[5][4]

See also

References
  1. "Alpha Michigan Brewing Company". Alpha Michigan Brewing Company. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  2. Meines, Caden (May 28, 2023). "Alpha Michigan Brewing Company celebrates 5 years of business". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  3. Naspretto, Alicia (June 4, 2018). "Alpha Brewing Company now open". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  4. Giddings, Sarah (Spring 2019). "Craft brewing with purpose in Alpha, Michigan" (PDF). Wild Rivers Guide. Northeast WI Publishing LLC. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 1, 2023.
  5. Proudfit, Theresa (August 27, 2018). "'We brew with a purpose': Alpha Michigan Brewing Company keeps the community in its beers". The Daily News. Iron Mountain, Michigan. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021.
  6. Jawor, Alyssa (May 13, 2020). "Alpha Michigan Brewing Co. to donate some beer proceeds to area St. Vincent de Paul pantries". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  7. "Alpha Brewing Company, LLC". Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. 801670100. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  8. Jawor, Alyssa (July 9, 2019). "Alpha Michigan Brewing Company runs out of beer". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  9. "Brewery Announcement". Facebook. Alpha Michigan Brewing Company. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  10. Callahan, Dan (May 25, 2018). "Grand opening of a small town brewery in Iron County". ABC10UP. Ishpeming, Michigan: WBUP-TV. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  11. Jawor, Alyssa (January 6, 2021). "Alpha Michigan Brewing Company adds igloo tents for outdoor seating". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  12. Price, Matt (March 11, 2022). "Alpha holds its first-ever Ice Bowl disc golf tournament". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  13. Giachino, Annette (March 11, 2022). "Iron County brewery taking a stand against Russia". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  14. "Alpha Public Buildings Historic Complex". Historic Sites Online. Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  15. "History". Mastodon Township. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2012.

Further reading

46°02′49.4″N 88°22′37.8″W

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