Wealthy Street Mega Thread

[RegalTDP]

On 1/20/2016 at 8:52 AM, GRDadof3 said:

Isn't that the case for any new business? 4 out of 5 small businesses fail within the first five years, breweries are no exception. I think hundreds of people should open breweries here this year. The pressure to be innovative would be incredible. 

The biggest threat to the craft brewing industry that I see isn't any perceived "bubble" of growth. It's mergers and acquisitions, and the stifling of growth if big brewers start eating up distributors and monopolizing store shelves. If Founders gets taken over by AB InBev or some other biggie, this area may get screwed. 

 

Absolutely - my point was that people tend to think of "Craft brewery" as its own type of cuisine or genre of dining, regardless of how diverse their food offerings actually are.  I think as the number of breweries grow, they will have to change that way of thinking to successfully carve out their niche in the field.

[joeDowntown]

Rendering of the new Elk Brewing (and an update):

http://elkbrewing.com/856-2/

Joe

 

[mpchicago]

Nice!   I'm pleasantly surprised with Elks growth.   It took them for ever to get that Wealthy spot up and running, and it looks like they are going gangbusters now.   I have not had the opportunity to try Elk, so givin the proximity to my parents on the NE side, and easy on easy off for trips up north this will work out well for me!  

 

Edited January 22, 2016 by mpchicago

[GRDadof3]

10 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Rendering of the new Elk Brewing (and an update):

http://elkbrewing.com/856-2/

Joe

 

You'll totally be able to see that from West River Drive. Nice! 

[EastownLeo]

Heard that Latitude 42 Brewery http://www.latitude42brewingco.com  From portage is also looking to possibly enter the GR market with a location.

Just Rumor.

[GRDadof3]

Arcadia is coming to GR, apparently. 

[elcelc]

8 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

Arcadia is coming to GR, apparently. 

That was pretty hot about a year ago but it fell through.  Maybe they're still poking around.

[john_denver]

We need Jolly Pumpkin here too.

[GRDadof3]

On 1/15/2016 at 1:56 PM, elcelc said:

High Five and Speciation are tbd.  Sway is going in to Michigan & Eastern.  Blue Sky is the one in Cascade on 28th.

Is Sway affiliated with 7 Monks in Traverse City? Someone affiliated with 616 mentioned on FB that 7 Monks was coming to their building (doesn't way which one).

[GRDadof3]

In other beer news: founders Japan:

http://japanbeertimes.com/2016/01/founders-brewing-company/?fb_action_ids=10106116176011063&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B915453265217084%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.likes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

[elcelc]

11 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Is Sway affiliated with 7 Monks in Traverse City? Someone affiliated with 616 mentioned on FB that 7 Monks was coming to their building (doesn't way which one).

Hmmm.  That might explain why I don't know who's involved with Sway.  Because I really don't know.  GRBC and City Built are in 616, what's one more?  I hadn't seen the 7 Monks name pop up yet.

[mpchicago]

10 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

In other beer news: founders Japan:

http://japanbeertimes.com/2016/01/founders-brewing-company/?fb_action_ids=10106116176011063&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B915453265217084%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.likes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

Nice find.  Much of that we have heard before, but interesting none the less, and such high praise from Japan!  Founder's really has put GR on the global map.  It's always interesting, the little inaccuracies you read in these articles. Somewhere a few blocks beyond the window behind him, obscured by a few buildings, runs the Grand River, the municipal water source.  It's my understanding that all of the city's drinking water comes from Lake Michigan.  I don't think it has been pumped from the Grand River in years.  

[discgrab21]

25 minutes ago, mpchicago said:

Nice find.  Much of that we have heard before, but interesting none the less, and such high praise from Japan!  Founder's really has put GR on the global map.  It's always interesting, the little inaccuracies you read in these articles. Somewhere a few blocks beyond the window behind him, obscured by a few buildings, runs the Grand River, the municipal water source.  It's my understanding that all of the city's drinking water comes from Lake Michigan.  I don't think it has been pumped from the Grand River in years.  

I noticed and was thinking the exact same thing

[GRDadof3]

3 hours ago, mpchicago said:

Nice find.  Much of that we have heard before, but interesting none the less, and such high praise from Japan!  Founder's really has put GR on the global map.  It's always interesting, the little inaccuracies you read in these articles. Somewhere a few blocks beyond the window behind him, obscured by a few buildings, runs the Grand River, the municipal water source.  It's my understanding that all of the city's drinking water comes from Lake Michigan.  I don't think it has been pumped from the Grand River in years.  

It's definitely Lake Michigan water and not from the Grand River. The plant is South of Grand Haven.  Although I guess technically the Grand River flows into Lake Michigan...

It's the big water plant at the very end of Lake Michigan Drive. 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/N+Lakeshore+Dr,+Grand+Haven,+MI+49417/@42.9705347,-86.2193489,540m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x881988fef709b91f:0x19ff954aaf6eac9e

So in essence, Founders' beer is made from a glacial formed lake: Lake Michigan. 

 

[GRDadof3]

Wonder if this lawsuit is what's holding up work across the street:

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2016/01/wealthy_street_bakery_founders.html

 

[RegalTDP]

16 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

In other beer news: founders Japan:

http://japanbeertimes.com/2016/01/founders-brewing-company/?fb_action_ids=10106116176011063&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B915453265217084%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.likes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

Love it!  They'll be bringing Founders into Japan before I'll ever see any here in Los Angeles... Sigh... 

[mpchicago]

2 minutes ago, RegalTDP said:

Love it!  They'll be bringing Founders into Japan before I'll ever see any here in Los Angeles... Sigh... 

You should be able to find Founders in La La Land right now: http://www.lamag.com/liquidlablog/its-a-christmas-miracle-founders-brewing-company-is-coming-to-l-a/

[RegalTDP]

14 minutes ago, mpchicago said:

You should be able to find Founders in La La Land right now: http://www.lamag.com/liquidlablog/its-a-christmas-miracle-founders-brewing-company-is-coming-to-l-a/

No way!  Better start looking harder.  I only knew it was available in Bakersfield.

Thanks for the heads-up!

[Kinkema]

3 hours ago, RegalTDP said:

No way!  Better start looking harder.  I only knew it was available in Bakersfield.

Thanks for the heads-up!

I'm in San Diego and I've found it at most bottle shops and liquor stores.  Whole Foods is carrying a limited selection of All Day and Centennial as well. 

[destijl]

Founder's is easy to find here on the San Francisco peninsula. I've even found it in 'discount' grocery stores.

[mgreven]

Trattoria next to Bombay Cuisine closed. Bombay is moving to that space and their current space will be Bombay Brewing. Indian Beer. Add one more to the list...

[GRDadof3]

3 hours ago, iK1NkY said:

I'm in San Diego and I've found it at most bottle shops and liquor stores.  Whole Foods is carrying a limited selection of All Day and Centennial as well. 

http://www.examiner.com/article/founders-brewing-company-brings-big-beers-to-san-diego

Reading these articles is so bizarre. I go to Founders brewpub at least once every couple of weeks, like it's nothing. I like to meet people there because you can talk business but it's laid back. 

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/4686196-181/beer-drinkers-buzzing-over-founders?artslide=0

http://www.brit.co/best-breweries-to-visit/

By the way, Azacca IPA is really good if you like hops. 

http://thefullpint.com/beer-news/founders-brewing-co-to-release-azacca-ipa/

 

 

[GRDadof3]

I was digging into their newest expansion, since it's gotten so much press nationally. It's not some little bump in size for them. The current footprint of their facility on Grandville is about 120,000 square feet, with a little bit of room yet to expand where the fueling station was. Some of it is multiple floors so I don't know how much space they have total. Maybe 150 - 160,000?

.

.

Their latest acquisition/lease at 900 Hynes is 190,000 square feet...

 

Will they one day be one of West Michigan's largest employers? 

 

 

http://www.grbj.com/articles/84309-founders-brewing-plans-second-brewery

 

[elcelc]

9 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

I was digging into their newest expansion, since it's gotten so much press nationally. It's not some little bump in size for them. The current footprint of their facility on Grandville is about 120,000 square feet, with a little bit of room yet to expand where the fueling station was. Some of it is multiple floors so I don't know how much space they have total. Maybe 150 - 160,000?

Their latest acquisition/lease at 900 Hynes is 190,000 square feet...

Will they one day be one of West Michigan's largest employers? 

 

I wonder what this means for their yet to be built Phase II expansion on Grandville.  It's basically a partial mirror of what they just completed, with another 19,500 sq ft of production/packaging.

[GRDadof3]

36 minutes ago, elcelc said:

I wonder what this means for their yet to be built Phase II expansion on Grandville.  It's basically a partial mirror of what they just completed, with another 19,500 sq ft of production/packaging.

It sounds like 900 Hynes is primarily going to be warehousing and logistics, with a small scale brewery for experimentals. I doubt it changes anything with phase II, which is large scale fermentation (from this amateur's perspective).