All roads lead to Alpena for Southern California family Jon Becker MIBrewTrail A cross country road trip for an adventurous Southern California family set the wheels in motion for what has become one of Michigan’s larger microbreweries. Austin Brothers Beer Company pumped out 3,370 barrels of beer in 2020. This equates to about 44,500 cases. The family-owned and operated brewery (parents Dana and Julie Austin alongside their sons Brant and Blake) is located in Alpena, which may as well have been a foreign country to the Austins for all they knew about the Northern Michigan community when they first came upon it years ago. Established in 2015, the brewery with a scratch kitchen and a taproom that offers patrons a wide selection of up to 24 tap beers, has entrenched itself as not only a fine brewery but also as a great place to fuel up for lunch, dinner or a late-night snack. And to think it all got started by a family that spent a couple summers driving around the United States and of all places to land, ended up choosing the picturesque haven known as the Sanctuary of the Great Lakes. The family patriarch, Dana Austin, was nearing retirement as a captain in the San Bernardino (CA) Fire Department. With no intention of remaining in California, Dana Austin, with his school-age sons on summer vacation, hit the road in a RV to
explore this vast country for a potential place to start a new life. The initial leg of the journey saw them travel to Florida. From there, they were headed to Idaho, taking a long route up I-75 to Michigan. When they reached the proverbial fork in the road, it was decision time. “At the spot where I-75 splits off from US-23, Dana asked his son, Blake, which way he wanted to go,” recounted Chris Heikkuri, director of sales for Austin Brothers Beer Co. “They hadn’t seen any of the Great Lakes, so Blake suggested taking US-23 along Lake Huron.” The family wound up in Alpena, spent the next couple days there and fell in love with its natural beauty. “They loved the way the Thunder Bay River flowed through town, the beautiful Lake Huron shoreline, and Alpena’s charming downtown with a drawbridge,” Heikkuri said. Right then, the family decided they would return to Alpena the following summer. This time, Dana Austin purchased property so he and his family could return to the area on a more regular basis. “A couple of years later is when the wheels to open a brewery started turning,” Heikkuri said. At the time Blake was a PGA golf pro and Brant was in nursing school. Dana had no formal brew master experience but had been a home brewer for years. Brant decided that maybe
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nursing wasn’t for him after all, and began formal training in brewing science, first at the Seibel Institute of Technology in Chicago and later in a country that knows a thing or two about beer — Germany. After his schooling, Brant began plying his new trade at a couple of breweries, where he learned about commercial brewing systems — experience that would prove most beneficial in the family business. “In the summer of 2014, the Austins packed up all of their families and moved from Southern California to Alpena,” Heikkuri said. “They spent a year refitting an old industrial building with a taproom and kitchen.” The brewery’s scratch kitchen uses fresh and locally-sourced ingredients for dishes that go well with beer, like wings, walleye sandwiches, brew fries and burgers, to name a few menu offerings. Many of its beers are available in cans to go and plans are underway for even more delightful food choices. “We are adding a 1,000 gallon smoker this spring,” Heikkuri said. “This will allow us to expand the availability of our much-requested smoked items.” Now that you know the back story, let’s, as Heikkuri implores: “Get to the Beer.” Austin Brothers has 2 flagship beers, 45’er IPA, and Woody Wheat. Both sell equally well for a company that enjoys wide product distribution. 45’er is a traditional West Coast IPA. It’s named after the 45th parallel
Dana Austin is pictured here with his sons Brant Austin and Blake Austin at Austin Brothers Beer Company, a family-owned and operated brewery in Alpena. The Austin gentleman along with Julie Austin (not pictured), Dana's wife and Brant and Blake's mother, founded the popular microbrewery in 2015. The Austin's take great pride in consistently producing quality beer and tasty pub food, all locally-sourced. The brewery's wide selection of beers is widely distributed throughout the state.
that it’s brewed on. Woody Wheat is an American-style wheat beer with a tantalizing blend of orange and vanilla.
and tickled taste buds with the three rotating specialty series it offers in 16 ounce cans:
The company’s double IPA, Parallyzer, can also be found on store shelves statewide. It plans to add another brew to its statewide distribution network, NRTHRN, LTS, a beer that will appeal to the calorie-conscious that aren’t fond of heavier, bitter beers. “This is a low-calorie gluten-reduced light ale,” Heikkuri said. The company’s growth is largely triggered by its robust sales in Michigan. “Our beers can be found in just about every Walmart and Meijer in the state as well as some Spartan stores.” The brewery has turned heads
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Murk Series consisting of New England IPAs with each one having a slightly different malt recipe.
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Creamy IPAs that will make you think you’re drinking a smoothie.
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Sour Series or Kettle Series that are treated with fruit (sourbet) or fruit and salt (gose).
The busy brewery released over 50 different can beers last year. “Many of the independent stores out there carry our whole lineup,” Heikkuri said. It’s a lineup worth starting or continuing your Michigan craft beer experience with.
MI Brew Trail | Spring 2021
