Untold Detroit

William (“Billy”) Wall-Winkel, host of the Detroit Historical Society’s first-ever podcast that explored in-depth the Motor City’s long and fascinating beer history that dates back centuries.

Detroit’s Brewing History Explored in New Podcast

Jon Becker MiBrew Trail

Detroit has long been known as the automobile capital of the world. That reputation, ignited by Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford, is the first thing that comes to mind to many people when they think of the Motor City. Yet the public’s enduring fascination with the automobile tends to obscure other notable elements of Detroit’s rich history. Like beer, for instance. Beer and brewing go back a long way in Detroit and the Detroit Historical Society decided to shed light on the history of brewing in the city by developing its first podcast, “Untold Detroit: Beer.” Hosted by William “Billy” Wall-Winkel, assistant curator and oral historian for the Detroit Historical Society, the podcast takes an in-depth look at Detroit brewing, dating back to pre-French colonization to current happenings in Metro Detroit’s bustling beer scene. “Detroit has a really interesting history with brewing,” said Wall-Winkel. “I was interested in exploring this history because I only knew about Stroh’s. I didn’t know about Voigt or Kling and I certainly didn’t know about Joseph Parent.” (Detroit’s first recognized brewer who arrived in the city in 1706). Wall-Winkel said Peter Blum’s “Brewed in Detroit,” considered the definitive book on the city’s brewing history, got the wheels turning. “It had been on my to-read list for awhile,” he said. “I can easily say that I should have read it sooner. He was a great starting point as our team jumped down the rabbit hole.” The first season’s episodes featured interviews with giants of the industry such as Larry Bell, founder of Bell’s Brewing; John Stroh, chairman & CEO of The Stroh Companies, Inc.; Annett May, a female-certified cicerone who has worked in the craft beer industry for 25 years; and Dave Engbers, co-founder and president of Founders Brewing Company. “We focused a lot of energy on making sure the podcast was not just for history buffs,” Wall-Winkel said of the six-episode series that covered one topic, beer. “We wanted to make it accessible for everyone to enjoy. Beer is for everyone and we wanted the podcast to be the same way.” Wall-Winkel’s on-air style is one in which he’d rather see the guests, not him, be the center of attention. “From the get-go, we knew people were more interested in hearing other people tell this story, not just me,” he explained. “Podcasts that bring in the people that they are talking about are the shows that I enjoy the most.” Historians, brewers and beer lovers were among the guests. “I chatted with John Stroh, John Linardos, and Scott King which was absolutely amazing,” said Wall-Winkel, who grew up in Lincoln Park and is now residing in Detroit. “Hearing the history directly from them is 10 times better than hearing it from me.” Folks may be surprised just how far back Detroit’s beer history goes. “European settlers were here for only a short period of time before a brewer (the aforementioned Joseph Parent) was recruited to come to Detroit to brew,” he noted. “The arrival of English, Irish, Polish, Belgian, and German immigrants radically impacted the city’s beer scene through the years. The tug-of-war between ales and lagers was really fun to explore.” Detroit’s beer scene has certainly changed over time, “but Detroiters’ appreciation for it hasn’t,” Wall-Winkel said. “The size of Detroit’s breweries was immense. By the late 1800s, Detroit beer titans were producing millions of barrels of beer every year. Detroiter’s had their pick of great beer.” With so many great beers to choose from and cool places to enjoy them in Detroit, picking a favorite is not an easy task. “Eastern Market Brewing Company (featured in a previous issue of MiBrew Trail) tends to hang out at the top of my list,” Wall-Winkel said. “They make a great beer. But I wouldn’t say no to a Dirty Blonde from Atwater or a Ghettoblaster from Motor City Brewing Works. I’m a big sour fan. I’ll go to any brewery in the city and try their latest sour at least once.” Untold Detroit is available on all major podcast platforms, including Google, Spotify and Apple. “It was a lot of fun to make and I hope people enjoy it,” Wall-Winkel said. “We are hard at work on our next season. We produced this season during the pandemic which was difficult. We’re looking forward to a smoother process for season 2.”

8 | www.MiBrewTrail.com MI Brew Trail | Summer 2021