ENCORE SAVOR
Nostalgic Nod
World War II, female pilots are themes of taproom, winery
Brian Powers
BY JULIE SMITH
C
elebrating female pilots who served in World War II may seem like an unusual concept for a winery, but for Jeff Wescott it's been lucky. A beer-making effort that began as a “little bit of a hobby” for Wescott became Lucky Girl Brewing Crossroads, a taproom and restaurant located at the crossroads of
M-40 and M-43, between Paw Paw and Gobles, and then saw the addition of the B52 Winery next door. In 2014, Wescott started Lucky Girl Brewing Co. by making beers to sell at local retail establishments. A bit of a military buff, he was enamored with the World War II generation and designed a label for his
A framed photograph of female pilots of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program of World War II adorns a wall at the B52 Winery.
bottles celebrating the pin-up art of that era. “World War II was the greatest generation. It’s when the country took off,” he says. In 2017 Wescott decided to go bigger with his brewing efforts, teaming up with w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 15
