Savor

What’s Brewing 2021 to bring new craft breweries to region

by JOHN LIBERTY

The greater Kalamazoo area is going to have three more craft brewery choices in the next few months, in locations ranging from Mattawan to Plainwell to downtown Kalamazoo. Mattawan to get its first brewery

After nearly six years of planning and a pandemic, the four friends behind Murray Street Brewing Co. can see the light at the end of the pint glass.

Dan Howard, Tim Ginter and couple Peter Hathaway and Amanda Chadderdon, who came up with the idea of opening a brewery six years ago, are within months of opening Mattawan’s first brewery, in one of the village’s oldest buildings, at 57620 Murray St. The building was formerly known as The Livery and housed an antiques and collectibles shop.

The four friends settled on Mattawan because of the absence of a brewery there and because of Mattawan’s proximity to Kalamazoo. The appeal of locating their brewery in an old livery stable, built in 1868, put their vision in motion. The ownership team closed on the building in September 2019 and started moving forward with the project. “And then the pandemic happened,” says Howard. Construction work stopped in March and resumed in June.

“Once July came, we hit the ground running again,” says Howard, who handles the brewery’s financials and has a background in real estate. “Our problem as a new brewery is learning which shoe hits first and the order in which to attack things. The village has been incredibly helpful.

“It’s been tedious, and COVID made it tough, but we were able to stick through. People want to see it succeed here, and that’s been encouraging.”

John Liberty Courtesy

Murray Street Brewing Co. will house a five-barrel system from the Greenville-based Psycho Brews. The system was originally bound for a Texas brewery, but when that project folded, Ginter, Murray Street’s brewer, was able to secure it. The building also features an office space, a walk-in cooler, an eventual kitchen space and a second-story area that the owners plan to convert into a private event room. The taproom is expected to accommodate between 40 and 50 people.

“We fully anticipate that a lot of locals who come here may not have walked into a craft brewery before, so we want to make them feel at home,” Howard says. “On the flip side, we are hoping to have enough lines open where we can do some very smallbatch experimental things you have to come out and try.”

Ginter comes to Murray Street after starting his beer work at the Bell’s General Store. One of his customers there, Scott

Top: The management team of Murray Street Brewing Co., from left, Dan Howard, Amanda Chadderdon, Peter Hathaway and Tim Ginter, in front of the brewery’s location in in a renovated livery stable. Bottom: Taps for the new craft brewery's beers are ready to go.

Zylstra, is the proprietor of Plainwell’s Old Mill Brewpub and hired Ginter to work there. Ginter later joined the brewing team at Gonzo’s BiggDogg Brewing Co. in downtown Kalamazoo, brewing there until shortly after Saugatuck Brewing Co. announced its merger with Gonzo’s in March 2019.

Ginter and Howard hope to have their brewery license application approved this winter, and Ginter anticipates the brewery opening seven to nine weeks after that. Depending on the severity of the pandemic at the time, Murray Street may serve to-go beer only at the start and begin taproom service when it’s safe enough to do so.

“We want to make approachable beers that everyone will enjoy,” Ginter says. “At the same time, I want to make those New England-style IPAs, kettle sours and barrel-aged stouts. I have a number of recipes I’d like to open with.” Brewer inching toward Plainwell

Longtime Kalamazoo brewer Adam Wisniewski has found a home for his breweryin-the-works, Deep End Brewing Co.

Wisniewski, who has been the lead brewer at Wax Wings Brewing Co., 3480 Gull Road, for more than a year and brewed for five years at Rupert’s Brewhouse, says he will be taking over the former Energy Mill building at 712 Bridge St. in Plainwell, pending the city’s approval of his site plan. His business partner is Tim Woodhams. Deep End is already licensed by the state as a tenant brewer at One Well Brewing’s production facility in Kalamazoo and will be transferring the license to the Plainwell location.

John Liberty

Brian Powers

John Liberty

Brewer Adam Wisniewski, top, is teaming up with Tim Woodhams to open Deep End Brewing Co. in a building at 712 Bridge St. in Plainwell formerly occupied by Energy Mill (bottom).

John Liberty

Mark Rupert, owner of the now-closed Rupert’s Brewhouse, is in the early stages of planning to produce his brews again in downtown Kalamazoo.

Wisniewski has purchased a seven-barrel system from the former Big Buck Brewery’s Grand Rapids location and will be focused on building out his new brewery for initial to-go beer sales, ideally by spring. Depending on how the pandemic landscape looks, the taproom could be ready by late summer.

“I’m going to be focusing on a lot more wild sours and wood aging — a lot of farmhouse stuff, wild fermentation and spontaneous fermentation,” says Wisniewski. “That’s what I’ve always been most passionate about in brewing.” Rupert’s to return to Kalamazoo

Mark Rupert, owner of the now-closed Rupert’s Brewhouse, is in the early stages of returning to downtown Kalamazoo.

Rupert, 42, closed his brewery at 773 W. Michigan Ave. in September 2019, after six years in business. Rupert and his parents planned to reopen the brewery in Sturgis, but construction delays and the onset of the pandemic changed their direction. Rupert says he’s worked for Mark Wrench, president of the Fireplace & Grill Shoppe and SignWriter, both on West Michigan Avenue, for nearly 30 years. During the pandemic, he returned to work at SignWriter, and that is where he is currently clearing out an empty space in the back of the building with the intention of opening a brewery. He hopes to produce popular Rupert’s Brewhouse beers there by mid2021, mostly on a to-go basis.

“The intention is to do simple manufacturing and bring back some of our beers,” he says, “and then create a place where other people can brew as well.”

ASK THE BUSINESS AND ESTATE PLANNING LAWYER

Please send your questions to: Michael J. Willis, J.D., C.P.A. Please send your questions to: Michael J. Willis, J.D., C.P.A. Willis Law 491 West South Street Kalamazoo, MI 49007 269.492.1040 www.willis.law MICHAEL J. WILLIS, J.D., C.P.A., WILLIS LAW Q. My husband is going into a nursing home. I’ve been told it is possible for me to create a trust and protect my assets from the spend down at the nursing home. Is that true? A. Yes. Most often when folks talk on trust planning, they are referencing a revocable trust. In fact, that is the case probably more than 99% of the time. A revocable trust under Michigan law generally is set up only to avoid probate--that’s its only benefit. However, there is an irrevocable trust for persons in your circumstances that can be established with your assets to the extent they exceed the protected Please send your questions to: Michael J. Willis, J.D., C.P.A. ASK LAWYER THE BUSINESS AND ESTATE PLANNING MICHAEL J. WILLIS, J.D., C.P.A., WILLIS LAW Q. My husband is going into a nursing home. I’ve been told it is possible for me to create a trust and protect my assets from the spend ASK LAWYER THE BUSINESS AND ESTATE PLANNING Q. My husband is being sued for Willis Law 491 West South Street Kalamazoo, MI 49007 269.492.1040 www.willis.law Michael J. Willis is the Managing Partner of Willis Law, Attorneys and Counselors at Law, is licensed to practice law in Florida and Michigan, and is registered as a certified public accountant in the state of Illinois. Attorney Willis is rated as an A V -Preeminent Attorney by Martindale-Hubbell. This rating, according to Martindale, which has been rating lawyers for over a century, signifies that an attorney has reached the heights of professional excellence and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity. He is listed in the Best Lawyers in America. amount (which under Michigan law will cap at a little over $125,000). If the trust is irrevocable and the assets are effectively established in an annuity income stream back to you per the terms of the trust, then in such a circumstance the trust will no longer be considered a countable asset, but instead an income stream and thereby exempt for Medicaid purposes. This is a sophisticated planning technique, and I highly encourage you to seek counsel before implementing this technique or any other Medicaid planning. 9471992-01 Willis Law 491 West South Street Kalamazoo, MI 49007 269.492.1040 www.willis.law down at the nursing home. Is that true? A. Yes. Most often when folks talk on trust planning, they are referencing a revocable trust. In fact, that is the case probably more than 99% of the time. A revocable trust under Michigan law generally is set up only to avoid probate--that’s its only benefit. However, there is an irrevocable trust for persons in your circumstances that can be established with your assets to the extent they exceed the protected amount (which under Michigan law will cap at a little over $125,000). If the trust is irrevocable and the assets are effectively established in an annuity income stream back to you per the terms of the trust, then in such a circumstance the trust will no longer be considered a countable asset, but instead an income stream and thereby exempt for Medicaid Please send your questions to: Michael J. Willis, J.D., C.P.A. Willis Law 491 West South Street Kalamazoo, MI 49007 269.492.1040 www.willis.law MICHAEL J. WILLIS, J.D., C.P.A., WILLIS LAW Q. My husband is going into a nursing home. I’ve been told it is possible for me to create a trust and protect my assets from the spend down at the nursing home. Is that true? A. Yes. Most often when folks talk on trust planning, they are referencing a revocable trust. In fact, that is the case probably more than 99% of the time. A revocable trust under Michigan law generally is set up only to avoid probate--that’s its only benefit. However, there a business deal gone bad. Is my home at risk for collection or purposes. This is a sophisticated planning technique, and I highly is an irrevocable trust for persons in your circumstances that can be encourage you to seek counsel before implementing this technique or any other Medicaid planning.established with your assets to the extent they exceed the protected amount (which under Michigan law will cap at a little over $125,000). foreclosure? Michael J. Willis is the Managing Partner of Willis Law, Attorneys and Counselors at Law, is licensed to practice law in Florida and Michigan, and is registered as a certified public accountant in the state of Illinois. Attorney Willis is rated as an A V -Preeminent Attorney by Martindale-Hubbell. This rating, according to Martindale, which has been rating lawyers for over a century, signifies that an attorney has reached the heights of professional excellence and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity. He is listed in the Best Lawyers in America. 9471992-01 If the trust is irrevocable and the assets are effectively established in an annuity income stream back to you per the terms of the trust, then in Ask THE BUSINESS AND ESTATE PLANNING LAWYER

A. Probably not. If you own the home, or you own the home with him as husband and wife, then his creditor will generally have no claim on your home. If instead he owns the home in his own name, or if he owns it via a revocable trust, there is a significant opportunity for collection on that asset. Michigan law favors a holding by a married couple so much that it provides creditor protection for that holding. I should note it is important that a couple not lose this protection when they engage in estate planning, as it is an issue easy to overlook in that context.

such a circumstance the trust will no longer be considered a countable asset, but instead an income stream and thereby exempt for Medicaid Michael J. Willis is the Managing Partner of Willis Law, Attorneys and Counselors at Law, is licensed to practice law in Florida and Michigan, and is registered as a certified public accountant in the state of Illinois. Attorney Willis is rated as an A V -Preeminent purposes. This is a sophisticated planning technique, and I highly Attorney by Martindale-Hubbell. This rating, according to Martindale, which has been rating lawyers for over a century, signifies that an attorney has reached the heights of professional excellence and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity. encourage you to seek counsel before implementing this technique or He is listed in the Best Lawyers in America. any other Medicaid planning.