This will be a big year for Stiggs Brewery and Kitchen and Stiggs Brewing Company as the local business opens a new taproom and production center in Charlevoix and expands its brand statewide.
Stiggs Brewery and Kitchen first opened nine years ago on South Park Street in Boyne City to provide what its website describes as a “quintessential Up North microbrewery experience.” It has been known for craft beers and traditional barbecue food under the Stiggs brand ever since then.
Owner Mike Castiglione operated a food truck in Charlevoix last year as part of Stiggs Garage and BBQ Porch and is opening a 15-barrel production facility and a tasting room (known as the taproom) at 743 Petoskey Ave. in late February. The Stiggs food truck remains nearby, serving BBQ fare. It’s all a part of the next round of growth for Castiglione and his team.
“It’s something we’ve been planning,” Castiglione said of the Charlevoix efforts. “We’ve been wanting to expand, and this is our first big effort.”
The production facility is needed as Stiggs plans to have three or four of its beers — including the Red Wagon American lager, Go Hef Yourself wheat beer, the Hayburner New England IPA and the Irish I Was Irish Red Ale — distributed to stores and restaurants around the state. Stiggs will handle the distribution in Emmet County, and Imperial Beverage, which specializes in craft beers, has been hired to handle the rest of Michigan.
The tasting room brings Castiglione back to his roots. The Charlevoix native is excited to have a larger presence in the city, with seating for up to six inside the tasting room and an outdoor seating area around a walk-up window that will have longer hours during the warm weather months.
“It will be a seasonal location that is open multiple days a week in the summer,” Castiglione said. “I’m really excited to be bringing Stiggs back to my hometown.”
The tasting room will be open Friday through Sunday during the first couple of months, with expanded hours when the temperatures rise.
Stiggs has more than 20 beers on tap at its Boyne City restaurant, with eight on tap at the tasting room. A few regular favorites will be at both locations among a rotating group of seasonal beers. While most open positions have been hired at the Charlevoix location, Castiglione expects to need a few more seasonal employees for the summer. Interested candidates can visit stiggsbrewingcompany.com to learn how to apply.
Castiglione isn’t sure how many statewide locations will be carrying or selling Stiggs beer in the coming months, but it has taken nearly a decade to get to this point. Despite the expected growth, Stiggs Brewing Company will remain in northwestern Michigan, including its BBQ Wagon in Petoskey. Castiglione estimated the company handles up to 25 weddings and many other group events annually.
“We’re proud of our brand here,” Castiglione said. “It’s been a fun ride.”
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Stiggs Brewery expanding its Charlevoix presence, stocking beers statewide
Reporting by M. Alan Scott, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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