Commerce Township — Owners of a brewery in a suburban strip mall have found the secret sauce not only to last 10 years in the craft beer business, but also to expand to a second Oakland County location.
Kickstand Brewing Co. in Commerce Township marked a decade earlier this year, and by the summer the three owners hope to have similar success with a new location about 15 miles west in New Hudson. The second Kickstand Brewing Co. will take over the former Draught Horse Brewery & Spirits, which closed in September.
Kickstand’s owners — Brendan Rogers and Scott Emerick, along with general manager Andris Zukovs — say their success in Commerce Township has been partially about brewing and distributing good beer, but also because they’ve been able to provide their customers with what they want: a place to hang with good food and drink.
“I think there’s a lot of breweries that open without enough service and products. You have to provide the environment for people to stay and enjoy, and then they’ll come back,” said Emerick, who started brewing beer in his house with Rogers. “We’re basically a restaurant with a brewery attached.”
The bar serves its most popular beers like the Birch Bark Porter and Pontoon Pale Ale, as well as more niche suds like a Peanut Butter Porter and the high-octane Long Strange Trip Belgian Tripe. Beers are made on-site by head brewmaster Adam Beratta.
Executed by chef Kyle Walters, the food menu is vast, and draws customers in daily during lunch and dinner to sit at the bar, communal high top tables or in cozy booths around the recently renovated dining area.
The menu has the must-haves for a brewpub, like beer cheese dip and IPA-brined chicken wings. Among the most popular dishes are the hand-battered chicken tenders, the mahi mahi tacos, a roasted garlic pizza and the house burger with bacon, Boursin cheese, lettuce, tomato and an onion ring.
“When we opened we said, OK we’re going to be a brewery that sells food, but our clientele has dictated that we’re a restaurant that brews its own beer,” adds Zukovs. “A lot of these places just have a food truck or a few snacks and that’s not what keeps people out. We are packed because families want to come out.”
Another way Kickstand is able to keep and attract customers is that they do offer more than beer. Their license allows them to sell wine and Michigan-made spirits, which are supplied by Detroit City Distillery.
Rogers and Emerick met in school and teamed up with Zukovs after the three of them worked together at a Bar Louie in Novi.
“They had this idea, they talked to me about it and it sounded like something I’d be interested in,” said Zukovs. “We talked philosophies, business plans, stuff like that. We saw eye-to-eye on a lot of that, but I was like how’s the beer? We sat down and we tried some of the beers and I said, OK I’m in.”
More than a decade later, they’ve got a successful, 175-seat restaurant and brewery in Commerce and have their beers in more than 900 locations around the state.
They say the second location in New Hudson, which will be called Kickstand Brewing Co. & Kitchen, should be ready to go in a few months.
“It’s definitely a market similar to Commerce where it’s not fully utilized yet,” said Emerick of the new venture.
Kickstand Brewing Co., 3050 Union Lake in Commerce Township, is open at noon daily. Call (248) 301-5941 or visit kickstandbrewingco.com.
mbaetens@detroitnews.com
This story has been updated to correct Andris Zukovs’ job title.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Kickstand Brewing Co. celebrates 10 years with big plans
Reporting by Melody Baetens, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
