New microbrewery on tap for Comstock Park

By Garret Ellison

The Michigan microbrewery market will be getting another player next year when Perrin Brewing Co. opens the doors of its Alpine Township facility, which owners expect to heavily emphasize public tours and tasting.
 Perrin’s site plans and rezoning request got a nod from the Planning Commission on Thursday and the facility should be open in March, said co-owner Jarred Sper, assuming everything passes muster with the Township Board in the next two months.  The 12,000-square-foot brewery will be located at 5910 Comstock Park Drive NW, on seven acres alongside Mill Creek. They are planning to produce 2,500 to 3,500 barrels the first year with plenty of space and equipment to accommodate future expansion, said Sper.  “We want to take the public — and especially the home brewer — and really engage them with the equipment,” said Sper, a 34-year-old former U.S. Marine sergeant and 1995 graduate of Lowell High School.

 Sper and fellow owner Randy Perrin of Perrin Properties LLC won a recommendation from planners to rezone the site from industrial to planned unit commercial, which will allow for tours and tasting, as well as on-site retail sales of growlers and six-packs.  The company plans to host a handful of invite-only outdoor events with beer, food and live music, and the daily public tours are a big part of making the brewery a unique and educational destination, said Sper.  “There are no secrets — we’ll give people the recipes.”

 Perrin will be distributing their compliment of year-round beers in 12 and 16 oz cans. Styles planned include a “wit,” or white, a porter, India Pale Ale and American Strong Ale. A handful of seasonal styles will be available at the brewery. Retail prices are yet to be determined.  Sper did not reveal the name of the company’s brewer, who will be guiding tours, but said the man has previously worked for Lagunitas, Goose Island and Harpoon brewing companies.  Sper said Perrin is in the middle of “serious talks” with distributors, but initially are planning to focus on serving the local market. “We want to focus on Michigan,” he said.

  The venture’s initial name was to be Silver Jack’s Brewing Company, but Sper said they chose to go with the Perrin name based on the positive reputation the Perrins have in the Comstock Park area.   The company plans to draw water from a well on site, and Sper assured planners and several nearby neighbors at Thursday’s meeting that state regulators had determined there to be a sufficiently large aquifer to accommodate everyone in the vicinity.  A few neighbors expressed concern about odors from the plant, as well as impact on land value of neighboring homes. Sper said the twice daily 90-minute brewing process gives off a sweet, caramel-like smell akin to “baking bread in a kitchen.”  He expressed a commitment to ensure minimal impact on surrounding homes and addressed concerns about on-site drinking by saying “it’s not a bar.” 

“We want to make it a place families will feel comfortable,” he said. There will be picnic tables and pre-packaged snacks, and possibly catered events, but the microbrewery license does not permit an on-site kitchen and restaurant.

 Tasting hours would be daily from 4 to 11 p.m. Samples will be given in four -to -six ounce cups.

“It’s not a place to come, drink and get loaded,” he said. “It’s a place of business. If you like our beer, buy a growler and come back the next day.”

The Township Board, which created an industrial development district on Monday to precede an expected request for a tax abatement, will decide final approval of rezoning and site plans later this fall.