The Mitten Brewing Co. Opens Third Michigan Location

Originally based in Grand Rapids, Michigan (aka Beer City, USA), the Mitten Brewing Co. has opened up its third location in Saugatuck, Michigan -- joining the original Grand Rapids location as well as the brewery's Northport location.

The new location will open on Friday, June 8 and house 80 patrons -- 36 indoors and 44 outside on the covered patio and in the lawn on picnic tables.

According to a release from the brewery, "In addition to a pub and restaurant, the space will host a small brewhouse that will focus on sour beer production. Apparel made by The Mitten State will also be available for purchase on site."

The full release from The Mitten is below.

Saugatuck, Mich. -- The Mitten Brewing Company is bringing its signature craft beer and pizza to a third Michigan town: Saugatuck.

The brewery’s new location at 329 Water Street will open on Friday, June 8. It’s located across the street from The Mermaid Bar and Grill, Coppercraft Distillery, Ridge Cider and just a few doors down from Coral Gables.

The small building is a pre-Civil War home that had been converted to a commercial space.

“We seem to have an affinity for choosing old buildings at the Mitten,” said The Mitten Brewing Co-Owner Chris Andrus. The Mitten’s original location is in an historic Grand Rapids firehouse.

Like The Mitten’s original location, the new space required some rebuilding—much of which Andrus and Co-Owner Max Trierweiler did themselves.

The new space will seat 80 patrons: 36 indoors and 44 outside on the covered patio and in the lawn on picnic tables Andrus and Trierweiler built.

Andrus and Trierweiler built the new bar from 1840s-era lumber—from back when Saugatuck was a lumber town and port. The wood was a gift from Saugatuck Brewing Company Founder and Former Saugatuck Mayor Barry Johnson, who Andrus said is a friend and mentor to The Mitten.

“That bar is pretty much the centerpiece of the building,” Andrus said. “It’s a neat piece from the former mayor of Saugatuck himself. We’re really excited to have that.”

In addition to a pub and restaurant, the space will host a small brewhouse that will focus on sour beer production. Apparel made by The Mitten State will also be available for purchase on site.

Adding another location was a natural next step for The Mitten Brewing Company, Andrus said.

“We’ve spent the last 5 years making our brand as strong as possible, and we’ve been reinvesting in our processes and our people,” Andrus said. “What we do best, in my opinion, is our taproom experience and the way our staff interacts with our guests. We wanted to bring that to a new place. Saugatuck was a natural fit.”

Andrus and Trierweiler hired 21 local residents to run the Saugatuck location.

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ABOUT

The Mitten Brewing Company was founded in November 2012 by lifelong friends Chris Andrus and Max Trierweiler. The brewery originated in Grand Rapids’s historic Engine House No. 9 and is a vintage baseball-themed microbrewery/pizzeria with a focus on community involvement and charitable giving. The Mitten’s signature craft beer, pizza and service can now be found in three spots along the West Michigan coast, with satellite locations in Northport and Saugatuck.