The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department is investigating after an upstart brewery in Gobles was severely vandalized last week. Dirtbag Brewing Company owner Ryan Long tells us he’s been working for years to launch a brewpub and events center on farm property he owns along the Kal Haven Trail. Last week, three juveniles trashed the place, which is still under construction. Long says they broke every window and door, ransacked the inside of the building, and destroyed a van.
“To me, it seems pretty personal, a malicious attack, especially for three local high school kids,” Long said. “Obviously, they didn’t have an y supervision or parental guidance, and then the fact that they went there three separate days.”
Long says he’d hoped to be able to hold some events at the brewery by the summer. However, that’s now on hold.
“I definitely don’t have the funds or any means to cover that. We planned on doing concrete and the rest of the siding and the septic and moving forward with other things, and now everything’s pretty much at a standstill.”
Long estimates the damage at $100,000. He’s a contractor and had been building the business himself with a hope of switching careers. All is on hold. Police have identified the three juveniles responsible. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been launched to help Dirtbag Brewing recover.
