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New Holland Brewing Seeks Spirits & Wine Tasting Room in Downtown South Haven

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If the South Haven City Council gives them the green light, New Holland Brewing Company is poised to establish a new tasting room in the city’s central business district at tomorrow night’s council meeting.

The Holland-based maker of beer, wine and spirits reports that they have negotiated a lease for a spirits and wine tasting room at 253 Center Street in downtown South Haven, and would be their fourth such tasting facility, to go along with locations in their hometown of Holland as well as in Grand Rapids and Saugatuck.

City officials will be asked tomorrow night to conduct a public hearing on the company’s application for an off-premise tasting room license allowing for tasting of wine and spirits, however, current Michigan law does not permit the addition of beer to the offerings proposed there.

New Holland officials call it, “an exciting expansion for this Michigan home-grown craft distiller.” In addition to the indoor leased premises, New Holland is also working with the City of South Haven administration to have an outdoor service area.

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The tasting rooms that New Holland Brewing operates in Holland and Grand Rapids are full service restaurants and considerably larger than the Saugatuck tasting room which offers snacks. The proposed South Haven tasting room would be much like the Saugatuck tasting room in both its configuration and its offerings. The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is courtesy of New Holland Brewing Company, and shows their tasting room in Saugatuck.

New Holland owners say they plan to have a retail store in the front of the space in downtown South Haven, with spirits and merchandise items on display and for sale. A tasting bar is included in the request, where they can provide guests with samples of their products and make cocktails showcasing their products.

The company plans to sell spirits, wine, cider, and seltzers in South Haven, and will feature a small kitchen to make little snacks including their famous pepperoni pinwheels for either dine-in or to go options. The proposed menu will be very minimal with a few appetizers, some flatbread pizzas, and a few salad options.

The tasting room, targeted for a section of the former Hale’s Department Store complex currently undergoing restoration, is designed around showcasing the spirits side of New Holland’s business, and increasing awareness of all of the products the company produces.

Operating hours for the new tasting room will be adjusted to match the seasons of the year, according to company officials, who say it is expected that the tasting room, if approved, would operate 7-days a week during peak warm weather months, while “weekend hours would be observed during other times of the year.”

The license application will be sent to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission for approval if the city gives the nod. New Holland holds a small distiller license and a small wine maker license, and under legislation passed in 2019, the holders of such licenses are allowed to operate five off-site tasting rooms. Stay tuned.