North Pier Brewing Takes a Bow Monday

The coming week will undoubtedly be one of the most memorable weeks in the young life of Jay Fettig and his entire family. Jay is the owner and operator of the new North Pier Brewing Company micro-brewery slated to officially open next Monday in the building he acquired across the street from the regionally famous North Shore Inn of Benton Harbor.

That's just part of the wow factor for Mr. Fettig however, in light of the fact that he's swinging open the doors onto his new craft brewing house to coincide with the arrival of the 2016 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid which will bring more than 150 of the world's most recognized names in professional golf literally feet from his new front door as they make their way from hole 13 to hole 14 at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Club at Harbor Shores.

Even that isn't the truly transformational part of this equation, however, inasmuch as Jay's lovely wife Jordan Fettig is about to give birth to twins which will take their current 3-person household and nearly double it and do so likely sometime before the next champion is crowned, and perhaps even before they hit the first shot off of the tee! The Fettig family will go from 3 to 5 in one fell swoop in the very near future, even as the new brew pub comes online Monday.

In the meantime, the anxious energy is racing as the team at Fettig's North Pier Brewing assembles for opening day with half a dozen new brews on tap, and that number will ramp up to a dozen in the coming days in the new taproom which borders on the Hideaways neighborhood, one of several new developments in the Harbor Shores Resort complex.

The 4,700 square foot brewery boasts a taproom capable of seating about 60 patrons with an outdoor patio beyond three all glass roll-up garage doors where an additional 24 can find seating. For opening week, which coincides with the Championship, a tent will be erected on the brewery's parking lot expanding the total temporary capacity next week to more than 200 people when interest will be huge due to the golfers passing through.

Jay is clearly proud of the work accomplished at the old building which has been remarkably converted to the new use and it sparkles. Table tops crafted from barn beams and the bar front faced with barn-wood siding are all re-purposed from wood retrieved from Fettig's uncle's bar which once housed a tomato canning factory in Tipton, Indiana. The solid broad bar top is refined concrete and a beautiful custom made shuffle board table bearing the North Pier logo is tucked into a corner for patrons to play as they enjoy their craft beers.

Coming soon to the entry wall will be a Josh Andres creation incorporating a steel wall plaque to hold the names of inaugural members of the North Pier Brewing Ambassadors Club. That subscription service for aficionados sold out in record time and there is now a wait list with the next potential opportunity to join likely not on the horizon until the end of summer. Andres is the local metal artist who worked with Water Street Glass Works artist Jerry Catania to hand craft the 18 tee markers at Harbor Shores designating the 18 major championship victories of course designer Jack Nicklaus.

As North Pier settles into its groove, Jay says they will feature 12 beers routinely with half being mainstays and half rotating in new styles and offers, including one tap which will be converted to nitro for a Nitro Ice Coffee and a cider tap will be added later as well as a couple of house-made soft drinks.

In the beginning, the only place that you will be able to get North Pier brews will be in house, although as they advance production in the future, they are hopeful of getting onto other regional taps at bars and restaurants known for craft brew followings.

There is one 14-barrel fermenter in the house and three 7-barrel fermenters, along with nine 7-barrel serving tanks and one 14-barrel serving tank. A special growler filling station with a unique glass chamber allows an untapped growler to sustain for some 30 to 45 days, whereas a regular growler fill from the tap typically has a shelf life of just 7 days.

North Pier Brewing fans will have ongoing access to some of the paraphernalia and bling to share the love in the form of caps, t-shirts, baseball-tees, button-ups, hoodies, and other retail goods. Jay will rotate those offerings to always offer up something fresh and new to regulars and newcomers alike.

There are 26 designated parking spaces at the new North Pier Brewing Company and you'll find the crew in the house ready to serve you Sunday through Wednesday from noon until 10pm, and Thursday through Saturday from noon until 11pm. Jay has a permanent staff of three on the payroll and another 9 part timers to keep the taps flowing.

Other than a small selection of Michigan-made snacks available at the bar, there will be no regular food service at the North Pier Brewing Company, however they are borrowing a page from fellow brewers like Arclight in Watervliet and Transient Artisan Ales in Bridgman by allowing outside food to be delivered or brought in to enjoy with your beer. With the famous North Shore Inn burgers right across the street, creative brew fans likely won't go hungry when they're in the neighborhood.

The new brewery is located at 670 North Shore Drive in Benton Harbor at the intersection with Higman Park Road across from the 14th tee at Harbor Shores. You can reach the brewery by phone at 269-757-7163 and follow them on Facebook.