Railtown Brewing Co. is getting bigger — like physically bigger — as in doubling the size and amenities of its headquarters. The brewery will open the doors to its newly constructed expansion on July 16. The new building is located at 3595 68th Street SE, Dutton, Mich. — next door to the brewery’s original location. It boasts two floors and an outdoor patio, and it will seat over twice as many guests as the original space. The new location’s second floor will eventually be available for private events and beer dinners.
Hungry guests of Railtown Brewing previously had to bring their own food, but the new space has a kitchen that will serve American pub grub with some cultural flavor. Dishes will take inspiration from Chinese, Korean and Dutch cuisine, to name a few. Exposed ceilings and duct work lend an industrial feel to the new building. It will seem familiar to those who visited the original location, said Justin Buiter, co-owner of Railtown Brewing. Popular dart boards will still hang on the walls, and the decor will follow a similar theme.
“It takes a lot of the feel from our current space, it’s just bigger,” Buiter said.
Buiter said the expansion was built by the local community — both literally and figuratively. In the literal sense, much of the construction on the new building was completed by local businesses.
“Most everybody involved in the project is Michigan based, but we had a lot of trades that came specifically out of Dutton,” Buiter said.
Figuratively, the expansion was built on support received from the Dutton community. When the brewery opened in 2014, Buiter said he wasn’t sure what to expect. Dutton was a dry town until 2005.
“The support from the residents and businesses of Dutton has been absolutely unbelievable,” Buiter said. “Our growth thus far has really been fueled by the local community.”
The brewery’s growth will continue, Buiter said. Railtown Brewing has also doubled their production capacity with new equipment from Psycho Brew, a Michigan-based brewing equipment company. Sights are set on distribution for Railtown Brewing in the near future.
“As we get our feet underneath us and make sure we have our taproom taken care of, we’re going to start looking at opportunities within the distribution market,” Buiter said.
The brewery will celebrate its last hurrah at the original location on Saturday, July 14. The event will feature special beers on tap.
“All our staff will be present to reminisce about all the stuff we accomplished over here, and the future next door,” Buiter said.
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