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Tri-City Brewing Co. begins bottling its beer, just in time for the holidays

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

By Ryan J. Stanton

rstanton@bc-times.com | 894-9645

Blood, sweat and tears may be what it takes to make suds, ales and beers.

The first few frothy bottles have made their way off the assembly line at Bay City's new Tri-City Brewing Co., 3020 N. Water St., where brewmaster Kevin Peil is putting finishing touches on a brand-new bottling operation.

''We're still working out a few bugs and hopefully here in the next few days we'll have our first (official) bottling run,'' he said on Monday. ''We're just learning as we go here.''

Peil, company president and a chemical engineer by trade, spent Sunday working out a few kinks that had a few bottles overly foamy, and some not quite there - mostly because of carbonation.

By the end of this week, mid-Michigan's only full-service microbrewery could have its product available - for the first time in 12-ounce bottles - at area stores.

The company began stocking kegs of its Phoenix Golden Ale and Phelan Irish Red at local bars earlier this year.

''We have every intention by this weekend of having the full production run of Phoenix and Phelen,'' Peil said.

The Bay City Commission recently approved a 12-year tax break on the $50,000 purchase and installation of the new bottling equipment.

''It's a very labor intensive process,'' Peil explained of this week's test runs. ''Every day that we do this gets us closer to getting the bottles out. The beer is going to be perfect when it's out there because of all the effort we've put into it.''

Peil said he and his crew have managed to stockpile a few cases for their own enjoyment, but ''there's a difference between doing 10 cases and 300 cases at a time.'' And that's how many cases a day they're ready to produce.

The first shipment will go out to Fabiano Brothers Inc. warehouses. Fabiano has been lining up accounts for the last several weeks as a distributor for the product, Peil said.

Brad Rhora, select brands division manager with Fabiano in Saginaw, said he plans on distributing the bottled product to stores in a 14-county area. The Griffin Beverage Co. also is acting as a distributor out of West Branch.

''It'll be here before the holidays which is great,'' Rhora said. ''I suspect we'll get a lot of support with it - we did with the draft. It's a nice easy-to-drink craft beer. I think it's a great introduction for folks who are just delving into the craft beer market.''

And anyone looking for a side of suds to go with their turkey this Thanksgiving will delight in knowing that the brewery, accessible off of Trumbull Drive near the Bay City-Essexville border, is featuring special holiday hours this week. The public is invited to come fill up a growler of Phoenix Golden Ale or Phelan Irish Red from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday. The brewery also will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

And for anyone still looking for a gift for that beer connoisseur in the family, Tri-City Brewing is offering a ''Growler Gift Pack.'' For $25, you get a half-gallon growler of beer and four Tri-City Brewing pint glasses. The company also sells hats and shirts on its Web site at www.tricitybrewing.com.

The brewery's Phelan brand was awarded a Bronze Medal at the World Expo of Beer this year. The Phoenix ale held its own as the No. 3 selling beer in the stadium at Great Lakes Loons games this summer.

''Certainly when it comes out in bottles we would hope every place would have it,'' said Peil, who 10 months ago took the inaugural swigs of Phoenix Golden Ale.

A homebrewer before starting Tri-City Brewery, Peil studied the art of beer-making in Germany then gained the support of 30 investors to rehab a 4,000-square-foot warehouse on Water Street. Paying homage to the brewing history of the area, Peil named the first beer after the old Phoenix brewery, the last independent brewery in Bay City before it closed in the early 1950s.