Peil recently bought out a brewery in Albany, N.Y., and is trucking all the brewing equipment here.

He has a solid beer brewing background, having studied at the Doemens Academy of Brewing in Munich, Germany - one of the brewing schools in Germany dedicated to the training and certification of all German brewmasters.

To finance his venture, Peil created a business plan, started a corporation and sold stock. Two Dow chemists, Paul Popa and Francis Timmers, bought into the enterprise.

Popa said he has home-brewed for about 15 years, and that he will play a role in the actual brewing.

''The challenge with all beer is you want to appeal to a large enough mass to succeed from a business standpoint,'' Popa said. ''We're trying to get something that is going to be true to the style but still going to appeal to the masses.'' But some of the investors, like Timmers, became involved because of the business aspect.

''This venture has a very good chance of being successful and I want be a part of it,'' he said. ''I've had Kevin's beers before and I enjoy them. I trust his instincts because he's very good at what he does.''

Peil hopes to start selling beer in the fall, though don't expect to find any of brew on store shelves anytime soon. The brewery will be just that - without a restaurant or food offering, he said.

The focus initially will be on having Phoenix on tap at bars and restaurants. He describes the German ale as ''a nice entry beer to get the large population base here comfortable with it.''

He said if beer lovers like the Bell's brand of beer, they will like Phoenix, which he describes as a ''very clean tasting beer.'' Tri-City Brewery will produce 4,000 to 5,000 barrels of German alt beer ale annually, Peil said.

Success will come with finding a good distributor and making a quality product, said Dan McShane, president of the Dog Gone Good Chapter of the National Association of Breweriana Advertising.

McShane said a ''cool tap handle'' that patrons will see at bars would help.

''The community will give him the benefit of the doubt and they'll welcome him with open arms'' he said. ''It's a very competitive business. Brew a quality product and they'll be back for more.''

Peil said a deal with a distributor has not yet been finalized. He said he hopes the Tri-Cities can come together to embrace the new brewery.

''I want this to be the Tri-Cities brewery, '' he said. ''The cities are better off when they collectively view themselves as a region rather than three distinct cities.''

For more information about Tri-City Brewing, visit the company's Web site at www.tricitybrewing.com.

- Scott E. Pacheco covers Bay City for The Times. He can be reached at 894-9646 or by e-mail at spacheco@bc-times.com.