Atwater Brewery makes friends with beer
The changes keep coming at Detroit's Atwater Brewery.
The Rivertown venue, which opened in 1997, ditched its restaurant-bar persona two years ago when owner Mark Rieth decided to close the restaurant and focus on brewing beer.
Now, tanks doubling the beer capacity have been installed at the establishment on Jos. Campeau, and plans for a new tap room are under way. (Details are still sketchy.)
"We allow people to come inside our production facility," says Atwater rep Matt Cebula. "It's a social experience. It's kind of what beer is all about. People can come in, grab a beer and see what's going on."
Cebula says that with the new focus, Atwater is dropping the word "block" from its name. Going forward, it will be branded just Atwater Brewery.
Longtime patrons of the establishment are used to dealing with change. In 2001, Atwater was sold and renamed Stoney Creek Brewery and Restaurant. Rieth took over in 2005 and reopened it as Atwater.
Gear: This place is about as casual as casual gets. Just keep in mind that the warehouse-like space can get a bit cold in the winter, despite the presence of heaters.
Mood: Customers can savor Atwater beer as they sit in a small bar area or walk the concrete floors of the 15,000-square-foot brewery, which is filled with bottles, barrels and massive stainless steel equipment. A single flat-screen TV and the beer taps are among the only clues that Atwater also functions as a bar.
"It feels like it's illegal -- being in a warehouse," Corey Smith, 38, said Friday as he sipped an Atwater Conniption Fit Double Indian Pale Ale with Eduardo Coronado, 25, of Hazel Park. "It's very good beer." The Livonia resident said he had sampled Atwater brews on several occasions but had never visited the brewery.
Pick me up: Atwater brews more than 16,000 barrels of beer a year and makes more than 20 varieties, ranging from seasonal to single-batch. Most are German pilsners.
"We'd love to make German beer all day long, but you have to make beer to sell to all people," Cebula says. Atwater beers are sold in grocery stores around metro Detroit and in nine other states.
There is no kitchen at the brewery, but guests are permitted to bring in food from elsewhere.
"The whole experience back here is meant to be casual," Cebula says. "It's beer. It's meant to be a fun experience."
Entertainment: Special events will be held occasionally at Atwater, and brewery tours are available.
CONTACT ESE ESAN: 313-223-4411 or eesan@freepress.com.
More Details: Atwater Brewery
4-11 p.m. Wed.-Sat.
237 Jos. Campau, Detroit
313-877-9205
Tags: beer brewing, brew drinking, home brewing
