Dearborn is a few months away from having a microbrewery of its own.
Dearborn Brewing could open by May, says John Rucinski, who along with his wife Sheila Rucinski is renovating a 2,500-square-foot space at 21930 Michigan Ave. in downtown west Dearborn.
Three brewing kettles will be on display in the brewery's storefront windows, visible to passersby. They will be part of a system that includes four fermenters and has the capacity to brew four styles of beer at a time. Six varieties will be on tap.
Beer lover Rucinski began home brewing about 15 years ago. Like so many craft beer brewers, he heard repeatedly from friends and family that he should sell his suds. After years of resisting, he decided Dearborn was the right market.
"There are a couple of jokes going around about why I decided to do it," Rucinski says. "My friends say I got tired of waiting for one to open in Dearborn. My common defense is temporary insanity."
In truth, however, the decision made good business sense. "We looked around saw that this is the right market," says Rucinski, an analyst and project manager for Nissan North America.
Construction and licensing is taking longer than hoped, but Rucinski is patient. "It's coming along," he says. The plan calls for a short bar and open area with 26 seats. If the demand is there, the space has room for a much longer bar on an adjacent wall and capacity for 79 seats.
Dearborn Brewing won't have a kitchen but will offer light snacks and encourage ordering takeout or delivery from nearby restaurants, including one right next door.
The interior design will be a take on a black and tan -- half stout, half lager -- swirling the length of the bar.
Source: John Rucinski, founder Dearborn Brewing
Writer: Kim North Shine
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