Arcadia Brewing Co. to build brewery, eatery on Kalamazoo River

Standing before a gentle bend in the Kalamazoo River, Tim Surprise -- owner and founder of Arcadia Brewing Co. -- began the final leg of what has become a 16 year journey.

At a July 12 press conference attended by a swarm of area media as well as business leaders and politicians, Surprise officially unveiled the company's plans to construct a 30,000-square-foot brewing facility and broke ground on the project on the east side of the newly dubbed River's Edge district.

The facility designed by Tower Pinkster will include a pub, eatery and outdoor beer garden. It also will extensively upgrade Arcadia's current brewing capacity.

A 50-barrel brew house alongside a fully automated packaging line that will produce beer in both bottles and cans will aid Arcadia in the quest to initially create more than 30,000 barrels of beer between the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek facilities.

"To put that in perspective, last year we brewed and sold just over 10,000 (barrels)," Surprise said.

Surprise told the group that he hoped to be brewing the majority of Arcadia brands, which include Sky High Rye, Whitsun Ale and Hopmouth, at the Kalamazoo facility by the end of next summer.

He also more than hinted at a new line of brew that will be inspired by the new riverfront location. "I'm going to be proud to say that there is going to be a beer that is labeled 'made in Kalamazoo, Michigan' by this time next year," Surprise said.

Aracadia Brewing, a company that left Kalamazoo in 1996 to make a name for itself in Battle Creek, is returning to its roots to help anchor a revitalization in its original hometown.

"I think it started 16 years ago when we originally intended to build Arcadia Brewing Company here in Kalamazoo. That project transitioned to Battle Creek, where a brand and a destination not only was created but it developed and nurtured into something really special," Surprise said.

Named after the creek that flows through the heart of Kalamazoo, the Arcadia pub and beer garden which will feature an outdoor meat smoker, aims to bring something special to Kalamazoo, indeed. Once complete it will be the only dining establishment allowing patrons uninterrupted vistas of the town's eponymous river.

In order to help pay for the massive undertaking, Surprise announced that Arcadia Brewing Company will receive a $1 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and that the company will be purchasing the land from the city of Kalamazoo at a cut rate price of $5,000.

The project will be constructed by American Village Builders who Surprise said, while giving a big thumbs up, will bring it in "under budget and ahead of schedule."

If anyone seated underneath the press tent was more excited than Surprise it was Mayor Bobby Hopewell who spoke of the 2.6 acre parcel of land, located on Michigan Avenue just East of King's Highway and told with irony how it once "welcomed" visitors to the riverfront by offering little more than a large pile of crumbling bricks.  

But he also spoke of how the area is blossoming once again behind the communal vision of several community leaders and businesses such as the People's Food Co-Op, MacKenzie's Bakery, the soon to be opened Black Owl Café and now, of course, Arcadia Brewing Co.

Besides Surprise and Hopewell, the press conferee also featured short speeches from Ron Kitchens, CEO of Southwest Michigan First and Fritz Brown of Treystar.

"This is an exciting journey for our community," Hopewell said, echoing Surprise's message.

The Mayor said the growing neighborhood is connected both physically and economically to the surrounding area and how Arcadia Brewing Company will be a major part of its revitalization.

"That's the journey we are on in this community, that's the journey of river's edge and Tim that that's the journey you will be on with us for a long, long, long time," Hopewell said.

Make sure to stay connected to Second Wave Media and its new craft brew report, A Second Round, as we bring you constant updates following the progress of the new facility.

Please check out the links below for more information on this exciting development:

Sara Dorn of the Battle Creek Enquirer had this to say about the press conference.

John Liberty for mlive.com gave his take here.

Wood TV 8 offers a video and some nice photos from the press conference.

WWMT shot this informative video.

Writer: Jeremy Martin, Second Wave Media
Source: Arcadia Brewing Co. press conference