User:Krmcphail/The hideout brewing company

Opening in early 2005 by owners  Ken McPhail and Laura McPhail  the company  was named  for both the location and for the feel of pre-prohibition era local brewery. Décor comes from photos taken during Prohibition (1920-1933) that lead to a large number of small town breweries to close their operations and give way to the larger breweries upon repeal. There is main floor bar seating with 11 taps directly behind the u shaped bar. The upper loft has darts and shuffle board. Behind the building you will find a Beer Garden including horseshoe pits and ample seating. Menu beers available year round are Purple Gang Pilsner, Crusaders’ Weizen, Gangster IPA, and Smuggler’s Hazelnut Stout. Other offerings varied throughout the year include Wine, Seasonal and Specialty Beers, Hard Cider, and Mead.

The Brewery is a large scale version of a homebrew system. The 5 bbl (155 gallon) system is comprised of salvaged tanks used to make a hot liquor tank, tilt mash tun, and kettle. Fermentation takes place in three 55 gallon drums and transferred one keg at a time making it one of the smallest and more hands on systems in the state. This type of system does allow for some advantages over larger systems including the ability to use a wide variety of yeast strains and create a number of specialty products and design new recipes.

http://www.michiganbeerguide.com http://www.michiganbrewersguild.org http://www.revuewm.com/scene/microbrews