How to Grow a Brewery From the Ground: Brewery Terra Firma Takes Shape in Traverse City

In Beer News by Karl

It’s been a while since we’ve brought you up to speed on what we believe to be one of the most anticipated breweries in the entire midwest – Brewery Terra Firma in Traverse City, Michigan. Since this week saw the broadcast of this Interlochen Public Radio feature – one we happen to be quoted in – we thought we’d bring you an update.

Right now, it looks like an unfinished roof. Soon, it'll be covering things that make lots of awesome beer.

Right now, it looks like an unfinished roof. Soon, it’ll be covering things that make lots of awesome beer.

A lot of things have changed since our last report, where we gave you a look at the grounds, the structures, the plans and the earliest crops planted in preparation for this farm-to-kettle brewpub. Since then, another microbrewery has opened in TC (Brewery Ferment), Right Brain has picked up shop and moved to a new location south of downtown, and another microbrewery is in the planning stages in the spot where RBB used to be. All this time, however, the efforts at BTF, a brewery decades in the making, keep consistently moving along.

This was just three months ago.

This was just three months ago.

Fans of their Facebook page have literally been able to watch the brewery grow from the soil; the taphouse construction process has been quite well documented in photo and some video; daily updates about roofing have been strangely fascinating (if you’re a dork about this stuff like we are).

Someday soon, it should look like this.

Keep an eye on these guys. They’re literally growing a brewery, both in the way they produce their ingredients on the farm as well as the structures themselves. It’s fun to watch, especially for Chicagoans who are so used to these things happening behind closed doors, with occasional photos of new bright tanks and canning lines. And we hope to be on hand for opening day…which we also hope comes sometime soon.

Last year, it looked like this.

Last year, it looked like this. Progress!

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Karl

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Karl has written about food, travel and beer for Chicago Magazine, Thrillist, Time Out Chicago, AskMen and more. His book, Beer Lovers Chicago, is now available via Amazon and other booksellers. If you're buying, he's likely having a porter or a pale ale.

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