Over the years, Downtown Alpena has grown into having some of the best food, drink, and shopping businesses in the area. The thriving businesses of our downtown love to support the locality of their products and add that personal touch to everything that they create, giving back immensely to the happiness of the community around them. In particular, Alpena’s craft beverage scene has grown and surpassed many expectations for a small town community.
When you think of craft beverages, your first thoughts often go to beer. Hopside Brewery, located at 129 W. Chisholm Street in Downtown Alpena, has become a local staple for some of the best and most creative craft beer. They started the business in 2018 after five friends decided it was time to share their passion with the rest of their community, crafting unique flavors of beer out of locally grown hops. After three years of construction, they were finally able to open in 2021. They also provide some delicious comfort foods to go along with their wonderful beers. If you have never been to Hopside Brewery, it is time to change that!
One of the things that you may not consider when you think of a craft beverage is wine. Since 2012, Downtown Alpena has been home to the tasting room of Thunder Bay Winery, a local hotspot for lovers of delicious varieties of wine. All of their wine is produced from their vineyard in Ossineke, MI which is not too far from Alpena, and along with their 12 varieties of grapes, they also grow apples, pears, cherries, and currants. They have wines for everyone, whether you like dry wines, sweet ones, or wines with a bit of a twist. Their wines are deep in flavor and are sure to satisfy. Located at 109 N. 2nd Avenue, it is a great spot to meet up with friends and enjoy some quality time in Downtown Alpena.
Along with the wonderful craft beers and wines, a recent addition to the Downtown Alpena craft beverage scene, located at 205 W. Chisholm Street is Presque Isle Farms Cider, or PIF Cider. They were finally able to open up their taproom this year, 2022, and share their passion for their product with the community. They produce their ciders from their centennial farm in northern Michigan. They have a wide variety of ciders, mixing many unique and delicious flavors. There is sure to be a cider that fulfills your needs. Along with their ciders, they also sell the fresh produce from their farm. Their ciders are carefully crafted in different fashions including oak or steel barrel aging. They have ciders on tap and you can also buy them by the bottle. We are so excited to have them with us to enrich the craft beverage experience.
There is certainly something special about a craft beverage, the way that it is handled with such care. As Eric Peterson, owner of Fresh Palate and Founder of the Sunrise Suds Tap Takeover, says, “Craft is what keeps things personable, unique, and authentic. Craft has the taste of love and elegance that can only come from the soul of the human preparing it. It is a personal experience, a gift from the crafter to the consumer.” The scene in Downtown Alpena is sure to make you feel that your craft beverages were prepared solely for your enjoyment and purposely to show how much the crafters care.
For more information on the above local craft beverage producers, follow their Facebook pages below.
Blog Downtown Alpena 