Tourin' the brewery at Atwater

Last Thursday, I got to do something I've always wanted to - tour a brewery. Lucky for me, it was the brewery that makes my FAVORITE beer, Atwater Brewery. Atwater is located in Detroit’s historic Rivertown district, and housed in a 1919 factory warehouse. Atwater Brewery was founded in March of 1997 with the purpose of carrying on the rich history of breweries in Detroit. It is a very unique place and atmosphere. It basically looks like a giant warehouse with a bar placed in the middle where you can hang out and have all of your favorites, or try some new ones. I went with a few friends - each of us had a pass for a brewery tour and a beer tasting that I got us for Christmas. I know, I am so thoughtful! The coolest part of the brewery tour was seeing where everything is bottled and labeled on a  little assembly line. Real interesting stuff. It's surprising to me how Atwater's production is so small scale compared to other places such as Bell's. Atwater has been experiencing tremendous growth in demand the past few years, and plans to continue expanding. Some interesting facts I learned while visiting Atwater:

• 80% of their grain waste is used in compost piles to feed the hungry
• It takes about six weeks for beer to be made from start to finish
• Each tank can hold about 1,000 beers
• There are only 18 people working there (There were only 2 when I was there!)

 Check out this video from Atwater's YouTube page. You might laugh. :) 

And if you want an inside look on the brew process, check out this video and article from Fox 2 News
Fox 2 News Atwater Article