Cofounder Noah Kaplan has high hopes for Mothfire Brewing Co.’s relocated and upgraded Ann Arbor microbrewery and taproom—and not just for selling more beer. Combining “craft and art and culture,” he envisions it as a conspicuous piece of a growing creative presence on the Ellsworth Rd. corridor.
Co-owner David Becker, head brewer Alexis Jorgensen, and co-owner Noah Kaplan celebrate Mothfire’s new custom König brewing system. After a pandemic-subdued start on South Industrial, they’re hoping to make the much larger space on Ellsworth a conspicuous piece of a growing creative presence on the generic commercial corridor.
Options were more limited when Mothfire opened on South Industrial in May 2020. Given pandemic-era restrictions on in-person gatherings, cofounder David Becker explains, their immediate focus was distribution. Their cans and kegs of IPAs, sour ales, stouts, and pilsners are carried at more than thirty southeast Michigan stores, bars, and restaurants.
The 6,000-square-foot site, set to open shortly after July 4, provides capacity not only for ramped-up production but also for an immersive guest experience to encompass “projection mapping, sound, live art, live painting, live music,” according to Kaplan, an artist and owner of custom audiovisual manufacturer Leon Speakers, which occupies the back of the family-owned campus.
The architectural design by Ann Arbor–based Synecdoche has a Scandinavian feel, with full-sized windows for taproom patrons to see the custom König brewing system at work. They sold their previous smaller system in favor of one using boiler-fed steam jackets to reduce energy costs and provide “a much more gentle, more consistent way to heat” without scorching, Becker says, “For your homes, a lot of the boilers are getting phased out, but for business it still makes some sense.”
Becker, whose day job with DTE involves managing energy efficiency programs for low-income housing, shares Kaplan’s passion for the details of brewing, from using freshly cracked grains to considering how even the same brand of hops can vary year to year, affecting flavor profiles.
“It’s just all intentionality behind every single ingredient we put into the beer,” he says. “The water over here in Pittsfield Township—and no offense to Ann Arbor—is way better. Got a softer mouth feel, comes from the Detroit River, and it’s just fantastic. We’ve already seen a difference.”
The Mothfire partners found a consultant in Alexis Jorgensen, most recently with Wolverine State Brewing Company, during the pandemic, and “I just couldn’t stay away,” she smiles. Now their head brewer, with an ownership stake, she notes that the new venue allows more customers to enjoy the aromas and hop expressions of their recipes at peak freshness. “When you have a beer that’s older and just been sitting or been transported, you don’t know how it’s been transported. It could have been hot, and that affects flavors and expression of the beer as well. So you want to keep it as fresh and as cold as possible.”
Each style of beer is served in a different type of branded glassware, as are the kombucha and gluten-free hard seltzer cocktails. Customers can also buy cans to go.
Carrozza Pizza is partnering to serve up wood-fired pies, along with salads and other snacks, full-time from its school bus on the premises. A patio with fire pits and live music will take shape this summer.
Mothfire Brewing Co., 713 W. Ellsworth, (734) 929–4087. Mon., Wed., & Thurs. 4 p.m.–10 p.m., Fri. 4 p.m.–11 p.m., Sat. noon–11 p.m., Sun. noon–8 p.m. Closed Tues. mothfire.com
