At Arclight Brewing Co. there's more than beer to drink

Jeremy Martin | Thursday, December 11, 2014

Beer and cupcakes

arclight brewery

arclight Shandy

With every new brewery opening, small business owners are banking their careers and their crafts on the idea that there are lot of folks out there seeking a well-made pint of beer.

Edward Nash has seen first hand the thirst many Southwest Michigan residents have for craft brew, but he also knows there are plenty of people out there who aren't as passionate about IPA, Porter and other craft beer styles. He wanted them to have something to be excited about too.

That's why in July of 2014 when Arclight Brewing Company first opened its doors at 544 N. Main Street in Watervliet, the burgeoning craft brewery made sure to have a large selection of craft made beverages for customers seeking something other than a traditional brewery experience.

For Nash, however, that didn't mean simply opening a couple bottles of table wine or offering a few bottled pops.

Instead, Arclight has an entire menu dedicated to its own take on Shandy, house made sodas, and even Kombucha, a slightly bubbly fermented drink of sweetened black or green tea. Arclight makes it primarily with black tea.

"It was always part of the concept," Nash says. "I love root beer-- gourmet root beers, not commercial root beers. I wanted to do one with honey, molasses, Mexican vanilla, and sugar, and our orange soda is made with actual orange juice."

Those are two in a list of five craft sodas, all of which are also used to make Arclight shandys, typically a 50/50 split of lemonade and wheat beer.

Arclight, however, goes a non-traditional route, mixing its Ventura Blonde Ale with house made soda, creating unique and often adventurous flavor combinations, even as it stays true to the craft beer ethos of fresh, often locally procured ingredients.

"We wanted to produce sodas that were as close to natural as possible," Nash says. "Ours are sweetened with honey, Michigan beat sugar and cane sugar."

Despite the reputation that shandy is a seasonal summer drink, Nash says his version is selling well, even as as snow becomes more prevalent than sunshine.

Soda's are usually produced every two weeks. The brewery goes through nearly 30 gallons of both root beer and orange soda each month.

Nash's homemade Kombucha, which clocks in at barely .5 percent ABV has also been a hit for those seeking a change of pace from beer.

Of course, like any brewery, beer is still the main draw--and Arclight has plenty to offer.

Arclight offers at least eight beers on tap at any given time, including a few rotating seasonal choices. Nash recently added Santa's Sleigh'r, a Belgian-style double apple ale; snicker doodle porter; and a coffee stout brewed with fresh Paramount coffee.

Nash finds that his beer pairs well with fresh roasted nuts and cupcakes, both of which are offered as the only two menu selections in the tasting room. The cupcakes are made by Shana Rogers of Ibby Cakes.

"We have locally made cupcakes that are delivered every Friday. We try to pair them with some beers we have on tap. They've even used our oatmeal stout to make some of the cupcakes," Nash says. "We don't serve (full meals), but people are allowed to bring in food. We have menus from local restaurants that will deliver."

And if you're already counting the days until winter ends, the sun returns, and you can sip shandy in a lawn chair, you are indeed in luck. Arclight is currently working on plans to open a beer garden and games area behind the main brew-house, which should be open to the public by late spring.

Writer: Jeremy Martin, Second Wave Media
Source: Edward Nash, Arclight Brewery