John and Marie Powers may have only opened their business two years ago, but that didn't stop them from landing a first-place win in our 2019 Vote 4 the Best contest.
They run Homegrown Brewing Co. together with their son Joe Powers, who works as the Head Brewer, and they said that they are thrilled to see their team get recognition for their work.
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Homegrown Brewing Co. is working to make craft beers more approachable to someone who may not know much about beer or brewing.
"Sometimes there's an impression that you have to be super knowledgeable to enjoy a good craft beer, so we try to counter that by keeping things down-to-earth and as approachable as possible."
Homegrown Brewery uses their seasonal brews as a chance to experiment with new flavors and brewing techniques. The current seasonal is a spruce beer that uses a historic recipe that involves molasses and whole tree branches.
"There's such a variety of beer styles out there these days that there's bound to be something out there that will match your taste," said Joe.
He suggests ordering a tasting flight from your local brewery to find out which brews you like and which ones just aren't for you. To help educate their customers on different kinds of brews, Homegrown Brewing Co. also hosts tasting classes and beer history talks with Detroit experts.
Another way that Homegrown Brewing Co. aims to educate is through events like Homebrew Day, which honors the owners' homebrewing roots.
Homebrew Day is a contest in which Homegrown Brewing Co. invites local homebrewers to their patio for a brew day. Contestants are given malt and hops and told to get creative. After the brews have fermented, they're brought back to be judged.
If you want to try out homebrewing for yourself, Joe says go for it! "There are numerous homebrew clubs around the metro Detroit area and across Michigan that are always looking for new members," he said.
Homegrown's father-son brewing team started in the basement of their home to build up their brewing experience. Eventually, the opportunity arose to move their homebrew setup into a building in their hometown of Oxford, and Homegrown Brewing Co. was born.
"The whole family is involved as owners, managers, brewers, designers, and communicators," Marie said.
With 12 years of experience, Joe took over as head brewer and still works with his father on brew days.
"Sometimes, (we work) 12-hour days for our more involved brews. But I love every minute of it," Joe said.
Check out all of the other Vote 4 the Best winners and finalists! Use the list as your Go-To Guide to the "BEST" of everything around town.
We’d like to thank Wallside Windows for their longtime sponsorship of Vote 4 the Best and their support of southeast Michigan’s local businesses. Wallside is a Taylor, MI-based family business that manufactures and installs custom replacement windows. Now in their third generation, they're celebrating the company's 75th anniversary.