Micro-distilleries aim to succeed in Michigan

Michigan has developed a reputation in food and beverages of late. Many people are already aware that the state’s agriculture is the second most diverse in the nation, producing over 300 food commodities commercially. Michigan’s food and agriculture sectors form a $91.4 billion industry, employing one out of four workers in the state.

While Michigan’s burgeoning foodie and craft beer movements have received a significant amount of press, another industry is struggling to succeed on its own: distilled liquor. It may seem strange, given how popular craft beer is here. Grand Rapids has been named Beer City, U.S.A. twice now, but despite its reliance on local agriculture and what would seem to be a similarly receptive customer base, micro-distilling is a much smaller industry here, decades behind micro-brewing. Part of the problem is that Michigan is a “control state,” meaning that for hard spirits the state sets the minimum retail price and it controls its distribution as well. The current system guarantees significant tax revenues to the state, but gives distilleries significantly less of an incentive to remain in Michigan, as opposed to moving to states with less burdensome regulations and taxes.

Hard liquor entrepreneurs who want to remain and succeed in state have created strategies to work around bureaucratic barriers. These include:

• Selling and shipping product elsewhere, particularly to places that do not have consumption taxes.
• Opening up tasting rooms that allow consumers to try their product in small amounts and then to purchase in bulk if they enjoy it. Because local distilleries do not have the advertising budgets available to their national and international competitors, they must harness word of mouth and hope to convert local hard liquor enthusiasts to be their volunteer salesmen.
• Lobbying to reform Michigan’s liquor control laws, some of which are left over from Prohibition days.

Still for all of these complications, Michigan ranks sixth in the U.S. for distilleries, so the potential for success is there. And locally there is movement. On Grand Rapids’s Westside Long Road Distillers is renovating space to open a tasting room and micro-distillery. This will be the first grain-to-glass distillery in the city and will offer a vodka, a whiskey, a gin, and a malted gin to try. And while Long Road Distillers will not as of yet have a landscaped garden like Founder’s in which to sip their product, there will be space to socialize and view the distilling process. The number of distilleries is also growing at the state-wide level, from a handful to over 30 licenses.

Since local distilleries depend on local agriculture to make their product, locavores and food and beverage enthusiasts can feel doubly good about patronizing these establishments. And it’s also good for the local economy - and, of course, the state, which makes sure to take its cut.

Will the Gilmore Collection seriously address their death problem NOW?

Grand Rapids: We have had yet another death associated with the B.O.B. Also known as the Big Old Building, the B.O.B. has become a place that many in our city have learned to avoid. For some, this avoidance started long before the most recent deaths occurred--three happening on the same stairwell, two of which just this year. But with another fatality reportedly associated with a brawl that happened outside of the facility this weekend, the question must be raised again: When will things at one of the douchiest establishments in town change?

Pictures of the three stairwell victims. | Source: Heidi Fenton, MLive

In what seems to be an ArtPrize farce, a group posted fliers that leaned in a similar direction. Instead of asking when things will change though, the fliers were much more direct, telling readers to "Boycott the B.O.B." Two different versions of the postings existed: one showed three outlines of bodies and listed the names of the three men who died; the other included several paragraphs, discussing the cost of fixing the stairwell that the three men fell down, a figure that was less than 10 percent of the settlement paid to the first bereaved family from 2009. Interestingly, the fliers had an ArtPrize voting number that had been used last year by a 96-year-old woman. She passed away in May of this year, the same month that the most recent of the stairwell victims died.

The poster with outlines, accurately calling the B.O.B. a "deathtrap" | Source: Heidi Fenton, MLive

Some residents of West Michigan were upset by the fliers, stating that visitors to the city did not need to see such things without all of the information being present (sounds like an excuse to keep the curtain pulled over our city's flaws, if you ask me). Indeed, some tourists were confused by the fliers, uncertain of what was going on, of what had happened. Even if these fliers somehow give our city a bad rap (which I doubt, considering that they're targeted at one facility and its parent company: the Gilmore Collection), I think that these details need to be heard and the B.O.B. needs to have some sort of internal review.  When there are three deaths within six months of each other, a pattern has formed, and it is likely that there is something to blame. If the Gilmore Collection fails to look into it and fails to change, things could get hairy for the B.O.B., one of the company's biggest endeavors.

Adding in the most recent death, we have three men who died at the age of 21; the other man, Kevin O'Brien, a home restoration/remodeler, was 36 when he passed away. That internal review I mentioned: It may not need to be thorough (it should be, though) but at least get some outside training for your staff.  Getting TiPS certifications for all of your workers could be extremely beneficial--if not for your clientele then for your liability. Certification programs like this could provide the wisdom to know when to cut someone off. I don't know the details of what happened each time, but alcohol was involved in most, if not all, of these deaths and such training could save a patron's life in the future.

Get a Cab, Grand Rapids

We all know that drinking and driving is a dangerous habit. And in a city like ours where the beer flows both strong and deliciously (as does the liquor and wine), I would think that fewer people would be willing to get behind the wheel after emptying their glasses for the night. But from what I've seen, cab usage is rather minimal. Walking isn't rather common either, at least not downtown. People who live in Grand Rapids proper need to understand that our city is not that large, that you can easily walk, ride, or bicycle Grand Rapids both to and from any establishments within the Heartside neighborhood. Even in the winter, your feet are a viable option that can get you where you need to go. If you're feeling cold, quit complaining and take advantage of the Skywalk that runs from DeVos Place to Van Andel Arena--trust me, it'll provide at least some respite from the cold.

But back to the topic at hand: nixing these options when alcohol has been consumed. C'mon people! It might be a little more time-consuming to hoof it back home if you live in a nearby neighborhood like Heritage Hill, East Hills, Eastown, anywhere west of the Grand River, or in GVSU housing but at least you're not putting yourself, your friends, and any other drivers, bikers, or pedestrians at risk. Still, some people would rather not walk, would rather have their vehicle with them--this is when the option of a designated driver becomes an obvious matter. But let's be honest: Few friends want to be left out of the libation celebration, especially if the friends that are drinking are a) extremely fun or b) extremely annoying when they've had a few.

Victorious cab driver is victorious (or angry?). | Source: CNN

Since no one wants to be the DD, it looks like we've come back to cabs and their lacking usage in Grand Rapids. Excluding Ionia Avenue on the weekends, cabs are a rare sight. I imagine that trolling for fares in areas that have an attraction--e.g. Ionia and its many bars on the weekend--is the only legitimate way for a cabbie to get a decent night's pay. So, some people are definitely taking advantage of the cabs when they should be, but this is only a fraction of the market. Too many people are still getting behind the wheel for a number of reasons: they might think that a cab is too expensive or they could be too proud to admit that they are drunk. Get over it! The cost of a DUI in addition to the damage that could be done to a number of parties should be enough to convince both your wallet and your ego to think again about taxis.

If I want to get a taxi, I have to call one of the handful of companies in the city: Yellow Cab, Metro Cab, and Calder City Taxi are my usual choices. Just the other night, I had one of the best cab rides of my life; that's saying something, considering I've belted Celine Dion with my friends and a driver on one occasion. This recent driver though, he didn't sing. Instead, he said that McFadden's was terrible (he was preaching to the choir) and then we proceeded to talk about George Carlin, Noam Chomsky, linguistics, and Mensa--the world's oldest high IQ society. He was a funny man named Scott and he gave me his card. Looks like I'll be calling him whenever I need a ride now because he saved me and my friends from a drunken stumble home.