Ore Dock's first-floor bar with its railroad spike tap handles (2016)The upper community space has sandstone walls and a long wooden bar (2016)Reclamation IPA, Ore Dock's flagship beer
The Ore Dock Brewing Company is a craft breweryinMarquette, Michigan, that opened in May 2012. Named for a nearby local landmark, the brewery is known for being a "Marquette focal point and tourist destination," in the words of historian Russell Magnaghi.[1]
Weston and Andrea Pernsteiner founded the Ore Dock Brewing Company. The two were inspired by Fitger's Brewhouse Brewery and GrilleinDuluth, Minnesota, and its historic yet refinished location.[2] After moving to Marquette for Weston's new job, the couple found a suitable downtown location for their own brewery at 114 West Spring Street.[2] It opened in May 2012.[3] They took its name from the nearby ore dock once used to load iron ore pellets onto lake freighters.[4] Having little homebrewing experience, they hired Nick VanCourt as their head brewer.[2]
It began bottling its beer in 2013,[5] and sold it outside of Marquette County beginning in 2013. At this time, the brewery had enough capacity to brew 2,500 barrels per year—having expanded shortly before that from 850 barrels.[1][6] In 2018, Ore Dock sold 1,631 barrels of beer within Michigan, making it the forty-first largest brewer in the state. This total was down from 1,754 in 2017,[7] but up from 1,566 in 2016.[8]
Ore Dock's beer is based on traditional Belgian and American styles. As of 2015[update], their most popular beers were the Reclamation IPA and Dream Weaver, a Belgian ale with citrus and chamomile.[1] Reclamation, which news sources have described as Ore Dock's flagship beer,[9] is named for recycled material that was reused in constructing the brewery.[1][10] The beer, described by Ore Dock's head brewer as a "mid-coast" IPA for being "not as hop-forward as its west coast counterparts, nor is it as malty as what you often find out east," won the 2014 Beverage Tasting Institute World Beer Championships Gold Medal.[11][12] They are also known for Berserker, a hazy IPA; Beach Bum, a wheat ale;[2] and a porter described by the Midland Daily News as a "wonderful belly warmer".[13]
The brewery is located in a former automobile repair shop and the second floor of an adjoining building, which functions as a community and event space.[9][15] Described by a Star Tribune journalist as "a loft space full of reclaimed barn wood,"[16] the spaces include material from the auto garage that inhabited the spaces before the brewery moved in.[1] The upstairs community space, charged with putting on events that emphasize visual arts and musical acts, hosts fundraisers, lectures, weddings, private parties, and musical acts.[9][17][18][19]
In 2022, the brewing purchased an adjoining building at 214 South Front Street with the intent to demolish part of it and create a beer garden in its place. They also announced their intent to increase their size and brewing capacity.[20] The building was constructed in 1868 and had most recently been used as a pawn shop; it was condemned due to structural issues that emerged after an adjoining railroad bridge was removed in 2000.[21] In September 2022, the state of Michigan provided $3.9 million to support the project through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Revitalization and Placemaking program.[22] The building was demolished in April 2023, and construction on the beer garden began shortly after.[23]
In 2013, Ore Dock was ranked by MLive as one of the best new breweries in the state of Michigan.[24] One year later, it was the only brewery from the Upper Peninsula mentioned by Thrillist in a ranking of every state by its beer.[25] It was recommended in The New York Times travel section in 2017,[26] and Yelp named it the best brewery in Michigan in 2022.[27]
Magnaghi, Russell (2015). Upper Peninsula Beer: A History of Brewing Above the Bridge. Charleston, SC: American Palate/The History Press. ISBN978-1-62619-568-4.
