UPDATE, 3/12: Planning Commission approves brewery request

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Two former Founders Brewing Co. managers are seeking approval for plans to open a new microbrewery on the West Side.

Grey Line Brewing Co. would be located at 1727 Alpine Avenue NW if the Grand Rapids Planning Commission grants a special land use request at its March 12 meeting to co-owners Nathan Walser and Kevin Clancy.

Walser is a Grand Rapids-based consultant and former brewmaster at both Perrin Brewing Co. and Founders. Clancy was general manager at Founders when the brewery was located in the Brass Works Building.

The partners plan to purchase the Northwest Side property from Willard Kingma if commissioners give site plans their blessing next month, said Walser.

The building is small; just enough space for a 55-seat tasting room, a 7-barrel brewhouse, small kitchen serving deli fare, and outdoor patio with 20 seats. The microbrewer license allows for self-distribution, which Walser said would be limited.

A planned small winemaking license would allow for mead and cider-making.

Walser worked at Founders between 2001 and 2005 as head brewer during the company's rise from a business teetering on the edge of bankruptcy to an internationally-distributed brewery.

He's got a reputation for brewing "big beers" and helped develop the recipes for well-known Founders beers like Dirty Bastard, Centennial IPA, Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) and Blushing Monk.

Walser joined Founders after working in production at New Holland Brewing Co. He joined Perrin in 2012 and helped develop the recipe for beers like Perrin Black, Perrin Gold, Kona Brown and the Grapefruit IPA, he said.

Since 2013, he's been a brewing consultant around Michigan and Chicago.

At Grey Line, he's eager to brew "a little bit of everything."

"I'm finally able to not be pigeonholed into making one style, one type," he said. "I'm really excited. I have a lot of ideas."

Inspiration for the name Grey Line is partly philosophical, he said.

"It's the line between black and white," he said. "I find it striking and amazing how every person has their own line they draw -- this is OK, and this is not; this is good and this is bad. I have always found that to be uniquely different between individuals."

Planned hours for Grey Line would be 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. The brewery would employ 10 to 12 people, according to planning documents.

Walser said he will seek another Grand Rapids location if he and Clancy cannot get city approval for the building on Alpine Ave. NW. Once open, Grey Line would be the ninth brewery within the Grand Rapids city limits.

Other breweries under development in Grand Rapids include Harmony Hall and a satellite location for New Holland, both opening later this year on Bridge Street NW.

Garret Ellison covers business, government, environment and breaking news for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at gellison@mlive.com or follow on Twitter & Instagram