Beer flowing as Lansing Brewing Co. eyes fall opening

On the exterior of the new Lansing Brewing Company’s building, a hand-painted sign is made to look new. On the inside, however, the old is being made new once again.

Inside the automobile warehouse on Shiawassee Street, workers are busy finishing a large white and black tile bar. Reclaimed wood, from a barn in Mason, covers one wall, while old wood flooring from a Lansing home wraps around others.

In the back, Head Brewer Sawyer Stevens and Assistant Brewer Chad Laning are filing kegs with amber cream ale — the same one that was the “flagship beer” of the company that closed in 1914 — while other varieties sit in tanks waiting to be packaged.

The Gillespie Group, which owns the building, secured the name and recipes for LBC and hopes to open in the fall.

Pat Gillespie, president of the Gillespie Group, said they will be offering 10 beers, spirits and wine in the 7,200-square-foot space when they open. The renovations are estimated to cost $1.5 million. Gillespie’s wife, Jennifer, is the owner of the brewery