Alexander Alusheff

Lansing State Journal

LANSING – Ari Levinsohn pulled out three 64-ounce growlers full of homebrewed beer. He cracked one open with a satisfying hiss.

“Anyone want a beer? Help yourself,” he said to the five other guys gathered under a canopy tent, huddled around two kettles and stirring a dark liquid that would later become beer.

It was 10:20 a.m. on a Saturday in July, but it was 5 o'clock somewhere. All five men grabbed a small mason and filled it up. Under the canopy, steam rose up from the two boiling kettles, wafting over the caramel smell of malt mixed with the floral scent of hops.

“It’s almost impossible to not drink a beer while you’re brewing,” said Andrew Alexander as he took a swig of a Belgian ale from the jar. “It’s inspiration.”

Levinsohn and Alexander are the owners of REO Brew School, located next door to Saddleback BBQ on 1149 S. Washington Ave. In the alley behind their storefront, they teach people how to brew their own beer during the boiling stage. The beer ferments and gets bottled in the basement.

REO Brew School is the latest business to come from the local homebrew scene, which is growing on the heels of Lansing’s craft beer boom. With the opening of Ozone’s Brewhouse in Old Town this month, the tri-county area is now home to 12 operating breweries, with five more slated to open by next year.

At least five of those breweries grew out of the homebrew clubs that have been here since 2000. And, as Lansing becomes more of a beer town, more people seem to be trying their hand at making their own.

RELATED: Lansing's craft beer scene is booming

Roughly 1.2 million people across the country make their own beer, according to a 2013 survey from the American Homebrewers Association.

Gary Glass, AHA director, said that homebrewing experienced a boom between 2005 and 2013, with membership increasing 20% a year. In 2005, the association had 9,700 members. Today, it has 46,000.

"That was right when the first of the Millennials were turning 21," Glass said. "That generation really latched onto homebrewing. The number one reason people get into it is because it’s a means of artistic expression. You're making something from malt, hops and yeast that is unique. And it is easily shared with friends."

During the July class at REO Brew School, customers Colin Reardon, 28, and Craig Collier, 32, brewed a citrus India Pale Ale, a hoppy beer that would be 7.3% alcohol.

“I enjoy beer a lot,” said Collier, of Lansing, donning a Roak Brewing shirt. “I took the class because I wanted to have a good time and gain more knowledge while doing it. When you have a finished product, there’s a certain level of satisfaction knowing you did something; it’s like growing a garden.”

Reardon and Collier’s batch fermented for two weeks in the basement of the brew school’s building before they returned to pick up their 50 bottles of beer.

REO Brew School is among the first businesses of its kind in the state, where customers are involved in nearly every step of brewing their own beer. Students will boil malt and hops in water before they add yeast and siphon it into a fermentation bucket. It sits for two weeks, producing alcohol, before it is bottled and picked up by the students. They still have to store the bottles for roughly two more weeks so carbonation can build up before refrigerating and drinking their product.

“It’s kind of a bad business model to teach people how to do it on their own and be comfortable enough to not come back again,” Levinsohn said with a laugh. “It is fun just going out and getting to know other people. As long as it’s fun we’ll keep on doing it. Andrew and I would be brewing anyways.”

Each class costs $99, which is cheaper than the cost of buying all the equipment and ingredients to make your own 5-gallon batch. It costs $49 for each additional student joining the first. They teach classes once per month for now and the next one is slated for Aug. 26.

Initially, Levinsohn and Alexander wanted to start a microbrewery. But the two avid homebrewers needed more business partners and more money to make that happen.

The two work at Holt Middle School. Levinsohn is a math teacher and Alexander teaches social studies and history. They decided to apply their teaching experience instead to the business and host classes.

Levinsohn’s brother owns the building where they operate in REO Town. A coffee shop will eventually move into the first floor and the brew school will move to the basement.

The first class was in April, and each month there is a different recipe to choose from. In this month's class people can choose to brew a citrus India Pale Ale or a summer wheat beer. Recipes will change with the seasons. Students can also bring their own recipe.

"Brewing is pretty simple," Alexander said. "And it totally supports the homebrew shops by hopefully bringing more people into the hobby."

Homebrewing cheaper than buying beer?

On a Tuesday night, Andrew Rademacher passed around a growler of beer he made to the 15 other members of the Red Ledge Brewers club who gathered at Sanctuary Spirits, the brewery and distillery above The Red Salamander.

He calls the 4% citra pale ale PJ Lite after club president Paul Johnson, who made originally made a 7% version and served it to Rademacher while they golfed one day.

"We were golfing and drinking it, and I was getting drunk rather quickly, and my golf game went down," he explained to the group. "I wanted to brew a lighter version of that beer."

Everyone took a 2-oz. sample of the beer, sniffed it and sipped it, letting it roll over their tongues before gulping it down. Rademacher, the club's vice president, wanted to know if could be a summer staple or "lawn-mower beer."

One member suggested that it was not quite there yet.

"So it's a golf course beer, then," Rademacher declared with a laugh.

For roughly three hours, the men tried beers the others made or commercial ones they brought, looking to pinpoint certain qualities that make a beer good or bad. By doing this, they can target what part of the recipe to improve upon, said James McNabb, a former president of the club.

"It helps take your beer to the next step," he said.

McNabb has been brewing for 13 years. He got into the hobby after visiting Europe and trying the beers there. When he came back to the states, he couldn't buy the sorts of beers he wanted to drink. So he decided to make them himself.

"Why pay $10 to $12 for a six pack when you can make your own quality craft beer for less?" he said.

The initial investment to brew a first batch of beer costs roughly $150, but after that, it can be cheaper to make than buy, said Todd Branstner, owner of Capital City Homebrew Supply at 623 E. Michigan Ave. You also get to make whatever flavor and style of beer you want, Branstner added.

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"The most interesting beer I've seen is a cucumber basil saison that a customer brought into a club meeting," he said.

Branstner's store is home to the Greater Lansing Brewtopian Society, which he started in 2012 shortly after opening for business.

"With homebrewing, a lot of it happens in isolation," said Jeremy Francis, a board member of the Greater Lansing Brewtopian Society. "No one checks on you to make sure what you're doing is sound. By having people give good, honest feedback, it really pushes people forward as brewers."

Two other clubs are active in the area: Capital Mashers and PussyCat Beer Guild.

Some members from each club has gone on to starting their own breweries. Some include Dan Buonodono, owner of EagleMonk Pub and Brewery; Ed Huston, who will open BrickHaven Brewing Co. in Grand Ledge this year; and Chad and Michelle Rogers, who plan to open Dimes Brewhouse in Dimondale in December.

RELATED: Dimes Brewhouse to open in Dimondale this winter

"You can't start a brewery without having any experience," said Michelle Rogers, who began the hobby with her husband in 2010. "And meeting people in the (brewing) clubs, a lot of whom are professional brewers or are starting a brewery, they have been a good soundboard for trying out recipes and getting feedback."

A steady flow

Karl Glarner got laid off from his tech job in 1997 the height of Lansing's first beer boom.

Four breweries had sprouted in the region within a two-year span, first Blue Coyote Brewing Co. in 1995, followed by Lansing Brewing Co. and Michigan Brewing Co. the following year and then Harper’s Restaurant and Brew Pub in 1997.

Glarner had been brewing beer for three years. He would stock up on homebrew supplies at Beer Gear in Lansing back then, but the store never had the ingredients he wanted. Things Beer in Williamston was too far from his home in Grand Ledge.

So he decided to open his own store in downtown Grand Ledge. He used his severance pay from his job to get started, opening on Bridge Street in 1997.

“We offered a way for people to make the beer they couldn’t get in the area,” Glarner said, and it was a steady business to get into despite it being a hobby store.

“When the economy is good or bad, beer drinking stays pretty consistent,” he said.

After nearly 20 years in business, Glarner sold the store, now at 902 E. Saginaw Highway, to his friend Tom Duckworth in February. He wanted to focus on running Sanctuary Spirits, a distillery and brewery he opened inside a former church with business partner Tolan Annis in 2014.

From 2005 to 2013, there was a large growth in sales for homebrew supply stores. In 2014, 66% of homebrew supply shop owners across the country said they had an increase in sales since 2013, according to the 2014 AHA survey that included 408 retail locations. On average, those businesses saw a 23.7% increase in homebrewing supply sales.

But growth is starting to fluctuate, depending on the local markets, Glass said. He chalks up the slight decline to a stronger economy. With more people working, they have less time to dedicate to homebrewing, he said.

"We do see growth in areas that are under-served," Glass said.

Lansing's offerings have remained steady over the years. So while Things Beer and Beer Gear have since closed, places like The Red Salamander and Capital City Homebrew Supply have opened in their place.

Branstner first opened Capital City Homebrew Supply in 2012 after Things Beer closed. That's How We Brew operated in Frandor Shopping Center for a few years before closing in 2014. Dusty’s Cellar also has a small offering of beer-making kits.

"It takes a strong customer support base to keep a homebrew shop open," Branstner said. Business has been solid since the store moved closer to downtown at the beginning of the year, he added.

Levinsohn and Alexander said they hope their classes can generate more customers for the homebrew shops and help the scene grow.

“It’s good for someone who wants to start brewing,” Levinsohn said. “If you don’t like it, at least you get beer after.”

Alexander Alusheff is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.

The cost of homebrewing

It can be cheaper to homebrew a 5-gallon batch of beer, which makes 50 12-oz. bottles, than buy the equivalent at the store.

A six pack of craft beer can cost between $8 and $12, which is between $1.33 and $2 a beer. To buy 50 of those beers would cost between $66.50 and $100 before taxes and the bottle deposit.

A typical ingredients kit that produces 5 gallons can cost between $20 and $50. Assuming you already have the equipment to brew and bottle beer, it would only cost between 36 cents and $1 per bottle of homebrewed beer.

The average beginner's brewing kit costs roughly $80 and includes everything needed to make beer except for the bottles and the kettle. Some people may already own a 5-gallon or 3-gallon stainless steel kettle needed to brew. Bottles can be bought at homebrew stores or you can save beer bottles after drinking them. Just make sure they aren't twist off caps.

Homebrew stores

Capital City Homebrew Supply, 623 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing

Phone: (517) 374-1070

Hours: Monday thru Saturday - 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sunday - Noon to 4 p.m.

The Red Salamander, 902 E. Saginaw Highway, Grand Ledge

Phone: (517) 627-2012

Hours: Monday - closed

Tuesday thru Saturday: Noon to 7 p.m.

Sunday: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dusty's Cellar, 839 W Grand River Ave., Okemos

Phone: (517) 349-8680

Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Homebrew clubs and groups

Greater Lansing Brewtopian Society

Meets at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of the month at Capital City Homebrew Supply.

Website: capitalcityhomebrewsupply.com/homebrew-club

Red Ledge Brewers

Meets at 7 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at Sanctuary Spirits.

Website: redledgebrewers.com

Capital Mashers

Meets at 4 p.m. every first Sunday of the month at Ellison Brewery and Spirits

Website: capitalmashers.org/web

PussyCat Beer Guild (Women's group)

No recent meetings

Website: facebook.com/groups/PCBGuild.EL

Fermenta: Michigan Women's Craft Collective (state-wide group)

Anniversary party at 7 p.m. Saturday at Lansing Brewing Co.

Website: fermentamichigan.org