The Beer File: Tapistry Brewing

Andy Fitzpatrick | Battle Creek Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption Tapistry is a beer vacation stop BRIDGMAN - Stop by Tapistry Brewing on your next trip to Warren Dunes.

BRIDGMAN — In the heart of West Michigan's vacation land, there's a small tap room where tourists and locals come together to form an extended family of beer fans.

At Tapistry Brewing, owner Joe Rudnick said, there are daily regulars who mix in the summertime with crowds traveling from Chicago and points east to the popular, busy Warren Dunes State Park.

"It’s just like 'Cheers,' basically," Rudnick said.

When a couple of beers were being poured for a photo session, the guys at the bar collectively wondered if they could maybe take care of them when it was over.

Like "Cheers," basically.

Rudnick, who lives in Mattawan, started Tapistry about four years ago after a 20-year career as an engineer at Pfizer in Kalamazoo. Now, he's glad to be part of businesses bringing people into downtown Bridgman.

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Tapistry speeds up in the summer and slows down in the winter. Rudnick said the lean months are when they get by on their distribution sales.

Detroit, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Traverse City are obviously the places a Michigan craft brewery is going to aim for, and Tapistry is available in northern Indiana as well.

"Lansing is a good one for us," Rudnick said. "We kill it in Lansing."

What's your most-ordered beer?

Mr. Orange has been moving, Rudnick said, partly because of the popularity of its style. Think Blue Moon or Shock Top.

"It’s a Belgian witbier with blood oranges, chamomile and rose hips," Rudnick said, adding that the blood oranges make the beer pretty different from its competitors.

"Probably what’s most attractive about it is its lower ABV for those who are maybe not into the higher ABV beers," Rudnick said.

What's something that hasn't worked?

"We experimented with some Patagonian malt," Rudnick said. "It was a smoked malt that had a little bit different flavor to it. It was kind of a hit-or-miss beer. People either loved it, or they didn’t like it all."

Is there a Tapistry philosophy?

Rudnick said the name tells the brewery's story: It combines beer taps with chemistry. It's fitting, he said, since head brewer Kyle Heslip has a Ph.D. in chemistry.

"We also love art," Rudnick said. "We support a lot of local artists. If you come in our tap room you’ll see the art for sale."

What should people know before traveling to Tapistry?

"Hopefully, you like a variety of beers, because we have 20 of them on tap," Rudnick said. "We do anything from Belgians, to IPAs to the witbier. We like hops. We’re hop heads here."

Contact Andy Fitzpatrick at 269-966-0697 or afitzpatrick@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @am_fitzpatrick. Hear him on soundcloud.com/thejumppage and soundcloud.com/bestpodinworld.

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