Bill Laitner

Detroit Free Press

You must've seen it — that giant Big Buck beer bottle next to I-75 in Auburn Hills?

Well, it's gone. Hauled away Thursday.

The owner of long-vacant Big Buck microbrewery sold the roadside symbol of his namesake beer to Powers Distributing in Orion Township, billed as Michigan's largest distributor of Miller Lite, and the new owner plans to cover the 45-foot steel sculpture with its brand, according to a news release.

"The Big Buck Brewery beer bottle has been a metro Detroit staple for many years, and Powers is proud to keep its history alive," Gary Thompson, chief operating officer at Powers Distributing, said in the release. The release did not name a purchase price.

Next month, the Big Buck site is to become H.U.B. or Home of Urban Bowling, described as “a casual dining venue and center for fowling, a hybrid of football and bowling.”

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But motorists on I-75 can drive three hours or so north of Auburn Hills to Gaylord if they want to see another giant Big Buck bottle. That one, the original, isn’t going anywhere from its spot 60 yards east of the freeway, said Jack Phillips, night manager of the Gaylord watering hole.

“We’re real proud of Big Buck and all the other beers we make here,” as well as small-batch wines and craft liquor produced on-site, Phillips said Thursday night. So, can a thirsty customer buy a Miller Lite up thar?

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“No, they can’t. We don’t sell anything that’s not made in-house,” Phillips said.

Contact Bill Laitner: blaitner@freepress.com