Adults 21 and over can learn about the history and crafting of beer in the workshop titled Brewing 101 at North Channel Brewing Co. 

MANISTEE — The Manistee County Library and North Channel Brewing are teaming up to bring a new program to Manistee. 

Adults 21 and over can learn about the history and crafting of beer in the workshop titled Brewing 101.                      The event is free and takes place at North Channel Brewing Co. at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Registration is required and anyone interested can reserve a seat on the library’s website or by calling any of the Manistee County Library branch offices.

North Channel Brewing Co. has a history founded in homebrewing. 

Ron Ford, one of the owners, brewed beer in his home for several years before the brewery was opened in 2017. Madison Ford is the social media and content creator for the brewery and she also has deeper ties to the business. 

“Everything started with a cream ale that my dad, Ron, brewed in our garage,” Ford said in a news release. Her father and mother eventually grew the hobby into a business.

Workshop attendees will be walked through the beer brewing process by brewer Dan Gillespi. 

Gillespi also started as a home brewer before making it his career. 

“After my first brewing experience I began reading, studying and learning everything I could get my hands on for brewing beer at home,” Gillespi said in a news release.

After learning advanced brewing techniques and ways to retrofit equipment, he was later inspired to pursue chemical engineering in college. 

Gillespi said attending Michigan State University was about more than completing a degree. The experience gave him the knowledge and skills needed to craft beverages.

Those attending the workshop will learn the basic steps for brewing at home and will also receive an introduction to production scale brewing.

“We will smell samples of various brewing ingredients such as grain and hops,” Ford said. Attendees will also receive a $1 off a pint of the brewery’s beer after the end of the program.

Julie Cirone, library assistant director, said in a news release that she is excited about this new workshop for adults. 

“Michigan is passionate about craft brews and the library strives to connect with the interests of our community,” Cirone said. 

She also said she hopes that the partnership will encourage more local businesses and organizations to work together. 

“There are so many wonderfully talented people in our county,” Cirone said. “We hope that this workshop with North Channel Brewing Co. will be the first of many new partnerships.”   Ford noted that  “I personally think this partnership is great and makes perfect sense.”

“The NCB team has talked in the past about hosting sensory and sampling events, and pairing with the library is a great way to do that. It caters to the community, which North Channel Brewing has always recognized as an integral part of the brewery experience,” Ford said. 

More information on Brewing 101 and other Manistee County Library programs is available online at manisteelibrary.org or by calling 231-723-2519.