USA, MI: No Wake Brewery LLC coming to Ferrysburg by November

A new waterfront microbrewery and tasting room on Spring Lake plans to offer a range of beverage and sandwich options to customers, including boaters, the Grand Rapids Business Journal reported on June 23.

Owner Jack Thornsen hopes his concept for No Wake Brewery LLC brings “something really good” to the community of Ferrysburg.

Drawing on his experience at Grand Haven-based Odd Side Ales where he learned the craft of brewing, Thronsen is planning a small lakeside brewery and tasting room at Keenan Marina, located at 522 Pine St. in Ferrysburg, where he intends to serve locals and boaters on Spring Lake.

Thornsen joined the Odd Side team in 2016 and “fell in love” with craft brewing, working in positions ranging from production to bartending. When he went to college, he carried that passion for beer with him.

“I wrote my thesis about beer because I didn’t know what the heck to write,” he said.

After graduating college in 2020, he moved home and he and his father transformed their garage into a brewing space for him to start experimenting with his own brews.

Now, three years later, he’s signed a three-year lease and has started renovations on the former site of hair salon Studio V, which he’s transforming into a 540-square-foot production area for brewing and a small kitchen and a 780-square-foot tasting room that seats 75 customers. Grand Haven-based Pushaw Builders LLC is handling construction for the project.

While Thornsen had planned to open in March 2023, building out the space has taken longer than anticipated as construction work has yet to begin at the site. He’s currently shooting for a November 2023 opening.

“It’s going to be well worth it and it’s going to be an amazing space,” he said.

Thornsen anticipates brewing a little bit of everything to offer his customers a wide range of flavors. Lately, he’s been brewing wheat beers, Belgians, saisons and a brown ale. He also hopes to experiment with seltzers, using real fruit and in-house syrups for flavor and a more authentic taste.

Thornsen said he leans toward fruity, floral, aromatic flavors in his brewing and tends to stay away from dark and bitter flavor profiles.

“I’m really excited about experimenting with adding fruits and all sorts of weird flavor combinations and doing some funky stuff,” he said.

In addition to beer, Thornsen also plans to offer a menu of sandwiches and sides at No Wake, giving patrons and boaters at the marina a variety of take-out options.

“When I’m thinking about being one of the only places to drink in a town, one of the only places to get food after 2 p.m. in a town, variety and quality are the two biggest things to me,” he said. “(I want to) make sure we have a bunch of options and no one’s feeling left out or like they can’t find something they like.”

When it opens, No Wake Brewery will join a growing number of alcoholic beverage makers in Ottawa County. That includes Fox and Hen Winery in Robinson Township, which targets an Aug. 5 opening for its tasting room.

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