What's Happening in Lansing, MI…

The Lansing Brewing Company shut down more than 100 years ago, but its name lives on, as does one of its recipes. The location will reopen later this year, as a distillery and craft brewery.

The brewery was first organized in 1898 under the guidance of Lawrence Price, who was the police chief, as well as one of the most important pioneers in the auto industry in Lansing. The brewery produced a beer that “once made Lansing famous”, in the words of a 1934 news article. Among the brews offered were Bohemian, Export, Hofbrau, and Lager type beers, but the signature beer was Amber Cream.

Prohibition drove the brewery to close in 1914, at which time 26 people were employed there. The revamped Lansing Brewing Co. will be located in a former auto warehouse that comprises 7,000 square feet. The Gillespie Group, which owns the building, anticipates the renovations will cost $1.5m.

Sam Short, who is a consultant on the project, says that Lansing is far behind other cities in terms of encouraging the development of microbreweries. However, the new brewery will change that. Even more intriguing is the fact that the Lansing Brewing Company will be the first microbrewery in Lansing and the Lansing area, and thus carries on a tradition that's over 100 years old.

Brewery officials could work with a banner printing company on a piece to celebrate opening day.