Made in Michiana: North Pier Brewing Company

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- On a hot summer’s day nothing quite quenches the thirst like an ice cold beer.

So pull up a seat and let brewery owner Jay Fettig tell you a story.

“I grew up two miles from where the Brewery is right now,” said Fettig, owner of North Pier Brewing Company.

Fettig was born and raised in Benton Harbor and now, he’s helping the local economy with some off-the-wall brews.

“We do focus on Belgian styles and that’s kind of morphed into European styles and then we do our own twist on them. It’s a lot of different hybrids. We don’t do American styles,” said Fettig.

And that’s not the only unique aspect of the 100-year-old building turned brewery.

“As a golfer I don’t know any other golf course where you can drive right past and stop by a brewery,” he said.

You can find this modern day watering hole just a short drive from the clubhouse at Harbor Shores Golf Club nestled smack dab between holes 13 and 14.

And while there’s no drive-through just yet there are still plenty of options.

“We do our own beer, we have food and recently we added a small distiller’s license, in the tap room we sell wine and shortly we will be selling draft cocktails as well,” explained Fettig.

Fettig says they have as many as 12 to 16 beers available at any one time.

“This is where the magic happens,” he said as he showed ABC57 News the brewing room.

Who’s the mastermind behind the magic? Head brewer Steve Distasio who Fettig met online.

“We sat down and talked about what we wanted to do — his vision and my vision. And what I wanted to do. And we decided on beers that you could rarely find here if at all. And that was the end of it,” said Distasio.

Actually, for the duo, the process is just beginning. They opened the brewing company in 2016 and have plans to grow and expand.

“We distribute as far north as the Muskegon area and just added Detroit as well,” said Fettig.

Those plans eventually include South Bend and the Chicagoland area.

“The nice thing is that in the brewing industry we are all friends together and it’s a collaborative industry,” he said.

So next time you're in the area, grab a club and a cart and pop open a four pack because an ice cold brew and good old fashioned story are waiting for you.