USA, MI: Summerlands Brewing Company hoping to open in Hunt in March

Brian Hunt spent years dreaming of opening his own brewery before deciding to make it happen after a serious health battle, the Lansing State Journal reported on January 21.

The Mason resident and father of six, who is legally blind, was already brewing beer from his kitchen in 2016 when doctors found a large, benign brain tumor that was crushing his brain stem. His brewing hobby was a constant for the next few years, as he underwent two surgeries and then radiation treatment to remove the growth.

Hunt lost all hearing in his left ear and learned that sometimes you shouldn't wait to pursue a dream.

"Getting through all of that, you know, you always have the long-term plans, what I wanted to do when I retire ... and I learned you don't always get to wait," Hunt, 49, said. "You don't always know what's going to happen."

In early 2020, just before COVID-19 arrived in Michigan, Hunt and fellow hobby brewer and co-worker Joe Prevo started planning to open their own brewery. The pair, both programmers at Jackson National Life, have spent the last three years laying the groundwork for Summerlands Brewing Company.

They hope to open the brewery and bar March 15 in a 3,300-square-foot building on Cedar Street that was previously home to Charlie's Bar and Grill, which closed in July.

Hunt and Prevo say their brewery will offer customers beer, food and an environment that's an escape from their everyday.

When Summerlands Brewing Company opens at 1957 Cedar St., the decor will include bright colors, comfortable chairs and a menu that includes conch fritters, coconut shrimp and a Hawaiian burger.

"We wanted to create that tropical vibe," Hunt said. "Kind of like going to the beach or down to Florida to get on a cruise ship. That's kind of what we're going for. It's an escape, somewhere you can go to kind of get away from the everyday and step into a place that's fun."

The brewery will be "a getaway from the outside world," even when Michigan temperatures say otherwise, Prevo said. "Today, it's 10 degrees outside," he said. "In the brewery, it will feel warmer. It will be a completely different mindset."

Hunt and Prevo have been brewing beer together for over a decade, first in Hunt's kitchen and then, after they "collected more and more bits and pieces, and the batches got larger" in Prevo's garage at his home in Lansing.

At the brewery, they'll do the work in the building's basement, making creations like "Key Lime Coconut Pale Ale" and "Tropical Storm Stout." When it opens, the business will offer eight varieties on tap, with plans to add more later, Hunt said. The drink lineup will change regularly.

"I like experimenting with flavors and creating something new, sometimes with flavors that are already out there and sometimes just branching out to do stuff that's crazy," he said. "We've had some real surprises along the way with how things turned out and most of them have been pretty positive."

The basics of brewing beer aren't complicated, Prevo said, but there's endless room for creativity.

"The entry to it's pretty easy, and you can go as far down the rabbit hole as you want," he said.

Hunt and Prevo eventually began looking for the right property to house a business. The Cedar Street property, vacant since July, suited their needs, they said.

They've spent the last six months renovating the interior, and cleaning out and installing brewing equipment in the building's basement.

"We had to clean up the basement that had 40 years of junk in it and then take out everything that was in there all the way down to bare walls, and then seal those walls and get the floors cleaned up," Hunt said. Then they installed new electrical lines and plumbing.

Both Hunt and Prevo still work full-time at Jackson National Life and have been doing the brewery work when they aren't programming.

"It's at a point now where things are really starting to come together," he said.

At Summerlands Brewing Company, customers will be able to enjoy karaoke and D.J. trivia nights, live entertainment and weekend brunch menus. The brewery will show classic comedy films on its televisions and offer crossword challenges.

The approximately 2,000-square-foot dining room will have seating for about 130 people, Hunt said.

Hunt and Prevo plan to hire at least 20 employees, both in full- and part-time positions.

"This is our first experience running a restaurant, so there's a lot of learning curve here," Hunt said.

Hunt is as anxious as anyone else to get started.

"I didn't want to miss the opportunity to experience this," he said. "We're going into it with our eyes wide open. It's going to be a tremendous amount of work. I think that, for me, I'm gonna get a lot of enjoyment out of creating a spot for people where they have a fun place to go. That's one of the things I'm really looking forward to."

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