USA, MI: St. Johns Brewing Co. opens in downtown St. Johns

St. Johns got its first brewery this month, the Lansing State Journal reported on December 22.

St. Johns Brewing Co. opened downtown in a 130-year-old former bank building.

The restaurant and brewery opened Dec. 1 offering takeout only during the second state-mandated shut down of dine-in service since March.

The business, at 200 N. Clinton Ave., is the third taproom for Mountain Town Brewing Company, the Mount Pleasant brewery Jim Holton opened in 2008.

Holton has two other taprooms — Summit Smokehouse & Tap Room in Mount Pleasant and Alma Brewing Co. in Alma.

All three serve Mountain Town Brewing Company beer, but Holton said St. Johns Brewing Co. is further south in Michigan than the others. It's also the first he's opened amid a pandemic.

Work at the 5,000-square-foot space on the building's first floor began in February. Several old bank vaults have been utilized as coolers or for food storage.

Even as a brewery it's obvious the space was once home to a bank, Holton said. The building features original terrazzo flooring inside and a limestone and granite exterior that still sports a bank deposit dropbox.

"It's a very unique project," Holton said. "When you walk in you see the main vault and that was the safety deposit box vault. It’s brass and very cool."

Despite opening with a limited menu, and no dine-in service Holton said St. Johns has embraced the new brewery.

In its first week, the brewery sold over 20 kegs of craft beer, he said.

The restaurant's 12-person staff was busy, Holton said, and up to 10 people at a time were on hold at times, waiting to place orders for food and drink.

"I could just feel it was going to be a good location for us and for the community and this definitely reaffirmed that," Holton said.

The most popular items so far include St. Johns Brewing Co.'s smoked brisket and pulled pork, he said.

The takeout only model has allowed the brewery's staff to ease into the workload, Holton said. It's also allowed him to modify the phone system to improve ordering by phone.

"We want the best customer service experience possible," Holton said. "We’ve made a few mistakes along the way but we’re learning, and people have been very courteous about that."

The restaurant is serving about half its standard menu currently, Holton said, but more items will be added as staff adjust to their routines and state mandates are lifted.

Staff will begin brewing beer on site this week, he said. Currently, St. Johns Brewing Co. is offering some of Mountain Town Brewing Company's most popular creations. Eventually, the business will add brews created exclusively for the St. Johns location, including a mint beer.

"The brewers are very excited about this because they love creating new beers," Holton said. "Our brewers get to exercise their creative side. That’s what they love."

Holton doesn't think dine-in seating will be allowed in Michigan until after the first of the year. Still, he's excited about the prospect of welcoming customers to its tables when mandates are lifted.

"I can’t wait," he said. "I just sit there and look around at all the empty tables and I can just feel the guests inside there, hanging out and watching the Lions possibly win on the televisions. It won’t come alive until people are there. Right now it’s just a carryout food establishment. We’re more than that."

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