USA, MI: Silver Spruce Brewing Company coming to Traverse City’s west side

A new brewery is coming to the west side of Traverse City as Silver Spruce Brewing Company prepares to open a second location near Francisco’s Market & Deli, The Ticker reported on February 23.

Silver Spruce is leasing space from Francisco’s at the far end of the market’s commercial building on Silver Lake Road to open a new taproom. The project will bring a second Silver Spruce location to Traverse City along with the brewery’s current home on Eighth Street. Silver Spruce co-owner Scott Stuhr says the new venue offers more than 2,000 square feet of bar and tasting room space, plus production capacity. Silver Spruce still plans to keep its primary brewing operations on Eighth Street – where it will produce most of its flagship beers, which will also be for sale on Silver Lake Road – but will have some brewing operations at the new facility, allowing for some special varietals and one-offs there.

“Our business model is in-house – we don’t distribute much, and we’re not trying to grow to be a distribution brewery,” explains Stuhr. “So if we were to expand, this (a new location) is the only way that we’re interested in expanding.”

For Francisco’s Market & Deli co-owner Adam Inman, the partnership offers a chance to expand the market’s menu and potentially reach a new audience. Francisco’s will create a special menu just for Silver Spruce, with customers able to order at either the brewery or Francisco’s for dining in the taproom. That menu will feature salads and pizzas, among other options, with Francisco’s investing in a wood-fired pizza oven to create from-scratch Neapolitan-style pies. A beer garden is also in the works for the future. “We fully plan on turning the back area into a fenced-in outside seating area that’s open for service,” says Inman.

Remodeling and infrastructure work – including a new sewer line running to the property – are planned for this spring, with the potential for an opening as early as June. Stuhr says the taproom will likely be open six days a week from 3pm to 9pm to start, though that could expand into lunch service on weekends if there’s demand.

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