John Rucinski never expected all this attention. “I just think of myself as a guy who wants to make beer for people,” he states. “It blows my mind that people actually want to talk to me about it.” With aspirations of “middle of the road, balanced craft beers”, Rucinski’s Dearborn Brewing Company has Michigan craft beer enthusiasts like us excited to try his brews.
Rucinski started making his own beer well over a decade ago. His first Mr. Beer kit didn’t quite produce the quality he was looking for, so he purchased better equipment and started practicing. He went on to win various local and national awards, including a bronze medal at the 2003 National Homebrew Competition. Rucinski is also a graduate of the Siebel Brewing Institute course on brewery planning.
Dearborn Brewing will be located at 21930 Michigan Avenue, near Nichols Ski and Snowboard. Rucinski says he intends on opening the brewery with six taps: An amber ale, a cream pale ale, a Belgian, and possibly a brown ale will be featured as mainstays. Then, rounding out the sextet will be 2 seasonal beers.
At 2,450 square feet, the brewery will feature seating for up to 25 people and the décor will have a “Black and Tan” feel. The focus will be mainly on beer production and selling to other establishments in the Dearborn area. Rucinski is in the process of getting a state microbrewers license (rather than a liquor license), and hopes to open Dearborn Brewing in late summer.
Although he currently works a full-time job as a project manager at Nissan North America in Farmington Hills, Rucinski’s brewery and taproom won’t be a “toy”. Rather, he intends to make this his full-time job. Along with his wife, Sheila, they’ll pretty much be doing everything themselves – brewing, pouring, and delivering.
Dearborn Brewing recently achieved their Kickstarter goal of $25,000 for renovations and repairs such as upgrading the electrical system in the building, putting in floor drains, and installing a bar. Rucinski says he’s grateful for every bit of help. “I appreciate all the support from each and every person who backed us, shared our posts, and otherwise helped us! Soon, we’ll have craft beer in Dearborn!”
You can keep up with Dearborn Brewing on Twitter and Facebook.