“I dream about beer,” Alexis Jorgensen says as she pours a glass of Osborn Mist, one of the 16 drafts on tap at Mothfire Brewing Co., Ann Arbor’s new craft brewery located at 713 Ellsworth Rd. Jorgensen is the head brewer, and brings with her more than 10 years of experience crafting unique brews. Her passion for beer is evident as she excitedly explains her process of experimenting with different flavor profiles.
Mothfire is slated to open its doors on July 12, but the grand opening has been years in the making for founders David Becker and Noah Kaplan. Their craft brewery vision started when they took over Pileated Brewing Company in 2019, a small one-barrel brewery on South Industrial Highway in Ann Arbor. They were issued their license for Mothfire in February of 2020 with plans for a spring launch — then the pandemic hit.
“We had to do a 180, like what are we going to do now?” says Becker. The answer was to bottle as much as they could and create their own distribution system. They now sell their bright and vibrant cans, designed by Kaplan and his brother Dan, to stores like Plum Market, Arbor Farms, Zingerman’s, and about 20 other select locations in metro Detroit.
A few weeks before their official opening, Mothfire set up a special event for a dozen or so people to tour the new 6,000-square-foot brewery. After coming from a space described as a “closet” with a one-barrel system, the larger place with its expanded 15-barrel system gives Jorgensen the freedom to experiment with more new and exciting creations.
At the beginning of the tour, Jorgensen explains the process of milling their own grains. “We previously had grains pre-milled,” she says. “Being able to do it ourselves gives an extra oomph in refinement and the ability to tailor it to what we want.”
One of the things that was evident on the tour was how important it was for the team to use local products. Their base malts are all from Michigan farms. “We try to support local wherever we can with grains, as well as hops, just to give regionality and different expression to the beer,” Becker explains.
Environmental sustainability was also a clear driving force in the creation of Mothfire. Jorgensen points out that everything in the brewhouse is steam-powered and showed off the “mack daddy” of boilers that powers the entire operation.
All of this lends itself to the creation of some great brews. The pilsner was smooth with no bitter aftertaste, and the hazy IPA tasted light and refreshing. None of the beers we tried were heavy, and when we mentioned that to Kaplan, he said their goal was to make lighter, brighter beers that weren’t too sweet.
“Our vision is an ultra-craft brewery,” he says. “We are creating a cultural bonfire around art, music, and craft beer.”
Mothfire also offers cocktails, and they did not disappoint. Each of the three mixed drinks they sell start with their seltzer spirit base that Becker describes as something similar to a dry prosecco. On the menu are Cucumber Basil, Ginger Mule, and Paloma Fizz. Every cocktail was a fun experience, with the paloma being our favorite. Mothfire even makes their own clear ice, which is a process that a lot of higher-end cocktail bars are starting to implement — an example of the brewery paying attention to even the smallest of details to enhance their customers’ overall experience.
A food truck was also on hand — or a pizza bus, to be precise. The unique food truck is the vision of Bobby Rosenberger and Kyle Young, who own Carrozza Pizza. The former sous chef and line cook have years of kitchen and pizza experience, and it was evident in the slices we tried. On the sampling menu was an array of ambitious pizzas including a margherita with buffalo mozzarella, kimchi with steak, smoked mozzarella and scallions, and a vegan pizza with shaved garlic. The mushroom pizza served with shaved truffles, and the flavor was spot-on and wasn’t overwhelmingly mushroomy like some of the fungi pies we’ve tried in the past.
Pizza will not be the only thing on Carrozza’s menu. They also sampled an interesting take on caprese salad with huge bites of crouton and tomato, and a very tender meat kabob.
Sometimes breweries have one thing going for them and that is enough to be sustainable. With Mothfire they have three: beer, cocktails, and food. Each piece combines to create a brewery experience that is greater than the sum of its parts, making Mothfire a welcome addition to Ann Arbor’s drinking and dining scene.
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