Ore Dock Brewing Company


The Ore Dock Brewing Company is a craft brewery in Marquette, Michigan, that opened in May 2012. It takes its name from the ore docks in the city, used to load iron ore pellets onto lake freighters. Historian Russell Magnaghi has written that in the years since its founding, the brewery has "become a Marquette focal point and tourist destination."

Beer

Ore Dock's beer is based on traditional Belgian and American styles. Their most popular beers are the "Reclamation" IPA and "Dream Weaver," a Belgian ale with citrus and chamomile. Reclamation, which news sources have described as Ore Dock's flagship beer, is named for recycled material that was reused in constructing the brewery. The beer, described by Ore Dock's head brewer as a "mid-coast" IPA that "not as hop-forward as its west coast counterparts, nor is it as malty as what you often find out east," won the 2014 Beverage Tasting Institute World Beer Championships Gold Medal.
Ore Dock began bottling its beer in 2014, and selling it outside of Marquette County in 2015. At this time, the brewery had enough capacity to brew 2,500 barrels per year—having expanded shortly before that from 850 barrels. In 2018, Ore Dock sold 1,631 barrels of beer within Michigan, making it the forty-first largest brewer in the state. This total was down from 1,754 in 2017, but up from 1,566 in 2016.

Location

The brewery is located in a former automobile repair shop and the second floor of an adjoining building, which functions as a community and event space. Described as "a loft space full of reclaimed barn wood," the spaces include material from the auto garage that inhabited the spaces before the brewery moved in. The upstairs community space, charged with putting on events that emphasize visual arts and musical acts, hosts fundraisers, lectures, weddings, private parties, and musical acts.

Recognition

In 2013, Ore Dock was ranked by MLive as one of the best new breweries in the state of Michigan. One year later, it was the only brewery from the Upper Peninsula mentioned by Thrillist in a ranking of every state by its beer. In 2017, it was recommended in The New York Times travel section.

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