The bar at the Hillsdale Brewing Company. Calli Townsend | Collegian
Hillsdale Brewing Company celebrated its sixth anniversary on Jan. 20 with new drinks, giveaways, and live music.
The husband-and-wife team of Roy and Felicia Finch spent years making the old hotel on 25 Hillsdale St. into the Hillsdale Brewing Company.
“We worked on this building for over two years to bring it back to life before opening,” Roy Finch said. “It had extensive damage from being old, neglected, and mostly abandoned for so many years. When we finally opened we had a huge amount of pride and excitement, and of course we were nervous wrecks.”
The brewery usually has close to a dozen beers on tap, plus in-house ciders and wines. It also offers games, a playhouse for kids, and axe throwing.
Since its opening, Hillsdale Brewing Company has provided a space for numerous community groups to meet and grow.
“Our beer garden has offered a space for the farmers market to function in the winter, and we also let the Hillsdale Rotary have its meetings there every Wednesday,” Roy Finch said. “We have had a lot of groups have meetings there, and fire departments have banquets there.”
The brewing company has also offered spaces for college faculty to work and socialize.
“I like the Hillsdale Brewing Company so much that I hold office hours there on Tuesday afternoons,” said John J. Miller, director of the Dow Journalism Program. “It’s a great way to meet students off campus.”
Some professors meet regularly with each other and use the brewery as a location to introduce people to Hillsdale.
“I’ve been going to the pub for several years. For the last year or so, Dr. Ivan Pongracic and I try to meet there every Friday afternoon,” said Bradley Birzer, professor of history. “I’ve also gone with friends from out of town as well as Father David Reamsnyder, my parish priest.”
Roy Finch aims for the brewing company to be a welcoming environment for all ages to come together and spend time with others in the community.
“We would like the community to know that just because we are a brewery, it doesn’t mean we aren’t family-friendly,” Finch said, “In the beer garden we offer games, a playhouse, and lots of other activities for the kids so mom and dad can enjoy a nice dinner without the children getting restless. It has really brought a lot of families in.”
The brewing company offers an inviting experience while serving up quality beer and food, Finch said.
“I enjoy the beer and I’m a member of the mug club, which means I have my own special mug,” Miller said. “The servers know to grab it when I walk in the door. This makes me feel like the character Norm from ‘Cheers,’ the old TV sitcom.”
The brewing company also serves as a place for people from the town and the college to come together and interact.
“One of my favorite things about the brewing company is that it very much brings together town and gown,” Birzer said. “We’re all there to enjoy fine beer (well, really ales) and be one as a community.”