Craft beers and smoked barbecue will be on tap at a new brewhouse slated to open later this year in Farmington.
Heights Brewing is under construction at 23621 Farmington Road in the old Page’s Food and Spirits restaurant, which existed there 37 years before closing in June 2021.
Ryan Kavanagh and his wife Shawn MacDonell are the driving force behind the local brewery. They’re tearing the former Page’s structure down to its skeleton and rebuilding it anew as part of a full-blown renovation. They hope to open their doors in September.
Heights will offer a lineup of beers produced on-site along with wines, meads, ciders, seltzers, hop water and root beer. The barbecue menu will feature a mouth-watering array of pork shoulder, pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken breast, and weekend ribs cooked on a custom-built Lang Smoker.
Customers will have the option of breaking trying their meats as sandwiches, sampler platters, tacos and sliders. They can also pick from a list of sides like mac and cheese.
Kavanagh and MacDonell are longtime Costco employees embarking on their first restaurant. Kavanaugh worked at the big-box wholesaler for nearly two decades, spending about 14 of those years in managerial positions.
“It feels really, really good,” he told What Now Detroit. “Being able to step away from that and do my own thing, it’s amazing.”
Heights joins the chorus of new business coming to Farmington’s budding downtown. It will be sandwiched between nearby businesses like the Loft Cigar Lounge, a Black-owned cigar shop, and MI.MOSA, a diner known for its mimosa flight brunches, craft beers and cocktails.
“It’s got that small-down vibe to it but it’s definitely up and coming,” Kavanagh said. “Everything is on the rise around here.”
Heights will offer a food menu that’s completely gluten-free; even some of its beers will be brewed without the protein. The restaurant’s breads will be locally sourced from Rumi’s Passion, a gluten-free bakery in Plymouth, according to site plans.
Kavanagh, a beer aficionado, taught himself the art of beer making by brewing in his kitchen. He honed his skills working as a cellarman at the Kuhnhenn and Dragonmead breweries in Warren before becoming an assistant brewer at the Draught Horse company in New Hudson.
Heights Brewing will operate a pilot brewing system on its premises that’s powered by five seven-barrel fermenters. Once brewed, the beers will be stowed in kegs placed in cold-storage freezers before they go to tap, Kavanagh said.
The brewery will feature musical entertainment most nights. Kavanagh plans to draw a Mug Club member’s name once every three months and will teach the raffle winner how to brew in Heights’ system.
“Especially if it’s a beer that you like, why not learn how to make it,” he said.
