Crafty Brews

By: Jordan Spence | Petoskey News

Steve Steffes and David Meikle had one goal in mind for their new business, Tap 30.

“We wanted to create a place that was comfortable, that encourages social interaction and is a fun place where I would personally want to hang out at,” Steffes said.

The pourhouse, located at 422 E. Mitchell St. in Petoskey, opened last week.

They offer 30 beers on tap, and the line-up will be constantly changing, Steffes said.

“We will focus on Michigan beers, but we didn’t want to limit ourselves to just Michigan, “ he said. “We wanted to showcase beer that is harder to find.”

In order to display their large list of brews, there is a Digital Pour menu. This unique menu shows the list of beer, their alcohol-by-volume content, how much is left in a keg and what sizes are offered; including howlers and growlers.

“Customers love it,” he said, “because they can even see when a new keg has been tapped and the beer level.”

Along with beer and wine they will soon serve libations offered by five small-batch distilleries including, Two James Spirits in Detroit and Valentine Distilling in Ferndale.

Food is also offered at the tap room, and everything is prepared in house, Steffes said.  The kitchen team is lead by executive chef, Tom Holt, one of 22 employees.

The menu includes comfort food with a twist. Prices range from $5-12 for items such as Buffalo Mac-N-Cheese and Totchos — an in-house invention with potato tots topped with foods like bacon and jalapeños.

Customers can dine and drink in an rustic, industrial space with an open air concept.

“The wood for some of the walls were created by using over 200 wood palettes,” Steffes said. “We’re really happy with the way it turned out.”

Steffes’ background in construction helped with the design concept of the space. The Petoskey resident also owns Little Traverse Reality and North Bay Contracting.

Steffes and Meikle began renovations on the building in March. The concept for the tap room came after Meikle bought the building a while back.

“It was then up for lease and we were talking about what kind of business would be good for the town,” Steffes said. “The idea grew from there and we just decided to go for it.”

Steffes said they plan to have a lot of special events and are excited for the future of the business.

“We’re so happy and thankful with how great our staff is and the reviews by the community,” Steffes said. “… We hope to also draw more attention to Mitchell Street.”

To learn more, see www.tap30.wpengine.com or visit Tap 30’s Facebook page.