Arcadia Brewing Company - IPA

Arcadia’s IPA presents a pretty picture in the glass: crystal clear copper with plenty of fluffy foam that laces as it recedes. The aroma’s inviting, too, offering up fruity tangerine, floral, pine, and spice notes with a touch of lightly caramelized malt. On the palate, the hop flavors come forward in full effect thanks to generous dry-hopping with Columbus, while the hop bitterness is firm but not overdone. There’s enough malt to provide backbone and structure, offering a medium body and a mild caramel undertone. But, the classic duo of Cascade and Columbus hops grab most of the attention, as they should, delivering floral, citric, earthy, and spicy herbal notes that all just seem to meld perfectly. The brewery recommends spicy Indian, Cajun, and Creole pairings, along with aged bleu cheese, grilled seafood and shellfish. Cheers!

Arcadia was founded in 1996 in Battle Creek, MI, by Tim Suprise and his wife, Mardy. Tim, originally from upstate New York, spent five years in law enforcement before spending another ten in the paper products industry, during which he traveled around the nation and the world visiting paper mills and picking up a taste for locally-produced beers. Deciding it was time for another career change, he jumped into the brewing business, determined to bring locally-made brews to the thirsty residents of Michigan. The Arcadia Brewing Company was founded as a brewery and pub, utilizing an authentic English brick kettle brewing system and open fermentation using English ale yeast. With little money available for an elaborate kitchen, a wood-fired stove was procured – a fateful decision it turns out, as the location is now well known for their wood-fired pizza, as well as BBQ.

By 2014, the Battle Creek location had proven just too small to support the continued growth of the business, so Arcadia opened a second location in Kalamazoo at the abandoned site of a former coal burning power plant. With developmental help from the city, the new brewhouse, restaurant, and beer garden is helping to revitalize the River’s Edge district. In 2016, Jim Lutz, formerly of Flying Dog, Old Dominion & Fordham breweries, came on board as Arcadia’s president while Tim retains his position as CEO. With the majority of Arcadia’s production now happening at the Kalamazoo location, which still has lots of room for more capacity, and the addition of Lutz’s experience, Arcadia is well-positioned to grow their business throughout Michigan and beyond. For more information on their Battle Creek and Kalamazoo breweries and restaurants, visit arcadiaales.com.