New Microbrewery Lands in Ferndale in 2019

Brooks Brewing is expanding to Ferndale with plans to open a microbrewery and taproom in 2019. The Shelby Township-based brewery’s new spot will be located at 22925 Wood Ave. just north of Nine Mile and will feature 21 taps. Brooks also plans to introduce a small menu at the brewpub featuring crispy thin crust pizzas.

“We were really looking for a location where we could get our product in front of more people,” brewmaster Cary Brooks Jr. says of the decision to expand to Ferndale. Scouting out the right space in Ferndale, a favorite destination for himself and his friends, took nearly nine months.

At 1,600-square-feet Brooks Brewing’s second location will be around a third of the size of its Shelby production facility. The building will house a small brewing system with a roughly three-barrel capacity. Brooks Brewing is known for pouring a wide selection of beers including kettle sours, IPAs, and hefeweizen. Brooks says the Ferndale location will be focused on producing smaller batch beers such as specialty ales, lagers, and fruit beers, while the main brewing facility will continue to supply its flagship brews.

The Ferndale brewery will seat around 50 people. A former fabricator with Chrysler and General Motors, Brooks plans to build much of the bar and furniture himself as he did at the Shelby location. Brooks Brewing is aiming to open in the first quarter of next year.

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