North Peak Brewing Company

North Peak Brewing Company is located in a historic building which was formerly the Big Daylight Candy Factory.

In March 1899, a partnership was formed by John G. Straub, his brother, Anton F. Straub and George E. Amiotte in the creation of candies and confectionery in Traverse City.

Under the style of Straub Brothers and Amiotte, the firm soon established success with a large local following and an extensive wholesale trade. So rapidly did the business increase, that it became necessary to provide a building of sufficient capacity to meet the growing demands of the trade.

The building housing North Peak Brewing Company was Straub’s third and final building. Straub Brothers and Amiotte "Big Daylight Candy Factory" is a handsome imposing brick edifice of three floors and a basement. It was constructed with 400,000 bricks and 250,000 feet of lumber, erected and supplied with the latest and most approved machinery devices for the manufacturing of all kinds of candies. It compared favorably on a scale with the largest and most successful establishments of its kind.

North Peak Brewing Company was established in 1997 by the Carlson, Lobdell and Czaplicka families and still calls the "Big Daylight Candy Factory" building home. However, the majority of their beers; including Diabolical IPA and Siren Amber Ale, are brewed in Dexter, Michigan.

North Peak is distributed to many pubs, restaurants and party stores throughout Michigan and Ohio.

North Peak Brewing Company in Traverse City has five flagship beers always on tap, as well as two rotating seasonal taps. The five flagship beers are:

Diabolical IPA An aggressively hopped IPA, with a nice caramel sweetness. This brew features multiple hop additions (including local Cascade, Chinook & Willamette) which provide an abundance of flavor & aroma. Citrus, pine, mint, and floral notes cannot be missed while enjoying this North Peak flagship beer.

Mission Point Porter A full bodied porter with rich chocolate overtones and a pleasant hop aroma, provided by local Cascades.

Northern Light A staple brew @ North PEak, this beer utilizes pale, pilsner, and Munich malts. Local Empire and Mt Hood hops aid in crafting an approachable, yet assertive lighter, golden ale. It is clean, crisp and refreshing!

Shirley's Irish Stout' A smooth, yet rich stout, with lots of roasted barley, black and chocolate malts, creating a nice, long finish. Nitrogen dispensed for extra creaminess.

Siren Amber' A malty classic, with the subtle hop flavor and aroma from local Willamette & Fuggle. Enjoy the caramel sweetness with just a hint of roasted barley, which provides the rich amber color and a slight dry finish.

Of these pub beers, only two can be found distributed by North Peak, Diabolical and Siren. North Peak's production facility is in Dexter, Michigan and distributes beer throughout Michigan and limited quantities outside of Michigan. The year round beers distributed by Michigan, in draft and Michigan's only stubby bottles are:

Diabolical ABV 6.66% IBUs 66.6 North Peak Diabolical IPA has hops from nose to tail. This IPA is unfiltered and dry-hopped with Michigan grown Chinook and Cascade hops. It has a smooth malt character and citrus pine aroma.

Siren ABV 5% IBUs 25 North Peak Siren Amber Ale is not your beginners amber, it is much more complex. The hops selected for Siren balance and complement the malt character. It is smooth, well-balanced and has a rich amber hue.

Vicious ABV 6.7% IBUs 67 North Peak Vicious is an exciting American Wheat IPA. This refreshing style is unfiltered and uses generous amounts of American hops for assertive bitterness and aroma.

Wanderer ABV 4.2% IBUs 45 North Peak Wanderer is a Session IPA. The combination of full hop flavor and lower alcohol gives Wanderer a wonderful drinkability. It has a light, clean and refreshing body, and is hopped with Centennial, Citra and Simcoe hops giving Wanderer a citrus and pine finish.

DubiousABV 5.3% IBUs 30 North Peak Dubious is a dark chocolate stout that has the perfect combination of chocolate roast and black malts resulting in a smooth, rich beer. A swirl of aroma, flavor and body is underscored by the rich chocolate that is added at the end of the boil.

North Peak Brewery is so dedicated to Northern Michigan that even the images on their labels reflect it. Each bottle label features a different silhouette of Northern Michigan Lore. North Peak's most widely known beer, Diabolical, is marked with a Jackalope. The Jackalope is a rabbit with the antlers of a deer. Legend has it you can catch one by putting a flask of whiskey out at night, waiting for them to drink it all, and then easily hunting the drunken animal. North Peak claims that putting out a bottle of Diabolical will instead have the Jackalope, "Knocking on your door for more."

Vicious, a now defunct staple of the North Peak brand, featured a dog man on its label. A warrior group of Cheyenne called dog men existed in Michigan in the 1860s. They were considered to be the "special forces" of this time as they were unwavering in their pursuit of prey and utterly relentless until victory was achieved. Allegedly, the dog men were eliminated by a foe many years ago but the souls of the men remained, taking on the characteristics of real dogs. They roam the woods of Northern Michigan with the same vicious tendencies and battle readiness as always. It is this snarling spirit that North Peak Brewery endeavors to instill into every bottle of Vicious IPA. As of 2016, North Peak no longer brews or bottles their Vicious IPA.

More lore on North Peak's various beers can be found on their official website under beer and then lore.

• North Peak Brewing Company official site