Local Vendor Spotlight: Ore Dock Brewing Co.
Owner Andi Pernsteiner
The idea for Ore Dock Brewing Company didn’t start in Marquette. It began in sprawling, historic European biergartens and small, emerging taprooms throughout the U.S. serving up pints of craft beer with imaginative flavor.
While traveling early on in their careers, Andi Pernsteiner and her now-husband, Wes realized the important role breweries played in their local communities. Where they found good beer, they also found genuine connection. These were vibrant social hubs bustling with lively conversation, where space was held for everyone.
“It really started to resonate. These establishments were more than a place to enjoy a delicious beer; they were a place to talk with others about the best hiking trails, the best restaurants, and just about everything in between.”
When they came to the Upper Peninsula in 2004, it quickly became home. “We fell in love with Marquette,” said Andi. “I knew almost immediately that this was where I wanted to be, where we should be.”
Plans for the brewery followed, cementing this idea that had been brewing for years with beer and community at the center. “Those two things informed our whole process,” Andi said.
Made with quality raw materials — the first and most important being water from Lake Superior — the beer is a team effort.
“We have a team of people with different voices; every member of our brewery team has styles, flavor profiles, and products they are passionate about. We’re open to it all, and it makes for an interesting, always evolving list of offerings.”
Operating on a 10-barrel system, plus an additional 1-barrel system, Ore Dock is feeding its taprooms and event space on Spring Street in Marquette with a rotating list and distributing cans and kegs throughout Michigan and the eastern part of Wisconsin. What started as a beer-only production has expanded into seltzer, cider, and a variety of house-made nonalcoholic craft soda.
Expanding beyond the identity of “craft beer producer” into that of “craft beverage producer,” Ore Dock took this a step further last year by installing a still house and now have cocktails and wine as part of their onsite offerings. The renovation nearly doubled Ore Dock’s square footage with the Trestle Station (upstairs, family friendly, offering beer, seltzer and cocktails with house-made mixers and craft soda) and Trestle Lounge (lower level, an elevated 21+ experience with table service), as well as an outdoor biergarten with wood-fired pizza by resident food truck, Smelted.
New this year, Ore Dock partnered with Focus Restaurant Group to bring a new culinary concept to their Spring Street taproom. The partnership exemplifies both businesses’ commitment to local ingredients, local people, and neighborhood hospitality.
The physical space has, as Andi had hoped, become a thriving and vibrant community hub. Since it first opened its doors in 2012, Ore Dock Brewing Co. has become a mainstay in the downtown district overlooking its namesake in Lower Harbor. It’s provided a beautiful and welcoming space for people to celebrate life events like weddings, memorials, birthdays, and anniversaries and serves as a regular hang for locals and tourists alike. The brewery’s event calendar is packed with an eclectic mix of music, comedy, drag shows, art galleries, record sales, and everything in between.
“We may have built this place, but we didn’t create what happened here,” said Andi. “That’s truly been a collaboration between our team and our community.”
“Looking around now, it’s like a ‘pinch me, is this real?’ moment,” Andi said. “I think that when you set out to do something, you have an idea but don’t necessarily know what it’s going to look like or how it will be received. So, when you actually see it come together, it is a bit surreal.”
The Co-op carries several of Ore Dock’s “core” beers, as well as a rotation of seasonal varieties and limited releases. Breakwater, its hard seltzer offering also small-batch brewed in Marquette, is available in single flavors and a variety pack.