Century Old Building Home to Fetch Brewing

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Nestled between the water and the busy main street in downtown Whitehall, Michigan, lies a little brewery that might not have its own long history, but occupies a building with one. Fetch Brewing offers handcrafted beers in a lovely setting, including the option to drink directly in a former bank vault.

BY Amy Sherman FOR MiBrew Trail

Century old building home to Fetch Brewing

MIBREW TRAIL MAGAZINE

WINTER 2022

You can examine all the mechanicals of a working bank safe at Fetch Brewing in Whitehall, and then you can grab a seat inside and enjoy a hand crafted beer. (Amy Sherman)

area. Located on a prominent corner “no expense was spared. It was the point of pride for the town,” according to articles Jen found. The original articles of incorporation include many of the family names that you can still find around town on both buildings and street names. After the original bank moved to a new spot kitty-corner from the original location in 1965, the building was empty for a few years. Then a local gentleman purchased it and renovated it into a private residence, living in an apartment in the back section of upstairs and while he ran an antique store down below. You can still see the red cedar bolts jutting out from the brick walls, which used to help support his catwalk that ran around the upper level of the building.

Fetch Brewing's taproom as seen from the above balcony. Note the change in flooring materials from wood on the left to tile on the right. That difference marks where the former teller booths were located over the wood. (Amy Sherman)

Hains was their complete naivety as to what lay before them in terms of renovations. “The realtor told us that we were the only ones when she showed the building who didn’t say ‘oh, hell no, I wouldn’t touch this with a ten-foot pole’ after touring it,” Jen said. “It was usually shown to people who had done this before, or who knew what they were talking about. We walked in and said it’s perfect, we love it,” Jen said laughing. “We were so hopelessly ignorant.” The couple purchased the building in 2011. To add to the fun of buying a building and opening a brewery, the couple, who already had a 2-year-old, found out they were pregnant — with twins. Surprisingly, it was the catalyst for them to take the leap. “I told Dan, well, I need another crib, a minivan and we are opening the brewery,” she said. “He looked at me and said WHAT DID YOU SAY?” “I figured all of our plans had just gone to s**t,” Jen said, laughing. “We might as well just go all in.” It took the Hains about three years to complete their renovations and open Fetch. “Nothing in the building was up to code, since it was all 1912 stuff,” Jen explained. She demonstrated some of the problems to me, showing me how big people’s feet used to be and why all the stairs were super tiny, and how tall people used to be to show why all the doorways were so short. “And no ADA, that wasn’t even a thing,” she said. “We had to do everything from scratch, and learn as we went,” she said. The couple had to add heat, electrical and plumbing. Artist friends helped them bring together a vision for the space. They removed many of the original, rough sawn, ceiling beams and repurposed them into shelves, and a gorgeous, stained bar that anchors one side of the space. The original Chicago brick was scrubbed to a lovely mellow yellow. “Reusing so much really ticked all the boxes for us,” said Jen. “It looks beautiful, we got to recycle, and to be honest, it was cheaper to use what was on hand.” If you take a look at the floor in the main room at Fetch, you’ll notice two distinctly different things going on. On one side, is classic black and white penny tile, while on the other, hardwood floors. The wood floors mark where the teller cages were, while patrons of the bank would stand on the tile. Both parts took a lot of the Hain's elbow grease to get back in shape, but they add such a unique element to the decor, that it was worth all the hard work. They even have had visits from former employees. “It’s really cool," Jen said. "They’ll come in and say, ‘I don’t like beer, but I used to be a teller here in my twenties, and I just want to see it’. It’s so sweet. So, we do hear those stories, or it might be that someone had their first bank account here, and they still have their savings booklet. We think that’s really cool.” One of the most striking elements at Fetch is the original bank vault, which still remains on the main floor, and has been turned into a sweet little space to enjoy a beer in private with friends. “We knew we had to keep the vault,” Jen said.

The owners had been approached by a variety of potential buyers, including a computer store, and they passed on those offers. “We told them, here’s the thing, we can’t afford it,” Jen said. “The stars aligned,” Jen explained. The owners had already talked to Sherry about changing the offering to a land contract, and forgoing a down payment in exchange for a share in the future company. “We were like OK,” said Jen. Part of the appeal of selling to the

“Whitehall and Montague are old logging towns,” Fetch Brewing co-owner Jen Hain explained. The towns, founded in Muskegon County in the mid-1800s, are right near the shores of Lake Michigan, and are divided by White Lake, which is actually the mouth of the White River. The building that Fetch occupies was built in 1912, and lies right on Colby Street, the main drive through town. It was originally built as the State Bank, in response to the booming lumber business in the

“We’ve heard from people in town that he had the best parties in this building,” Jen said. There was even a classic 1970s shag carpeted bar in the apartment that Jen has seen pictures of. Unfortunately, that sexy little gem was gone by the time Fetch moved in. After he moved out in the mid-80s, the building sat empty again. Fetch Brewing brewer and co-owner Dan Hain, a Whitehall native, was always sad to see such an iconic part of this town’s history all boarded up.

Another purchaser came in and gutted the building and added some outdoor decor. Then, Chuck and Luann Schwartz purchased it, with plans to develop the space into a brewery, but realized pretty quickly that logistically, with full time jobs in Chicago, this wasn’t going to be possible. They decided to sit on the building until the right owners came along. The Hains had a dream of opening a brewery somewhere in West Michigan, as Dan was looking to take his homebrewing passion to the professional level. They knew they wanted a warm and welcoming spot that felt open and airy.

The historical building that now houses Fetch Brewing has not just one, but two different bank safes still on the premises. The one in the basement still has the Time Lock cards attached to the door. (Amy Sherman)

The wooden inside entrance door to Fetch Brewing is original to the building, and still features the misplaced and upside down PUSH sign. (Amy Sherman)

“The first question we asked ourselves as we were looking was would a woman feel safe coming here alone at night?” Jen explained. “If the answer was no, the spot was off the table.” Ironically, Jen’s career had been in banking, while Dan had worked for a chemical company. Through a serendipitous dinner party at friends Sherry and Terry Simon’s house, a magical connection was made. Sherry was the real estate listing on the building at 100 W. Colby, and knew the couple was looking. “We had already looked through the windows, and knew the building was out of our price range,” Jen said. “She told us to meet her in the morning, and to bring our business plan, and she would have the owners there.” “So, they met with us, and they loved our plan that we wanted to put a brewery in,” Jen continued. “That was their plan too.”

Fetch Brewing in Whitehall opened in 2014. Owners Jen and Dan Hain remodeled the century-old former bank building themselves. (Amy Sherman)

Fetch Brewing owners Jen and Dan Hain have transformed the main floor safe into a cozy and festive spot to gather with friends over one of their hand crafted beers. (Amy Sherman)

The couple underwent multiple discussions on what to do, and finally decided to work with what they had been given, and their artist friends stepped up again with ideas. They painted the walls a copper color, and hand placed thousands of pennies down for the floor. Named “The Penny Lounge”, the vault now hosts bench seating along the sides, and brewery stickers from everywhere for a colorful and fun addition to the walls. You can still see the ventilation crank on the wall that would let in air in case you got trapped inside, and the super thick and heavy door has a glass backing that allows you to see the working mechanics of the lock system. It’s insanely cool.

The basement holds the 5-barrel brewhouse, with bright tanks packed in closely together in a cozy little setup. This is where Dan brews up his magic, with the help of his assistant brewer Berlyn Edwards, who’s been at Fetch since the beginning. Another original bank safe acts as a storage space for brewing ingredients. Dan is definitely an IPA guy, and you’ll find plenty to choose from on the menu at Fetch. The Angry IPA is described as a Midwest version of this style, with a distinctive bitterness on the exhale. The

Fetch Brewing owners Jen and Dan Hain hand placed each and every copper penny onto the floor of the safe inside the brewery. (Amy Sherman)

Ryptide was one of my favorites, this rye IPA had delicious notes of spiciness. Mad Swag, a big imperial IPA that clocks in at a warming 10% ABV was a surprising and unexpected version of this style, I loved how bright the citrus flavors shone through all that malt. No worries if you don’t really like IPA’s, Fetch has you covered with offerings like Jinkies, a hazy, easy drinking brew with a hint of blood orange and no bitterness. Or try the Tree Stump, a coffee stout with a nice, deep beer, with notes of chocolate, that would really hit the spot on a chilly day.

There is no kitchen at Fetch, but you are welcome to bring in your own food or grab something from a local establishment to enjoy here. They do have a couple of tasty bar snack mixes that you can purchase for something a little crunchy to go with your beer. The name Fetch refers to the use of the word as a noun, not a verb, and means ‘the distance traveled by wind or waves over water.” Very appropriate for this brewery, where you can see the rippling lake out the back door and can witness just how far the Hains have traveled during their journey to open Fetch. Buying

The inside of the safe is now adorned with stickers from breweries all over Michigan and the country. You can also check out the still functioning ventilation lock, that could be turned to open up an airway if one was to accidentally get trapped in the vault. (Amy Sherman)

and restoring a historical building might not be for everyone, but it was exactly right for this family. “Every reveal just kept getting better and better,” Jen said. “We got lucky.”

After the original bank moved to a new spot kitty-corner from the original location in 1965, the building was empty for a few years. Then a local gentleman purchased it and renovated it into a private residence, living in an apartment in the back section of upstairs and while he ran an antique store down below. You can still see the red cedar bolts jutting out from the brick walls, which used to help support his catwalk that ran around the upper level of the building.

You can examine all the mechanicals of a working bank safe at Fetch Brewing in Whitehall, and then you can grab a seat inside and enjoy a hand crafted beer. (Amy Sherman)

“Nothing in the building was up to code, since it was all 1912 stuff,” Jen explained. She demonstrated some of the problems to me, showing me how big people’s feet used to be and why all the stairs were super tiny, and how tall people used to be to show why all the doorways were so short. “And no ADA, that wasn’t even a thing,” she said. “We had to do everything from scratch, and learn as we went,” she said. The couple had to add heat, electrical and plumbing. Artist friends helped them bring together a vision for the space. They removed many of the original, rough sawn, ceiling beams and repurposed them into shelves, and a gorgeous, stained bar that anchors one side of the space. The original Chicago brick was scrubbed to a lovely mellow yellow. “Reusing so much really ticked all the boxes for us,” said Jen. “It looks beautiful, we got to recycle, and to be honest, it was cheaper to use what was on hand.” If you take a look at the floor in the main room at Fetch, you’ll notice two distinctly different things going on. On one side, is classic black and white penny tile, while on the other, hardwood floors. The wood floors mark where the teller cages were, while patrons of the bank would stand on the tile. Both parts took a lot of the Hain's elbow grease to get back in shape, but they add such a unique element to the decor, that it was worth all the hard work. They even have had visits from former employees. “It’s really cool," Jen said. "They’ll come in and say, ‘I don’t like beer, but I used to be a teller here in my twenties, and I just want to see it’. It’s so sweet. So, we do hear those stories, or it might be that someone had their first bank account here, and they still have their savings booklet. We think that’s really cool.” One of the most striking elements at Fetch is the original bank vault, which still remains on the main floor, and has been turned into a sweet little space to enjoy a beer in private with friends. “We knew we had to keep the vault,” Jen said.

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