Urbanrest Brewing Company’s “Slow and Low” Brewing Philosophy
In this episode of the Essential Cooking Podcast, Urbanrest Brewing Company’s owner Zach Typinksi joins Ann Delisi and Chef James Rigato to talk about his brewing philosophy and what sets his neighborhood brewery apart from macro breweries.
Urbanrest Brewing Company is a neighborhood brewery in Ferndale, MI that is known for its passionately brewed beer and kombucha.
In this episode of the Essential Cooking Podcast, Urbanrest Brewing Company’s owner Zach Typinksi joins Ann Delisi and Chef James Rigato to talk about brewing the perfect lager, the rigors of becoming a certified cicerone, Oktoberfest, and the 11-year-old culture behind their kombucha.
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“Slow and Low” Philosophy
One of the things that sets Urbanrest’s high-quality brews apart is their “slow and low” philosophy, says Zach Typinski. While many Michigan brewers have made a name for themself with bold, high alcohol content beers, Typinski is proud of the lagers they make which take longer to brew and have traditionally been dominated by macro breweries like Budweiser.
“We want to change the ideology that small brewers can’t brew lager,” says Typinski, “the little guys can make lager, too.”
Most of Urbanrest’s lagers take 10 weeks to make, which requires a time and space commitment that smaller brewers often can’t make. It takes a real passion to succeed in making that crisp, light style of beer – which Chef Rigato lovingly calls ‘grandpa beer.’
Beer On Demand
A key strategy for Urbanrest Brewing Company’s business model is to be a direct-to-consumer operation, meaning you can only get their products by going to the brewery or through delivery, which has become increasingly popular during the pandemic. Although Urbanrest already offered delivery, more metro Detroiters are getting their beer delivered than ever before due to COVID.
Kombucha
Urbanrest brews more than beer — according to Chef James Rigato, the brewery has the best kombucha he has ever tasted. The secret? Having a brilliant head brewer, co-owner Mary Typinski, and an 11-year-old kombucha culture that is still going strong. The kombucha only has a 0.5% alcohol content and is brewed to support gut health, in addition to tasting great.
In This Episode
- “Slow and low” philosophy
- The 11-year-old culture behind Urbanrest’s kombucha
- The passion that goes into the perfect ‘grandpa beer’
- What is a cicerone, and how do you get certified?
- How Oktoberfest in Munich came to be
Related:
Michigan Microbrewers Want to Sell Their Own Beer Statewide. Got a Problem With That?
Top Michigan Craft Beer Trends to Watch in 2020
Michigan Craft Brewers Prep Fall Beers as Seltzers, Slowdown Threaten Bottom Line
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