Shortly after noon today, Raven Brewing & BBQ in Big Rapids announced on Facebook that it’s last operating day will be Sunday, August 27.
Chef Connie Freiberg said that the announcement brought “a huge range of emotions; gratitude, pride, relief and optimism.” She thanked the loyal customers of Raven Brewing & BBQ over the past eight years and gave a nod to the brewing that first took place 13 years ago. She shared that she will be pursuing her “true love” the Blue Cow Cafe and Raven Brewing & BBQ will be closing.
Freiberg also announced that Fatty C’s Dog House will take over the space that Raven Brewing & BBQ was in. Fatty C’s made a Facebook post on May 30 about “moving to a new location” and temporarily closing as part of that process.
Raven Brewing & BBQ’s Fresh Start was one of the beers I thought people needed to check out at the 2021 U.P. Fall Beer Festival put on by the Michigan Brewers Guild.
According to the 2022 Brewery Production Numbers for Michigan, Raven produced 120 barrels of beer. This was a bit of a decline from 2021 when they produced 156. To provide a bit of comparison and context, here are similar sized breweries that brewed between 120 and 125 barrels in 2022. All of them are still open to this day except for Northern Oak Brewery.
- Black Calder Brewing Company (Grand Rapids) – 125
- Hunter’s Ale House (Mt. Pleasant) – 125
- Old Mill Brewpub & Grill (Plainwell) – 125
- Sanctuary Spirits (Grand Ledge) – 125
- South Haven Brewpub (South Haven) – 125
- Starving Artist Brewing (Ludington) – 125
- Tilted Axis Brewing Company (Lapeer) – 125
- Dearborn Brewing (Dearborn) – 122
- 127 Brewing (Jackson) – 120
- Newaygo Brewing Co (Newaygo) – 120
- Northern Oak Brewery (Holly – CLOSED) – 120
- Raven Brewing & BBQ (Big Rapids) – 120
- Sherwood Brewing (Shelby Twp) – 120
We at Better on Draft are sad to see another Michigan brewery cease operations, especially on the heels of Rochester Mills Production & Taproom’s closure. We wish Chef Freiberg and her team the best!
Cheers!
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