Arctic Circle Brewing Company Closes

This past Sunday, December 22nd, I spent my afternoon celebrating three years of business with the gang over at Arctic Circle Brewing Company in Chesterfield, Michigan. This was a sad day, I always hate to see a brewery with a devout and loyal following have to close up shop, but this was also a celebration of epic proportions. The people had spoken and everyone came out to give Arctic Circle Brewing Company one last extravaganza before they rode out into the sunset.

My goal was to stay for the entire day, I arrived at 11:30 am, half an hour before open. I set up to help send this brewery out in style. I went around and chatted with the owners Deven Sills and Eric Lehman Jr. as they prepared for the last day at Arctic Circle. We took some photos and got ready for the crowd to come in and enjoy their last pints at the brewery. The goal as Deven said was “to stay open until either all the beer is gone, or until no one is here.” Unfortunately I did not make it to my goal to stay all the way until closing time. I did make it all the way until 8:30 pm, and they were still going strong even at that time of the night. 9 hours at a brewery that is an hour away from home is still a pretty strong showing in my opinion.

The doors opened at noon, and by about 12:15 pm, there wasn’t a single empty seat in the entire brewery. This place filled up quickly for the last day of business, the whole area was excited to come out and enjoy one last pint and a day full of memories with the wonderful staff and the community at Arctic Circle Brewing Company. They stayed absolutely jam-packed until the Lions game ended, everyone was having a great time as we watched the Detroit Lions kick some Chicago Bear ass, while drinking some of the best beers you can find in the area. The entire place absolutely erupted on the Jared Goff fake fumble touchdown pass, I’m pretty sure the decibel level in the brewery on that play rivaled Ford Field on a Sunday home game.

There was a slight thinning of the crowd once the Lions game ended, but that didn’t last long. Around 5 pm, there was yet again not an empty seat in the entire house. Everyone was enjoying themselves and throughout the day I talked to many people that expressed their love for what Deven and Eric built over the last 3 years at the corner of 23 Mile and Gratiot in Chesterfield.

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None of what they had built would have been possible without one of the people I talked to, that person was the one and only Courtney Taylor. If you have ever had a beer at Arctic Circle Brewing Company over the years, there is a very good chance, about 82.35729%, that it was served by Courtney. Until Sunday, every beer I ever had at Arctic Circle was served by Courtney.

Courtney has worked at Arctic Circle since a week after they opened and was with them until December 8th. She even remembered her first day on the job, July 12th of 2021. Even though she moved on (you wouldn’t have been able to tell she wasn’t on the clock, she was working hard chatting with regulars, myself, and she was helping bus tables and hand out drinks), before they closed the doors, she was in attendance for the last day at Arctic Circle.

Courtney is an absolute rockstar bartender from St. Clair Shores, Michigan and has a lot of experience in the service industry, with previous stops that include Outback Steakhouse and Whiskey 6. Over the years being employed as a bartender, she has also worked a full time job at a surgery center. She is a very sweet, kind, caring person and smart as hell on top of it.

Courtney mentioned that she cherishes her time spent at Arctic Circle because she was there from the very beginning. She acknowledges that she was grateful for every customer that ever came into the brewery for a drink, and she loved being able to introduce everyone to the atmosphere and the environment that over the last 3 years became Arctic Circle Brewing Company. Another thing that she pointed out was that she loved hanging out with Deven and Eric, so much so that coming into work was always a good time and never once seemed like a job.

I ended my line of questions with Courtney by asking her, in her expert opinion, what are the three best beers that have ever been on tap at Arctic Circle Brewing Company? She responded with Breakfast in NOLA (Brown Ale), Green Eyed Bandit (IPA), and of course Courtney Cakes (Sour Ale). She has been with them from the beginning and was such an integral part of the successes that Arctic Circle Brewing Company has enjoyed that they named a beer after her, how can a beer that is named after you not be in her top 3 favorite beers? I think more breweries should honor their long-time employees by naming a beer after them (very subtle hint and a wink).

Courtney was not the only person that I talked to during my visit to Arctic Circle Brewing Company, I made my way around the brewery throughout the day and chatted with everyone that I could chat with. Some people answered my questions, some didn’t, and others wanted to talk for extended periods of time about everything beer related. The information that I acquired from everyone that I talked to was their name, where they were from, their favorite beer or beers from Arctic Circle and what they will miss most about Arctic Circle. Everyone’s answers are included in this next segment of the article. So let’s move on and let the people speak on their years of experiences at Arctic Circle Brewing Company.

• Justin (Chesterfield, MI) – Favorite Beer – My Name Is My Name – Imperial Stout. Justin was a first time visitor to Arctic Circle so he couldn’t answer what he would miss most about Arctic Circle, but he is a student at Michigan State University (Go Green), with a minor in Beverage Science. He hopes to open his own brewery one day.
• Kyle Paulsen (Washington Twp., MI) – Favorite Beer – Almost all the Sours, but is particular to Breakfast in Maui- Imperial Stout. The things that he will miss most about Arctic Circle Brewing Company are that the owners are awesome, the fact that they make unique beer styles, and it is a really cool spot to hang out at.
• Alex Paulsen (Royal Oak, MI) – Favorite Beer – Also a fan of Breakfast in Maui- Imperial Stout, and almost all of the Sours. He summed up what he will miss most about the brewery being gone in two simple words: The people.
• Chelsea Jaques (Chesterfield, MI) – Favorite Beer – Juneteenth Version 1- Imperial Stout. The activities that she will miss most about visiting Arctic Circle include Wednesday night Trivia Night, hanging out with friends, and enjoying a good beer.
• Jeremy Jaques (Chesterfield, MI) – Favorite Beer – Blood of the Yeti-Pastry Sour. Jeremy will especially miss Trivia Nights, Sour Magazine Day, and Stout day.
• Ean Garman (Chesterfield, MI) – Favorite Beers – Juneteenth Version 1- Imperial Stout, Imperial Seltzer. Ean will miss the Staff at Arctic Circle, and drinking all the unique beers that they come up with.
• Greg (Sterling Heights, MI) – Favorite Beers – Hawaiian Sour Cakes- Fruited Sour, and their sours in general. What he will miss most about the brewery closing is, Arctic Circle gave him a reason to visit this area. He is also sick of seeing breweries close lately and losing another one hurts a lot.
• Julie (Sterling Heights, MI) – Favorite Beers – All their Hazy IPAs, Blood of a Yeti- Pastry Sour . She will miss the fact that at Arctic Circle they were trying new things, Sours, Hazys, Pastry Stouts. She pointed out that their variety of beer helped stand out over other breweries.
• Marlene (Chesterfield, MI) – Favorite Beers – Green Eyed Bandit- Blonde Ale, and Ciders. We have yet one more person that summed up what they will miss about the brewery with a response of: The people.
• Rick (Chesterfield, MI) – Favorite Beers – Port of Baltimore- Porter, and all dark beers. The aspects Rick will miss most about the brewery being closed are the people and the atmosphere.
• Joey (Macomb, MI) – Favorite Beers – All the Sours. Joey will miss all the people from the owners, friendly customers and the staff. Joey has never had a bad beer at Arctic Circle Brewing Company.
• Ken (Chesterfield, MI) – Favorite Beers – Whatever he is currently drinking. Breakfast in New Baltimore- Stout. The thing that Ken will miss most about Arctic Circle being gone is the fact that it is the closest brewery to home for him.
• Danielle (Macomb, MI) – Favorite Beers – Stouts (even though she can’t have them), Prickly Pear Bomb, Seltzers. Danielle will miss the brewery’s track record of involvement with the local community and their proactive stances on social awareness.
• Deb (Chesterfield, MI) – Favorite Beers – Breakfast in NOLA- Brown Ale, Labelle’s Pie- Brown Ale. Deb will miss everything about Arctic Circle including but not limited to the fact that you are always welcome at Arctic Circle, the social media posts and most of all Courtney.
• Jeanie (Roseville, MI) – Favorite Beer – Labelle’s Pie- Brown Ale. Jeanie will miss the atmosphere at Arctic Circle Brewing Company and she noted it was a fun place to take the dog.
• Jason (Roseville, MI) – Favorite Beer – Three Musketeers Stout- Milk Stout (This sounds like something I am sad I never got to try). The aspect of the brewery Jason will miss most is their Dessert Beers.
• Trey (Madison Heights, MI) – Favorite Beer – Mango Mousse- Pastry Sour. Trey will miss the originality the brewery displayed at all times, the space, the variety, the light. He will miss the interactions with great people, and he will also miss the good service. To sum it up best, “I’m really bummed”.
• Steve (Sterling Heights, MI) – Favorite Beer – Green Eyed Bandit- Blonde Ale. Steve will miss the events most at Arctic Circle Brewing Company including their themed events, Sour Days, Stout Days, and their coordinated releases.
• Dorothy (St. Clair, MI) – Favorite Beers – All the Sours. Dorothy will miss having somewhere to drink in the area and especially having a minority owned brewery in the area.
• Craig (St. Clair, MI) – Favorite Beers – All the Sours. Craig lamented that he should have visited the brewery more often, and that it is a nice location. He will miss not having it as a local option to grab a delicious beer.
• Linda (Houghton Lake, MI) – Favorite Beers – Their breakfast beers, all of them. Sours, actually I am a little all over the place. When it came to what Linda will miss most, she kept it simple and to the point, the beer and the people.
• Bill Gornicki (St Clair Shores, MI) – Favorite Beers – Lo-Lo’s- IPA and all the Stouts. Bill will miss the Environment, noting that it was a good place to watch a game. He will miss their marketing, events, special releases and the energy that management puts into them.
• Andy (Macomb, MI) – Favorite Beer – Ten Craft Commandments- Hazy IPA. Andy will miss the fact that locally there are not a lot of brewery options and Arctic Circle closing makes it so that there is one less brewery in the area, and he noted that their taplist always contained a good variety of beer.
• Matt (Macomb, MI) – Favorite Beer – Ten Craft Commandments- Hazy IPA. Matt admits that he will miss having a local brewery close to home and their Breakfast Stouts.
• Billy D. (It’s an interesting question, MI) – Favorite Beer – Crowns For Kings- Barleywine. Billy will miss the three C’s that Arctic Circle provided, the convenience, the comradery, and the compassion. He pointed out that “I have made many great friends over the years at Arctic Circle”.
• Shawn (Harrison Twp., MI) – Favorite Beer – Seanie Cakes- Fruited Sour. As far as what will be missed most Shawn kept it short and sweet, the people, and the community.
• Samantha (New Haven, MI)- Favorite Beers – Breakfast in NOLA- Brown Ale, Doughboy Magic- Fruited Sour. Other than the beers, the thing Samantha will miss most are Deven and Eric.
• Robie (New Haven, MI) – Favorite Beers – Hawaiian Sour Cakes- Fruited Sour, Every stout they release is awesome. Every beer is good. Robie pointed out that he will miss bringing his son to the brewery every Thursday, for their weekly bro-date after he picks him up from school.
• John (Mount Clemens, MI) – Favorite Beer – Mango for Jasmine- Hazy IPA. He lamented that as a brewery owner (Mount Clemens Brewery), he will miss talking to Deven. Noting that he has learned a lot from Deven over the years.
• Tommy (Mount Clemens, MI) – Favorite Beer – Green Eyed Bandit- Blonde Ale. Tommy will miss seeing the familiar faces, people from other breweries (also an owner at Mount Clemens Brewery), and Deven’s smile. He noted that the first time he walked into the brewery he felt like he belonged there and was always welcome in the brewery.
• Sarah (Mount Clemens, MI) – Favorite Beers – Mango for Jasmine- Hazy IPA, Load Management- Session IPA. Sarah pointed out that “ Every single time I come, I run into people I know”. She will miss the community aspect of the brewery.
• Randy (Macomb, MI) – Favorite Beer – Morning Summit- Milkshake IPA, “It was pillowy soft”. Randy will miss the vibe, the atmosphere, and the community aspect of the brewery, “Everyone made you feel like you were a part of the family when you walked in the door”.
• Tim (Chesterfield, MI) – Favorite Beer – Breakfast in NOLA- Brown Ale. Tim will miss the local neighborhood brewery vibe, and having a brewery close to home.
• Anthony Kilimas (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI) – Favorite Beer – Ten Craft Commandments- Hazy IPA. What Anthony, the owner of Someday Brewing, will miss most is the fact that “ Eric and Deven are awesome guys, and it is sad to see them go, but they will be back in the industry Someday”.

Now that the people have spoken, I will end this love letter to Arctic Circle Brewing Company by saying that I agree with what everyone above has said about the brewery. We can all agree that they will be missed because it was an awesome place that made stellar beer and was owned and operated by some of the nicest human beings that I have ever met in my years of traveling around our great state to breweries.

Although the taps have run dry and the brewery might be physically closed, the legacy they have created will live on forever as long as we keep the memories of this great brewery alive. Even though we can’t get beer from them anymore, Arctic Circle lives on through the stories that we will pass on for years to come and not even a closure can take those away from us. For one last time I would like to thank you Deven, Eric, Courtney and everyone that has visited the brewery to make it a very special place over the last three years. For now and forever, VIVA LA ACBC! Cheers!

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