Cherry Public House opens on Lake Street
Photos by Taro Yamasaki
Glen Arbor’s first brewery a year-round tourist draw; CherryPalooza planned for June 16
By Jacob Wheeler
Sun editor
[Editor’s Note: Cherry Public House held its soft opening yesterday, May 15. The restaurant is open, ice cream will be available starting Thursday, May 17, but it will take a few weeks to get the beer. The taps could flow as early as June 1. Look for updates.]
Fun and games always seem to follow Bob Sutherland.
The Cherry Republic owner frequently walks around Glen Arbor sans shoes; his weekly “Orchard Report” emails describe sons Colebrook and Hawthorn playing in the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and cherry pit spitting contests are an important part of the visit to Cherry Republic’s campus.
What could be more fun than a brewpub and outdoor beer garden in the most beautiful place in America?
Cherry Public House, which just opened where the café and ice cream counter used to be, offers both a ‘cheers’ to the present and an ode to nostalgia. Images of Leelanau County history adorn the walls of the café, including highlights from the Sutherland family album—a photo of Bob’s mom Mary diving at Ohio State University, Bob’s brothers mooning the camera during a Fourth of July parade, a black & white headshot of Bob when he ran for County Commission. Just below the “Hoppy Bobby Pale Ale” sign are wall clocks marking the time at each of Cherry Republic’s six retail locations (it’s a trick: they’re all in the same time zone).
“Every time I do something and try to be serious, I fall on my face,” Sutherland laughed during a walkthrough tour the week before the brewery opened. “This is true to me and Cherry Republic.”
The brewery has been a long time coming. Nearly a decade ago, Sutherland brought a raspberry-flavored lambic beer to the office and asked his staff about making something similar. Cherry Republic’s brain trust finally felt that Glen Arbor and its swell of summer tourists were ready for specialty brews. The company has long partnered with local wineries and served pours next door. But this year the seasonal lunch café needed a remodel, and the Glen Arbor campus itself needed a new septic field and parking. The brewery justified the investment.
Now patrons can occupy picnic tables in the beer garden behind the brewery while kids play lawn games (there is seating for 40 inside the building). Cherry Public House will be open year-round, serving a dinner menu that includes barbeque ribs and whitefish, and café favorites including coffee, scones, ice cream and chocolate cherry “Boomchunka” cookies.
“For southwest Leelanau County, because we don’t have municipal septic, we haven’t had a new sit-down restaurant in 12 years,” said Sutherland. “Just having a new place to go will bring a new crowd. We’ll draw people from Traverse and around northern Michigan, especially in the off-season.”
The new septic system across M-22 from the Glen Arbor park is five times bigger than Cherry Republic’s previous operation, and it could allow for subsequent expansions. (Sutherland has put his previous idea of state-subsidized workforce housing units above a new winery on hold, indefinitely.)
Cheers to cherry beer!
“Our goal through the course of the year is to feature every cherry product we can make,” said Sutherland. “People have been asking for beer forever, and cherries work well with everything. We had no doubt that cherries, hops and barley would make a great combination.”
Cherry Public House will feature a dozen fermented beverages on tap—9 beers and 3 ciders, half featuring cherry and half without. Taps will change seasonally. The beers run the gamut from Lagers, to Pale Ales, to Sour Ales, to Porters to a fruity Summer Shandy (not cherry) that’s available in a limited quantity. Two of the 3 ciders are made with local cherries; the other is a traditional cinnamon apple cider.
“Our cherry brews are unlike many on the market today, as you won’t find artificial cherry flavoring. Ours are made with true northern Michigan cherries!” said Andrew Moore, Cherry Republic’s director of marketing. Some of our cherry beers will be very cherry-forward while some may require a couple sips to pick out the sweet/tart flavors.”
A staff favorite is the flagship “Leelanau Lambic” which is an American Sour Ale made from Northern Michigan cherries which give it a bright pink color and fresh cherry aroma. “It’s tart, cherry forward, and finishes dry,” said Moore. “It’s going to be a cherry-fan favorite. We’ll be bottling this one first.”
Cherry Republic’s crew also raves about the cider called “The Back Forty” which is an ode to the farmers of Michigan. According to Moore, it perfectly blends two great Michigan fruits—apples from southwest Michigan and Balaton cherries from the Leelanau Peninsula. “It’s fresh, crisp, tart and dry.” One dollar from each glass of “The Back Forty” sold will support Michigan farmers.
How well do cherries mix with hops and barley?
“Cherry is a common dark fruit note in many varieties of beer (and wine),” said Moore. “Many people are familiar with the sweet cherry note in a sour or a stout, but we envision using that sweet cherry, along with our famous tart cherry varieties (Montmorency and Balaton) to highlight the greatest of all the fruits.”
“As we’ve always done, we want to push the boundaries of the cherry because it’s such a versatile fruit.”
CherryPalooza block party
Though the taps are flowing already, Cherry Public House will hold its official grand opening with a first-annual CherryPalooza brew festival and block party on Saturday, June 16, from 4-10 p.m. That’s timed to coincide with the start of high-summer tourism season in Glen Arbor.
Lake Street will be closed off, tickets cost $35, musicians Joshua Davis, May Erlewine and Reggie Smith will perform, and proceeds will benefit the Leelanau Conservancy’s Palmer Woods trail expansion, which will include mountain bike, cross-country ski and winter bike trails. Visit CherryRepublic.com/CherryPalooza for information and to buy tickets.
Look for more information about CherryPalooza, Davis’ and Erlewine’s music and the Palmer Woods trail in subsequent editions of the Sun.
Customer appreciation day
Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 20, as Cherry Republic marks customer appreciation day at all 6 retail outlets.
As a thank you to its customers, Cherry Republic’s Traverse City and Glen Arbor flagship stores will offer a free scoop of cherry ice cream, while its stores in Ann Arbor, Frankenmuth and Holland will hand out free Boomchunka cookies. Both offers run all day while supplies last.
For individual store locations and hours of operation, visit cherryrepublic.com/locations.
