Background
Jake Stanko had been home brewing and sharing with friends for some time when one day his brother in law, Brett Bristol asked why he was giving all his beer away for free. The two talked, created a business plan for Arvon Brewing and in late 2017 rented a 700 square foot warehouse in Grandville. Jake brewed on a one barrel system while Brett worked on distribution while both kept their day jobs. Around March 2018, they upgraded to a 3 barrel system and in September of that year Jake began brewing full time.
Early on, Brett was living in New York and suggested they visit Boston where New England IPAs were a mainstay. Their idea was to bring NEIPAs to Michigan, which inevitably brought me to them.
They took the plunge and found a former car dealership in Grand Rapids, vastly increasing their capacity and opened Arvon Brewing two weeks before the governor shut down the state for COVID. Brett set up a home delivery process and delivered all over the city and surrounding area.
Experience
We arrived at Arvon Brewing on a Saturday afternoon and joined a few other patrons at the bar. The parking is a bit sparse, but we did find a place. It is a welcoming environment with some comfortable seating areas. They do not offer beer flights, but do offer half pours. I came here for the NEIPAs and hazies and they didn’t disappoint. The fruit sour slushes were also a big hit with our group as well as the Pilsner on tap.
Arvon does have canned beer to go and we left with a variety. Food trucks can often be found at the tasting room. The tasting room is accessible and the beer tenders friendly. No nearby lodging noted. When in the area, check out City Built Brewing.
