Meet Nick VanCourt | Co-Founder/President and Brewer, Barrel and Beam

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nick VanCourt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nick, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Really, for us, it was a process of recognition. We recognized that our niche (locally sourced farmhouse ale) was not represented by more than a handful of breweries in the country. Our desire to combine that niche with a beautifully restored destination location was what drove us to our building and ultimately our name and branding.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We have so many little details about our products that are so different. First off, in both the kitchen and the brewery, more than 50% of products are made exclusively with Michigan ingredients. Most of our other products have at least some locally sourced ingredients as well. We also made the big decision, from the start, that our products should be naturally carbonated, in order to maintain freshness, have better carbonation and exceptional head retention. All of our products are primed with local sugar and fresh yeast and allowed to have a final fermentation in the sealed can, keg or bottle, resulting in fine carbonation and almost no trace of oxygen. Additionally, nearly half of our products are barrel aged, and not in the common, modern practice of intense spirit barrel aging, but in wine barrels where our mixed cultures have the perfect environment to scavenge oxygen through the wood as they impart their rustic vibrancy and make our ales, ciders and meads extremely dry and refreshing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, the word ‘city’ is a bit of a stretch for us, up here in Marquette, Michigan! I would introduce them to a mix of outdoor recreation, natural beauty and Yooper delights. I would start with a trip up the Big Bay Highway, where we could hike to the top of our tallest local ‘mountain’ and look out over Lake Superior and the vast wilderness that immediately surrounds just about every town on the peninsula. We would continue our journey up the Big Bay Highway to the Yellow Dog River, where we would spend an afternoon catching Brook Trout on dry flies, fishing a quintessential yooper trout stream. Then we would journey back to market to enjoy a meal at one of the local favorite restaurants, such as the Portside, Lagniappe, Delft or maybe we would grab a pasty (a yooper specialty). Another day we would hit all the breweries. We would start at Marquette’s first craft brewery, the Vierling, then hit up Black Rocks Brewing, Drifa and Ore Dock before coming home to Barrel + Beam for some barrel-aged farmhouse ale and delicious farm to table food. A third day, if we were so lucky, we’d be swimming in Lake Superior and having a great time at one of our many picture perfect beaches before heading for a ride around Presque Isle Park. The park has a mile long paved loop where you can see the lake and wildlife. We’d stop in the middle of the loop to jump into the lake off of “Black Rocks”, which are some of the oldest rocks on earth, perched 20 feet over the water.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So many people! First off our families have been monumental, not only in emotional support but sometimes financial! Also, the great team we put together to make this project happen – Our realtor Gina Feltner-Bouws, our lawyer Adrianne Wolf, The Marquette County Brownfields Authority, the now defunct mBank and all the companies that worked on the renovations – Integrated Designs Incorporated, Closner Construction, Wright Electric and United Contractors. I’d also love to give a special thanks to Curio Design and Construction, who designed our beautiful space and completed most of the finishing touches. Finally, I’d like to say THANKS (yes, in all caps) to the great team we have in place today, working it the field, brewery, kitchen and taproom, as well as all of the past employees who have moved on to bigger and better things.

Website: barrelandbeam.com

Instagram: instagram/barrelandbeam

Facebook: facebook/barrelandbeam

Image Credits
Barrel + Beam