Traditions mixed with present day trends best describe the types of brews you'll come across at Old Nation Brewing Co. Brewery & Brewpub in Williamston, Michigan.
In fact, that's how Old Nation owner and brewer, Travis Fritts, came up with the name.
"The name Old Nation matches our brewing style, which is a little more traditional," said Fritts. "
The head brewer, Nate, and myself are coming from European tradition largely. We are looking to combine those old traditions with what is happening right now in the United States."
At Old Nation you can expect to brews made using basic techniques that have been around for decades, sometimes hundreds of years – the way beer was brewed before the American craft beer revolution started in the U.S. Fritts was specifically trained in German lager brewing and Belgian brewing.
"What it does is give you a little better fix on the fundamentals of brewing and then allowed us, over the course of the last 15 years, to test those fundamentals against what is new and what is happening here in the U.S.," he said. "There aren't a whole lot of new breweries with that same kind of experience."
Old Nation is always working to come up with new brews.
"Right now we are experimenting with a new brew called Belgian Club of Thailand, which is a Belgian tripel style beer," said Fritts. "It uses house made extracts, galangal root, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, and a number of other Thai and Asian spices to make a beer that's tart and juicy."
Although, breweries are always working to come up with new ideas for brews, you can never go wrong with a good 'ol tradition.
"My favorite Old Nation brew is the Detroit Dwarf. It's a very traditional German alt beer. It's very difficult to make," Fritts said. "I love those old styles where you can actually tell that the brewer knows what he's doing, and for me, the Detroit Dwarf is one of them."
Vine & Brew, Quality Dairy, and Meijer are just a few of the 350 stores Old Nation brews are sold at across the state of Michigan.
For more information on Old Nation Brewing Co. Brewery & Brewpub, click here.
To enter the Old Nation Beer Week contest, click here.
